Page 90 of The Main Event

“Huh.” Chloe seemed to be considering it. “As long as there’s a tie to the Kardashians, I don’t care. We need to have Kardashian friends and enemies. So, for example, people can dress up like Taylor Swift … or Paris Hilton … or Travis Scott … or Jordyn Woods.”

“Maybe I’ll dress up like Tristan Thompson and have a bunch of babies strapped to me because he can’t keep it in his pants,” Levi mused.

To cover my laugh, I reached for my Shirley Temple and sipped. “It’s your party,” I said to her, trying to reroute the conversation to something more productive. “When you originally booked it, however, you said it was going to be a straight Halloween party. Those are the decorations we secured per the contract.”

“She knows,” Phyllis offered. “We told her that we’re not changing up the decorations. She just wants Kardashian-themed drinks and costumes.”

“Ah, so you want everything to taste like swill,” Levi surmised. “That should make my job easier.”

Phyllis’s snicker burst forth like a car horn. It was too late for her to cover, so she held up her hands in a placating manner when Chloe turned a dark glare in her mother’s direction. “I’m sorry. It’s your party. You can do whatever you want within reason.”

I decided to come at it from a different angle. “You might not want to hear this—in fact, I’m certain you won’t—but in twenty years, the Kardashians are going to be at the same level as theBeverly Hills, 90210cast. Essentially, nobody is going to care about them, no matter how desperate they are.”

“The Kardashians are forever,” Chloe countered.

“Yeah, I don’t think so. The thing is, do you really want your Sweet Sixteen photos dated with images of the Kardashians? I mean … in twenty years, people will mock you. You might as well have aPokémonparty.”

Chloe tapped her fingers on the table. It was obvious she was agitated, and yet she didn’t explode. “What do you suggest?” she gritted out finally.

“Well…” I was momentarily distracted when Jax walked into the bar. I hadn’t seen him since I left his hotel room hours earlier. I knew he’d had a breakfast meeting with his father, and the scuttlebutt around the hotel was that it had gone poorly. I wanted to talk to him, make sure he was okay, but duty called.

I held my breath as he scanned the room. When his gaze landed on me, he smiled, and headed in my direction. He didn’t look all that worked up, and yet there was trouble hiding beneath the surface in his eyes.

“Hello.” Jax was all smiles as he greeted Phyllis and Chloe. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you.”

“This is Jaxson Hunter,” I explained to Phyllis. “He’s the new owner of the hotel, and he’s been trying to learn the ins and outs of the parties. He just likes to be present for some of the conversations.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Phyllis’s smile was pleased when she shot it at Jax. “You have to learn somewhere, right?”

“Absolutely,” Jax agreed. He turned his attention to Chloe. “You must be the birthday girl.”

I introduced Chloe and Phyllis to him, tried to ignore the fact that his knee landed against mine under the table, and kept my eye on the prize. The sooner we got this party settled, the quicker I would know what happened between Jax and his father.

“I want to make everybody dress up as Kardashians, but these two don’t think it’s a good idea,” Chloe blurted, moving her finger between her mother and me.

“What’s a Kardashian?” Jax asked blankly.

Chloe goggled. “What’s a Kardashian? Are you kidding me?”

“She means the people who spend all their time making duck lips at the cameras and making their drama everybody else’s drama,” I offered.

“Ah, the booty bunch that got their start off a sex tape,” Jax surmised. “I’m vaguely familiar.”

“That’s not what they’re famous for,” Chloe argued. “They’re icons.”

“For what?” Jax asked innocently.

“Because … because … they do interesting stuff.” Chloe looked to be struggling.

“What sort of interesting stuff?” Jax’s tone wasn’t accusatory. He was simply a guy looking for an explanation.

“Like … Kylie is a billionaire. She sells makeup.”

“Like Mary Kay?”

My shoulders shook with silent laughter as I lowered my head.

“I don’t even know what Mary Kay is.” Chloe looked genuinely baffled. “Is he trying to be funny?” she asked me. “I mean … he’s hot, but he’s either trying to be funny or he’s slow or something.”

---