Page 29 of The Close-Up (Hollywood Renaissance 1.50)

“It’s more serious than not liking it,” I say, deciding I’m not quite ready to be up and climbing back into bed. “He’s obsessed with the idea that Naz took everything that was meant for him and ruined his life. I don’t want to send him spiraling.”

“Look, at his big age, Cliff is gonna have to get over this. That man is thirty-one years old, has a job, and is looking better than I’ve seen him in years. Trust that he’s getting better, Tee, and take something for yourself. Besides, who says he has to know about it? What’s the harm in one date?”

“There’s been enough harm done, so I don’t plan to find out.”

Long after we disconnect, I’m mid-Sunday reset—washing my sheets, wiping down the counters, mopping the floors, and preparing my meals for the week—when the phone rings again. A smile curls on my lips when Lotus Ross’s name flashes onscreen.

“Lotus, hey.” I leave the kitchen and the whir of my dishwasher, stepping out onto the small balcony with a view that makes this studio worth the rent. “How are you?”

“Recovering,” she says, her voice carrying that husky timbre I recognize as exhaustion. “I guess being pregnant really can slow you down, or at least it should, according to my over-protective husband.”

“He’s so sweet with you. It’s nice seeing a man that gone for his wife, especially a professional athlete. You always think of them as dogs, but Kenan is obviously completely devoted.”

“He is awesome,” Lotus agrees softly. “Which actually brings me to the reason for my call.”

“Oh, yeah?” I settle onto the wrought-iron chair on my balcony and tip my head back to relish the breeze across my face. “How so?”

“It’s his fortieth birthday soon.”

I didn’t realize there was so much of an age gap between the Rosses. I remember being impressed at all Lotus has accomplished by the age of twenty-nine.

“And we’re doing a cruise to celebrate,” Lotus continues. “Some of his closest friends on a yacht in the Mediterranean for two weeks. We’ll stop in Corsica, Sardinia, Capri, Positano, and Ponz. It should be fantastic.”

“That’s really cool.”

Why is she telling me this?

“I’d love for you to join us.”

“Oh…so…huh?” I lean forward to prop my elbows on my knees. “I loved meeting you and Kenan yesterday, but I wouldn’t think it qualified me as a close friend.”

“Well, I was thinking maybe you could help me while we sail. Remember I said my summer line is Carnival-inspired? I’d love for you to look at what I have so far and maybe brainstorm some other inspirations from the Islands I should consider.”

It sounds flimsy, and Lotus is not a flimsy woman. I’m not an aura girl, but Lotus has…something about her that makes you take notice. I’ve never met a woman with as much presence as she has, commanding a room just by walking into it. So offering me something like this with a trumped-up reason is uncharacteristic.

“What’s really going on here, Lotus?” I ask, keeping my voice light so I don’t offend her, but also acknowledging that I’m not falling for it.

She huffs out a sigh. “I told him you’d see right through it.”

“Him?” I query, sitting up straight with a frown. “Him who?”

“Naz. He and Kenan became really close after he went to the Waves when Kenan retired. They also share an agent, Banner Morales. August’s agent, his stepbrother Jared, co-owns the agency and is Banner’s husband. It’s one big happy family. They’ll all be on the cruise.”

Sounds like a floating who’s who, and under normal circumstances, I’d be jumping at the chance to tag along, even if only for the possible networking opportunities. But Naz is so dangerous, so tempting. If I go on this trip, I know how it’ll end. Me fucking that man by the first port.

“It’s all couples and Naz.” Lotus laughs. “Poor thing doesn’t have a plus one.”

“Don’t try to make me feel sorry for him,” I joke. “It won’t work.”

“Look, the man never pursues women like this. He likes you enough to make himself look this desperate, which for a man as proud as he is? That’s saying something. I don’t want to overstep—”

“But you will,” I interject mildly.

“A little, yeah. I got major vibes from the two of you even in the few minutes I saw you at the show together yesterday. I know you had something when you were young.”

“High school. It was only one night.”

“Looked to me like you wanted one more.” Lotus pauses. “Am I wrong?”

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