Page 53 of Happily Never After

“Just wanted to properly welcome you to the City of Angels. Sorry for not making it out for the sentencing,” she whispered in Claire’s ear. “Rivera Era got caught in another infidelity scandal.”

“He’s been busy this year,” Claire said as she drew back. “Thank you for picking us up.”

“No problem. I wouldn’t miss a chance to hang out with your live-in boyfriend.” Charlie wiggled her eyebrows as she hugged Luke.

Claire shot her a dirty look. “I’m twenty-six. Remind me, what were you doing when you were twenty-six? Oh, that’s right, you had a toddler.”

“Yeah, yeah. I missed you too. Come here,” she said to Mindy. They hugged.

“Are you going to tell us all the hot gossip in the car?” Mindy asked as they broke apart.

“As long as you adhere to the cone of silence,” Charlie said, waggling one finger. “I know things about this town that would make your head spin.”

“I love it.” Mindy followed Charlie to the exit. “Tell me everything.”

“He’s one of my most problematic clients,” Charlie said quietly. The two of them walked ahead. “Are you familiar with Bitcoin?”

Luke and Claire hung back slightly. He took her hand. “Doing okay?”

She blinked as they stepped into the sunshine. Palm trees waved overhead. The weather was stunning—seventies with a light breeze. How amazing would it be to plan proposals in an area where the weather was almost always the same? Well, as long as nothing was on fire.

“I think so. The crushing reality of Brad’s timeline is starting to set in, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“We’ll set up your corner of the office when we get home.” He wrapped one arm around her as they descended into the mass of colorful characters roaming outside the airport.

Right. The office. Luke had already briefed her on his California house and, at her request, provided her with a floor plan. It was considerably smaller than his East Coast house and would mean that he, Claire, and Mindy would all share the third bedroom as office space. The chances of them making it three weeks without murdering each other were slim. Luckily, Luke was due to be in the studio for most of their visit.

How had living with Luke for six months made her this bougie? Her old apartment had only one bedroom and was barely the square footage of Luke’s kitchen, and she had never felt cramped.

Twenty minutes later, they were hurtling through traffic on an impossible twelve-lane highway. Claire’s knuckles ached from gripping the door handle. She glanced over her shoulder. Ryan, squashed in the middle seat, was holding Winston and looked thoroughly unfazed. Mindy and Luke were on theirphones. Did no one else care that they were inches from death on every side?

“I don’t know how you drive this every day,” she told Charlie and cringed as someone merged into their lane with what looked like half an inch of space between the cars. West Haven certainly had more potholes than LA, but at least there weren’t four million people trying to use the road at the same time. She squeezed Rosie so tight that the dog gave her some serious side eye.

“You get used to it.” Charlie flipped off someone in another lane. “So, as I was saying, one of my biggest coverups of the year was for Big Z.”

Big Z was a forty-something rapper with more money than sense. Claire vividly recalled waving her gangly limbs around to one of his bigger hits at her middle school dances. He demonstrated his lyrical prowess by cramming no fewer than seventy-five mentions of the word “ass” into a single song.

“He rear-ended a school bus while tripping balls on ayahuasca.”

Mindy gasped. Her head popped between the driver and passenger seats. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Fortunately, no,” Charlie said. “If Ryan had been on that bus, I would have severed Big Z’s testicles from his body myself. But anyway, two new cruisers for the LAPD and a brand-new scoreboard for the school district later, the problem took care of itself.”

“What a dirtbag.” Claire frowned. How often did celebrities buy their way out of trouble in LA? At least the community had gotten something out of his douchebaggery. But she was definitely removing him from her Pump Up playlist.

“I wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for dirtbags,” Charlie muttered, swinging over two lanes of traffic without even blinking.

Luke’s hand reached through the gap between the seats and stroked the back of Claire’s arm. She pulled out her phone and texted him.

Claire:We’re going to die.

Luke:If we die, your sister does NOT get Rosie and Winston.

At least they agreed on something. After a harrowing forty-five minutes, Charlie pulled to a stop in Luke’s driveway. Claire barely gave the house a glance as she all but dove onto the concrete. She would rather put on a fur bikini and waltz into an ESA meeting with a plate of sliders than get back on the 110. Rosie jumped out next to her and shook vigorously.

“Thanks again for picking us up. Want to come in?” Claire asked as she heaved her suitcase out of the trunk.

“Nah, I gotta get this kid to lacrosse practice,” Charlie said, nodding her head toward Ryan, who had been silent the entire car ride. He reluctantly handed Winston to Luke.

---