Page 80 of Fox
janie
Ms. Pierce,
My name is Brandon Stephens; I’m the manager of Bliss Trips. We are the largest group of travel influencers in the United States. We spoke at the meet and greet a couple of months ago. We’ve seen your work with the company “Hel’s Ink” and are familiar with your past social media presence as Jai. I’m emailing you to offer you a position as one of our travel influencers. I’ve already shown your photos and work to the CEO at our last meeting, and she is as impressed with you as I am. You have the exact look we are after and the fun personality that we believe will bring in our audience.
We’d love to meet you if you’d like to schedule an interview. Our office is based in Chicago, and if this is something you feel you would be interested in pursuing, we would love to have you out for an in-person interview and will gladly take care of your travel expenses.
Please feel free to call me anytime with questions or to set up a date for the interview.
Sincerely,
Brandon Stephens
Bliss Trips
I’m not sure how many times I’ve read the email. I’ve lost count at this point. Earlier this year, receiving an email fromBliss Tripswould’ve been my dream come true. But now, as I continue to read over it, I just feel sick.
“Have you mentioned it to Fox?” Sunday asks from her spot on Ren’s couch. She, Ren, and I are heading to a community outreach program. Ren and her little sister are heads of.
I shake my head. “No, I just got it five minutes before I told you guys.”
Ren lets out a short laugh. “She meant, have you mentioned this to him at all? Like that, you had shown interest in doing this back when they went to the convention?”
“Oh,” I whisper while chewing on my thumbnail. I feel my tremors picking up as my anxiety begins to build. “No, I…I mean, I filled it out at the meet and greet and then kind of forgot about it.”
Sunday sits up and looks at me. “Well, what are you going to do? I mean a travel influencer… Does that mean you would be gone a lot?”
“Typically, three weeks a month,” I whisper, thinking of the travel influencers I’ve met in the past. “Sometimes longer, depending on where I’d be going, what the piece is on, and whether they need me to go back to Chicago for any reason.”
Ren whistles for Bruno to go over so he can eat his food. “Well,” she sighs and turns her tired eyes to me.Is she losing weight? She looks terrible.“Those travel influencers make great money if you can get signed with the right agency. Plus, you would get to see the world and build your social media presence back up.”
“But you wouldn’t have Fox.” Sunday counters, and I wince. Not having Fox would kill me, and I know why. I’m falling in love with him. I’ve known it for a while but the night of the festival, him dancing with me just set everything into place. “At least not in the capacity you do now.”
“I know, but I mean, when I sign over the shop to him, I’m going to have to do something for money, and unfortunately, I’m not qualified to do much outside this kind of stuff.”
Ren puts a jacket over her long-sleeved shirt, and I frown. It’s hot outside. What’s going on with her? “Why not stay at Hel’s?” she asks as we approach the door. “I mean, even if you don’t, the money for the buyout—”
“I’m not taking the buyout.” My voice is firm as we head toward the elevator. “Fox deserves to own Hel’s. I’m not taking it from him, and I’m not asking for money.”
Ren’s face falls. She looks like she wants to say something, but I shake my head, ending the conversation. I’m not taking Hel’s from the man I love, and there’s no way he’s going to pay me for something he has busted his ass for, either.
“All I’m saying iswe would have way more luck if we were all in bikinis.” Adeline, Ren’s twenty-year-old sister, smirks and Ren gives her a growl.
“We would also have more luck if you would… Oh, I don’t know—fucking help?” Adeline raises her hands in defense. “You need an apple or something, sissy? You going low? Because you’re cranky as fuck.” I have to force the laugh back, but it’s hard. Adeline’s funny as hell and rather worldly for someone soyoung. She and Ren are like night and day. Ren has long blonde hair, porcelain skin, and a fuller frame, while Adeline is thinner with cinnamon hair and tan, freckled skin. They do share some similarities, though. They have the same voice and the same chocolate eyes. Ren’s voice holds a more irritated, motherly tone versus Adeline’s sarcastic, high-energy tone.
Sunday lets out a long sigh as she gives Adeline a long stare. “Why are you trying to make her kill you?”
Adeline gives a cheeky grin while standing to help Sunday as I walk to Ren to help her hang the sign-up for the blood drive she and Adeline are helping run for the hospital their mom works for.
“How are you?” I ask once we’re alone. She looks so run down and sweaty. Though she’s got so many layers on, it’s no wonder she’s sweating.
“Fine.” Ren snaps while looking at the sign. “Would be better if Addy would stop being a dick.”
I move in front of Ren to grab a string to lift my side of the sign-up. Ren gasps and flinches, dropping to her side and cowering behind her hands.Oh god.Ren looks at me, her eyes wide, and I see the lie she’s about to tell. Pursing my lips, I grab the woman, dragging her inside the building and into the private bathroom. Locking the door, I whirl around on her.
“Take it off,” I order, and she flinches.
“Janie, please…” Her voice shakes as her eyes go glassy. “Don’t—”
