Page 73 of Blue Moon

“A business? What kind of business?”

“He designs executive stress toys.”

Toys? Freaking toys?

“And how is that going?”

“His first project just got funded on Kickstarter, but it took a lot of investment to get to the prototype stage.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

Because I would definitely have talked her out of it.

“Because you would have talked me out of it.”

“Does Mom know?”

Jubilee snorted. “Of course not.” The napkin was in tatters now. “I realise you don’t like Benji, but we care about each other.”

I didn’t like Benji because one time when Jubilee had gone to get us more drinks, he’d told me I was a walking exothermic reaction and asked if I wanted to break the Pauli Exclusion Principle with him, but I didn’t know what an exothermic reaction was, or the Pauli Exclusion Principle, so I’d had to wait for him to explain before I slapped him. When I’d tried to tell Jubilee what happened, she’d just reassured me that I must have misunderstood because I definitely wasn’t his type.

“Will you ever get any of that money back?”

She got defensive. “It’s a long-term investment, and do you know how many executives get stressed? It’s, like, ninety-five percent of them. Benji ran focus groups.”

“If he’s so successful, why don’t you go work for his toy company? Then you could afford rent.”

“The company is still in the startup phase. There isn’t room in the budget for an additional salary. Have you hired a new assistant?”

Was she angling for her old job back?

“I’m doing okay on my own for the moment.”

“Really? But you’re barely posting on social media, and who’s looking after your schedule?”

“I literally have one thing on my schedule, and I’m sick of social media.”

“So you’re just…not posting anything?”

“Exactly.”

“What about promo work? What about raising your profile?”

“I have reporters following me from dawn till dusk. They can raise my profile. Or not. I genuinely don’t care anymore. In fact, I wish I could fall off their radar altogether.”

“So you’re going to throw away your whole career?”

“I’m thinking of retraining as a server.”

“Are you actually serious right now?”

The waiter brought our lunch, and I got a steamed cheddar soufflé with salad. I took a bite. Not bad.

“No, I’m not serious. But I am planning to take some time off.”

“Is that really a good idea?”

“I’ve been working since I was four years old. You don’t know what it’s like to be under that kind of pressure.” Crushing. It was crushing. “While I was practising for pageants and taking dance lessons and working with my vocal coach, you went to school like a normal kid. You were allowed to sleep over at friends’ houses, date boys, and go to the mall. Just for once in my life, I want to wake up and not be beholden to the entire freaking world.”

---