Page 37 of Isabelle and the Beast

“It’s fine. Adam just told me the Internet is back up, though.”

“Oh?” She turns to face me. “That’s good to hear.”

“My dad is probably panicking. It’ll be good to reach out to him.”

“Is there…anyone else who might be panicking?”

I furrow my brow. “I mean…my best friend Jen? And maybe my sisters? Although we don’t speak often.”

“Mm-hmm,” she hums. “Or perhaps…a boyfriend?”

“Oh!” I laugh out loud. “No. I don’t have a boyfriend. No one wants to date a girl who bursts into show tunes at any time of day.”

Brigette waves me off. “I highly doubt that.”

“Trust me.” I head over to the bed and sit with a bounce on the freshly laid covers, then wince. “Sorry. You just made that.”

She plops next to me with a bounce of her own and a smile. “Tell me about dating.”

I pause, thinking about my answer. The only person I really talk about dating to is Jen. My sisters don’t care about my personal life, and I never had a mom around for relationship advice. But Brigette seems so sweet; it’s worth a shot. “Where do I even begin?” I raise my shoulders, then let them fall. “First of all, you have to understand how impossible it is to grow up with two stunning sisters who were pursuing modeling. By the time she was eleven, Joanna already had a contract with Eleve Modeling Agency. I was born a year later.”

Brigette raises her brows. “Did they pressure you to try modeling?”

“Oddly enough, no. My dad tried to protect me from any kind of show business. My mom had been the one to pursue modeling with my sisters, but she died when I was barely two years old. So my sisters continued with the contracts theyalready made, and my dad kept working but didn’t want me to have any part of it.”

“But doesn’t that mean you had a more normal life?” Brigette asks.

“You’d think so, right? But it’s impossible trying to date anyone when images of your sisters are plastered all over the girls’ binders and boys’ lockers at school. Everyone knew who my family was, even if I wasn’t part of it myself.”

Brigette nods thoughtfully. “But you must have drawn attention of your own. You’re beautiful, kind, intelligent–”

I snort and feel my face heat, just like it always does when I’m offered a compliment. “I…not…well, anyway. Besides being compared to my gorgeous sisters, I’m a weirdo.”

Now Brigette laughs. “How so? You’re so poised and charismatic.”

Again, another compliment that sets me off balance. “Trust me, I’m weird. You already know I can’t sleep without watching movies. But that’s become my life. When I’m driving, I’m listening to soundtracks. When I’m stuck in a hard situation, I embody a female main characters for strength. I’ve learned a little too late that being super into movies is not an attractive trait to guys.” I shrug. “But it’s fine. I don’t need a man. And all that studying of classic movies has set me up for a great acting career.” I pause, remembering I’m now stuck without any job prospects. “At least, I hope it does.”

Brigette studies me for a moment. “Adam hasn’t told you?—”

“Ms. Lovett?” Lionel says from the doorway.

I stand and meet him at the entrance with a smile. “Good morning.”

He smiles back. “Good morning. I’ve brought a few phone chargers for you to choose from. I wasn’t sure which you needed.”

I smirk. “If only the phone companies didn’t keep making us switch chargers, right?” I take one from him. “Sadly, my phone is a dinosaur and I’m still using one of these. Thanks, Lionel.”

He bows slightly. “You’re welcome.” He turns and leaves.

Excited to contact reality outside of the castle, I retrieve my purse from the closet and pull out my phone. I find an outlet by the vanity and plug in my phone, waiting for it to turn on.

“I’ll let you have some privacy,” Brigette says. “We’ll see you in the kitchen for breakfast?”

I nod. “Thank you for talking with me.”

She smiles almost a motherly grin, then pats my shoulder. “Don’t count yourself out, Isabelle. You have a strength uncommon to most.”

My heart tugs at me, making me wonder if these are the types of chats I’ve missed out on over the years.

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