Page 4 of Love Unexpected
“That’s just it,” I said as I walked up the front walk to Jade and Diedre’s home, Bridget following behind me. “I don’twanta celebrity interview segment. It’s not what I do.”
“Even if it will bring new viewers? I have a lot of Instagram followers, Isaac, and they’re telling me what they want to see from you.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The only reason Bridget had a lot of followers was because she hadn’t hesitated to use her connection tometo build her platform. I hadn’t minded at first. But lately, it was beginning to feel like Bridget’s online persona was a regular part of our daily interactions. I didn’t really have the right to complain. My job was very public. Having a girlfriend who was cool with just how much of my life and time was spent creating content and interacting with viewers made things a lot easier.
But that didn’t mean I wanted my girlfriend to change my branding so that it better suited hers.
Jade opened the front door before we even had the chance to knock. “Hey! Everyone is already out back,” she said, pausing when her eyes moved from me to Bridget. “Bridget,” Jade said coolly. “I didn’t think you could make it.”
Bridget smiled tightly. “Surprise.”
I shot Jade a look, and she grimaced before dropping the ice-queen expression she’d assumed the second she’d noticed Bridget standing beside me.
“We’re always glad when you can make it,” Jade said with all the warmth of an Icelandic winter. It was no secret Jade didn’t like Bridget. But Jade hardly liked anyone that I dated. She acted more like an older sister in regard to my dating life than Dani did. Though, Dani wasn’t a big fan of Bridget either.
That probably meant something, but I wasn’t in the mood to try to figure out what.
A sparkling blue pool filled the left half of Jade and Diedre’s backyard. Vinnie and Greta were stretched out on lawn chairs near the waterfall feature that flowed into the pool. Dani and Alex stood near the grill, where Diedre was grilling hamburgers. Baby Nora, Jade and Diedre’s newest addition, was in Alex’s arms. Max was the only person in the pool, but Rosie, Greta’s friend, was sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in the water. It was only the second week of April, but the temperatures were plenty warm enough to swim.
Bridget brushed past me and headed straight for a vacant lawn chair on the far side of the pool. It took her about five seconds to strip down to her string bikini and stretch out on the chair; she posed for a few selfies—and likely immediately posted them to Instagram—before she put her Air Pods in and her sunglasses on.
“Wow,” Dani said, walking up beside me. “Bridget’s feeling social today, huh?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “She’s annoyed I won’t do a regular celebrity interview segment for the show. She says her followers keep talking about how much they would enjoy it.”
“Her followers, huh? You mean all the people who just like to look at her fashion choices and her sexy body?”
“That’s not—” My defense of Bridget died on my tongue. That hadn’t always been all Bridget was. But it definitely felt like that’s all she’d been lately. “You’re one to talk,” I said instead. “Your Instagram is all about fashion.”
Dani rolled her eyes. “Fashiondesign,” she said pointedly. “It’s totally different. My purpose is to feature the clothes, not the body inside them.” She folded her arms across her middle. “You’re scraping the bottom with that comparison, little brother. But lashing out at me will not make what I say any less true.”
She was right. Dani had more than earned her right to have an Instagram account about fashion. She’d gone to design school, worked for one of New York’s most prestigious designers, and was now building an impressive business of her own. I just didn’t like it when she called me out on stuff. Which she was absolutely about to do.
“Why are you still dating her, Isaac?” Dani asked. “Does she really make you happy?”
Yep. There it was.
I shrugged dismissively. “The fans like her.”
“Oh, right. The fans. They should definitely have a say in whom you do or don’t date.”
“They don’t get a say. I’m just saying, if we break up, it has to be a whole thing. Fans would wonder why she suddenly stopped showing up in videos. I’d have to address it. It’s a lot of work.”
“Here’s a thought,” Dani said. “Next time you’re in a relationship, how about you just keep things private? Then no one needs to know when and if you break up.”
“Oh, wow, what a novel idea,” I said, matching her tone. “Then I can just watch my entire career go down the drain.”
“Oh, whatever. You’re being dramatic.”
“Am I?” I shrugged. “I gave up my right to privacy a long time ago, Dani. It’s just part of the job.”
She pursed her lips like she wanted to disagree with me, but then she stilled, her face turning an alarming shade of green.
“Hey, you okay? Morning sickness again?”
She breathed in and out slowly. “Why do we even call it morning sickness? I swear I am sick every hour of the day.”
“What do you need?” I asked. “Water? Ginger ale? Alex?”
