Page 69 of Blue Moon

“I got a cat,” another offered. A Latino, and he must have been new because I didn’t recognise him.

“That’s a whole other species. Didn’t you go to school? You know what? I’ll just buy both. Do these cooling mats work?”

“Why don’t you try one and find out?” Danny suggested.

“So you can take a picture of me lying on the floor in the pet store and tell everyone I’m having a breakdown? Do you think I was born yesterday?”

“Can you tell us about the dog you’re getting?” the new guy asked.

That, I could do.

“Sure. His name is Rocky, and I’ll be looking after him for Helping Paws. It’s a small shelter based near Summerlin, and I’m sure they’d be thrilled if you swung by to snap some photos.”

“What breed is Rocky?”

“Who knows? He’s black and very cute.”

“How old is?—”

“Dogs need walking, right?” Danny asked.

“Usually they do, but Rocky’s on a restricted exercise regimen while he recovers from a medical condition.” I smiled, and a camera clicked. “Luckily, Romeo Serafini has offered to help out, seeing as I’m so busy with the show right now.”

“That’s Frank Serafini’s son?”

“What colour leash should I get? The pink or the green?”

Ryder didn’t look too pleased when we climbed into the car. Two store employees had loaded Rocky’s stuff into the trunk, plus a load of branded merchandise that they’d given me for free and hoped I’d use but which I’d actually donate to the shelter.

“Why did you mention Serafini?” he grumbled. “They’re gonna start speculating.”

“Exactly. And if they’re speculating about me and Romeo, they won’t be paying attention to me and you.”

“Hmm,” was all he said.

“Plus the men on his personal security team strike me as the type who would shoot first and ask questions later, so I’m thinking this is a win-win.”

And it wasn’t as if Romeo would mind his name being associated with mine. He’d asked me to have dinner with him, hadn’t he?

“That isn’t the worst idea you’ve had,” Ryder admitted.

“I’ll never get rid of the press entirely, but I can steer them in a different direction. Yes, those morons are a pain in the butt, but they also think I’m a dumb blonde, so it’s easy to manipulate them.”

“You’re definitely not dumb, moon.”

“And I’m not blonde either.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of your natural colour.”

“I’ve been dying my hair since I was five. From what I remember, it’s more of a medium brown.”

“You think you’ll ever go brunette again?”

“Maybe? In less than four months, I’ll be free to do whatever I want.”

“Unless Julius comes up with another offer,” Ryder ground out.

“I only need enough work to fund my living expenses until our contract runs out, and Caro says I already have enough for this year. After I ditch Julius, I’ll be free to look for another agent, and honestly, I don’t care if I sing in a bar for the rest of my life. Do people really not wait tables at McDonald’s?”

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