Page 101 of Gravity of Love
Frankie smiled. “I know that. I meant, which brother of mine?”
“Oh.” Poppy’s cheeks flushed as she turned around and then pointed across the room to where AJ was dancing with Yaya. “That one.”
Before Frankie could answer Poppy’s question, two more figures approached their trio—Karina Black, the Grammy-winning pop star and local legend, and Lauren Harrison, former homecoming queen turned real estate shark, now a bona fide reality TV celebrity. The pair were arm-in-arm, whispering together with the conspiratorial energy of old friends who’d just traded a juicy secret.
Even in a room packed with people dressed for maximum impact, both women’s presence shone brightly. Karina’s long jet-black hair cascaded over an off-the-shoulder deep coral jumpsuit, delicate turquoise jewelry at her ears and throat, and a glow that was only partly due to the highlighter on her cheekbones. Lauren, meanwhile, wore a sleeveless, sage green, linen column dress that had the aura of Grace Kelly, effortless elegance, her honey-blonde hair slicked into a ballerina bun so neat it looked vacuum-sealed.
Frankie had grown upidolizingboth of the women during her summers and holidays in Hope Falls. They were in a friend group with two other girls, Amanda, who owned MountainRidge now, and Sam, who went on to be an Olympic gold medalist. They called themselves The Fabulous Four and were definitely ‘the cool kids,’ but they weren’t cliquey at all. They were always really kind and inclusive, even though they were a few years older than her and she was a scrawny runt of a thing.
Karina wrapped Frankie in a familiar hug. “Hey, girlie, girl.” She turned to Zion. “And Zee, looking fine as always. I heard you two were dating.” She waved her hand between Frankie and Zion with a cheeky wink.
Frankie felt Poppy’s confused gaze searing into the side of her face. She hadn’t had a chance to tell Poppy what was going on. She hadn’t had a moment to herself the entire day before now.
When she turned to see Poppy, she noticed that she was looking up at Karina with stars in her eyes. “I’m obsessed with your Tiny Desk concert,” she blurted out. “The covers you did of No Scrubs and I Will Survive? I have them on a loop whenever I’m crashing out.”
Karina grinned and touched her hand to her heart. “If I helped you survive even one crash out, my work here is done.” She clinked her glass with Poppy’s, and Poppy beamed as if she’d just been knighted by the queen herself.
She then turned to Lauren and clapped her hands over her heart. “And IloveHome Sweet Home.”
Lauren Harrison’s reality real-estate show was one of HGTV’s biggest hits and had earned several spin-off shows.
“Oh, thanks.” Lauren smiled humbly.
Zion, who had already polished off his second French 75 and was eyeing Frankie’s for a refill, pivoted with the same flourish as a stage magician and bowed to Karina. “You, my dear…we all knew you couldsang, but that performance. You and Miss Ginny ate and left no crumbs.” He tapped his index fingers and thumb together in silent applause. “You ladies had everyone in tears.”
Frankie had felt Liam staring at her during the song. She’d glanced up at him, but he’d looked away. He’d done that a few times during the wedding.
“I was happy when Ginny called, and you know I’d do anything for you. Anything.” She lifted up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “I told you I would bury a body for you after you saved my face, and let’s be real, my dignity, on my first Vogue cover.” Karina turned to Poppy, Frankie, and Lauren. “I just got off an eighteen-hour flight from Milan, where I had an allergic reaction to ragweed pollen and was covered in hives. I also got food poisoning, so I hadn’t slept in three days, and my eyes were so bloodshot with discolored bags they could have been used as Rocky Balboa’s stand-insafterhis fight with Ivan Drago inRocky IV, and my jawline was so swollen it looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man—” she pantomimed swelling on her chin “—yet somehow, this man, thismagician,worked his wizardry, and when the August issue came out, I appeared to be a celestial being. An all-natural celestial being. Still don’t know how you did it.”
Frankie remembered that issue. Karina was depicted as an angel because her album was titledFallen Angel.
“It’s easy to make you look good,” Zion replied. “Your beauty transcends under-eye bags and hives. I just…airbrushed out the mortal bits.”
Karina, Lauren, Poppy, and Frankie lifted their glasses in cheers to that. Zion, who had finished off his drink, pretended to.
“Where’s Ben and Ryan?” Poppy asked.
Ben Stevens was Lauren’s husband and co-star onHome Sweet Home,and Ryan Jackson Perkins was Karina’s husband, Sue Ann Perkins’ (of Sue Ann’s Café) grandson and also in the music industry. He wasn’t a pop star. He began his career after meeting Karina and was more in the singer/songwriter lane.
Lauren, who somehow had managed to go through the entire event without a single wrinkle in her dress, sighed. “Ben and Ryan are on a guys’ fishing trip. I fear if Ryan tries to teach Ben how to fillet a trout, they’ll be in urgent care by midnight.”
“Which is why Lauren is my date tonight.” Karina hooked her arm through Lauren’s. “I’m keeping her mind off of impending medical emergencies.”
“It’s giving power couple energy,” Zion said, raising Frankie’s glass in another toast.
Karina grinned as she and Lauren looked at each other, clearly sharing an inside joke. “Don’t let Ryan hear you. He’s convinced we’re gonna end up on a reality show together. Homewreckers: The Musical. I even wrote a theme song.”
“Wait, Lauren, do you still actually sell real estate, or is it for TV?” Poppy asked.
She nodded. “No, I’m an agent. In fact, I just sold a place to someone in the wedding party.” She turned around and scanned the crowd, then pointed to the corner. “Liam.”
“That’s my brother!” Poppy replied, clearly excited for the connection. “I just want to apologize on his behalf, I am so sorry. He’s an amazing guy, but I know how difficult he can be.”
Lauren turned back around, her face giving nothing away. “No, actually. He wasn’t. Not really. He didn’t care about anything most people do. Location, bathrooms, bedrooms, square footage, lot size. He only had one specification. A sunroom. It had to have north-facing floor-to-ceiling windows—so lots of natural light—sealed cement floors, at least one brick wall, and it had to be at least five hundred square feet.” She chuckled. “At first, I thought he was building a meth lab, but apparently it’s for art.”
Frankie’s ears began to ring in the way they did whenever she stood up too quickly or received sudden, world-altering news. The first time she remembered it happening was when she heardher dad died. A high-pitched ringing began, and everyone’s voices sounded far away.
She stared at Lauren, trying to process Liam’s house-hunting journey. She was desperately trying to make sense of the information she was given, putting each puzzle piece together, trying to click it into its place. She separated and categorized every new fact into the always-evolving, increasingly-confusing file labeled, What the Fuck is Liam Thinking?
