“Don’t be mean, Bianca.”
Mom had been Dad’s right hand in running the hotel. She was smart, ambitious, but didn’t come from old money, which my grandparents didn’t like. According to Dad, she tried to compensate by adopting what was considered a classic style, when her natural inclination was toward the eccentric, which as Bianca put it, usually included neon colors.
“Hailey used to work as a fashion consultant at Macy’s. Did you know that?” Bianca continued.
“No.” My jaw went slack. I needed to be very careful about the angle I picked. “You can’t ask Hailey to do stuff like this.”
“She offered.”
It seemed I needed to have a word with Hailey.
“Does she have a great style? I only saw a picture of her on the agency’s website. She’s beautiful.”
I said nothing. Bianca went on.
“I think you two should date.”
“Bianca,” I warned.
“What? You like her.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“You looked like you’d swallowed your tongue at dinner when Mom asked you about the PR agency.”
I glared at my little sister.
“Plus, you went to a run for her.”
This evening was not going the way I’d expected it.
“Also, I think it’s time you changed your type.”
“I don’t have a type.”
Bianca raised an eyebrow. “Literally every girlfriend you’ve brought home was blonde, tall, and obsessed with herself.”
I had no comeback to that, because Bianca was one hundred percent right. Was it just because those women had been the ones who’d stood out more? Or had I never bothered to look deeper?
“So, when are you meeting Hailey next?”
“Saturday evening.”
I’d said yes to the article. Grudgingly, and only because I didn’t see another option.
“Oh, that means she won’t stay at the after-party.”
“What after-party?”
“She’s going to the private screening of The Lion. You know, the one you probably got an invitation for because you’re so successful and important.”
“Smartass.”
“I know. I’m pretty fabulous, right?”
I did get an invitation. I’d just forgotten about it because I’d ignored it, as usual. So, what made me reconsider it now? I didn’t have to think too hard about the answer.
Hailey.