Page 22 of A Very Snowed In New Year
“What areyoutalking about? Just don’t let on that you’reobsessedwith Holden Archer. Just play it like this is transactional. Okay? I told her you’re a fan of his, but she doesn’t know you want to have his babies. But again—if this doesn’t feel right, you should absolutely tell her no.”
The intercom by our front door buzzes.
Lainey traipses over to buzz her in. “Wow. I am shocked that she actually used the main intercom,” she tells me. “She doesn’t like to press public buttons. She must really be desperate.” She unlocks our door. “Listen, my sister is really good at getting what she wants, but you should ask for a lot of money.”
I squeeze my eyes shut.
Seriously, what is happening right now?
“Heeeyyyyy,” Shay Nicholls says, holding up two fingers in a peace sign as she glides through the door in yoga pants and a matching hoodie. Her blonde hair may be thin, but it is so shinyI actually have to squint to look at her. She really is so pretty and her teeth are an unnatural glossy white—but in a good way. I mean, she doeslooklike a nice person.
She gives Lainey the most half-hearted hug I have ever seen, rests her mirrored aviator sunglasses on top of her head after quickly pulling away from her, and scans the living room. “Oh, this place isn’t so bad. This is way cuter than I thought it would be. I mean, you couldn’t pay me to live in Westwood, but…” She finally notices me standing six feet away from her. “Oh, hey!” She holds out her hand but doesn’t walk toward me.
I guess I’m supposed to go to her.
“I’m Shay…” she says, like she’s being modest by offering her name to me because of course I would know who she is.
“I’m Piper. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Wow, you really are cuter in person,” she says, looking me up and down.
“Oh. Thank you? What picture did you see?”
“Oh, just what’s on your Insta.” She waves her hand dismissively. “You’re so lucky you’re brave enough to have bangs. I could never.”
Mmm-kay.
“You smell really nice too. What is that, Marc Jacobs?”
“No, it’s a combination of a few things, actually.” There is no way in hell I’m telling her how to make my signature scent. “Would you like to sit down? Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I have to get to a Pilates session. I just wanted to meet you face-to-face and get a vibe. I feel like I already know you because Lainey’s always talking about you at family dinners.” She reaches out to touch my arm. “You soundsonice and I know you need a job, so I was thinking we could help each other out.”
I cross my arms in front of my chest, mostly because I don’t know what to do with my hands as we stand here, but I guess Shay is reading this as me being guarded, because she startssmiling more and touching my arm more and softening her voice.
“So, my sister probably told you that I’m kind of a heartbroken mess right now because my boyfriend, Jonathan, broke up with me eight days ago and I’m pretty sure he’s the love of my life, but he thinks I’m clingy, so I can’t text him.”
Lainey moves to stand behind Shay so she can make googly eyes and the international hand sign fornuts. I try to keep a straight face. “Um. She didn’t tell me that part. I’m so sorry.”
Shay sighs loudly. “Well. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, and I know it’s just a misunderstanding and this is only a temporary break. But I need Jonathan to realize what a huge mistake he made ASAP, and he was, like, devastated that they ended up casting Holden for Zephyr instead of him, because it was down to Holden and Jonathan and another guy.
“Jonathan has been a ghost for a full week, but helikedthe post of me and Holden from last night. He’shauntingme! So if Jonathan sees me with Holden at the premiere it will drive him out of his fucking mind.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It was the most amazing sign from the Universe when Holden showed up at the party last night. I had this vision of how to get Jonathan back. And anyway, I started a text convo with Holden, and it…” She wrinkles her nose. “Sparks did not fly. It didn’t go the way I’d hoped it would. But I need this to work and I remembered my sister said you always text for her. And I hear you’re a fan of his, so you’ll figure out what to say to him to keep him interested? Talk about synergy, right?” She moves her hands back and forth between us, indicating the amazing synergy of this opportunity for me to help her seem less awful in texts with the most beautiful guy alive.
Seriously, what kind of monster only wants to use Holden Archer to make someone jealous?
I smack my lips together and rub my forehead. “I’m sorry—I just want to make sure my brain is processing what you’re saying correctly… You met Holden Archer last night. You want to be his date to theRiderspremiere in February to make your ex-boyfriend jealous. You had a text convo with Holden today, and you want me to continue the text convo with himas you, to make him like you, even though you find him boring and don’t have time to text him yourself?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
My ears feel hot. Is this what being really super angry feels like? I don’t like it.
“And also, just to be clear,” I say, shifting my weight back and forth between my slippered feet, “are you even a fan of theRiders of Storm and Fireseries?”
That’s when Shay’s face transforms. She looks at me, stunned, as if I have just slapped her in the face. “I can’t even talk to people who aren’t fans of theRidersseries. I’ve read all three books three times.”
