Tempting Perfection
“What did you do?”
“Who, me?”
“Sawyer…”
I stepped off the elevator and searched for the short, balding man. “Hold, please. I need to play Where’s Waldo?” I saw hands waving toward me and said, “Point to Sawyer. I see him. See you soon, Mr. Glitter Sparkles.”
Quickly, I ended the call and walked over to Waldo. “Hey there. How are you doing?”
“I’m good, Ms. Wade.” His phone chirped. After reading the text, he said, “Oh dear. Looks like you’re in trouble with the boss man. He wants us to come to the studio immediately.”
I gave him a wink. “It would probably be best if we took our time. He’s going to be a little pissed. I may have added some rhinestones to one of the leather jackets he wears for the tour.”
Waldo’s eyes grew wide.
“What?” I asked with a shrug. “It tested well with the female audience. I made an executive decision.”
He busted out laughing. Inside my purse, my phone rang.
“Are you going to answer that?”
“Nah. Let’s give Mr. Glitter Sparkles a chance to cool down. I don’t have to be on the bus for a few hours. How does some shopping sound?”
“Oh, you’re going to get me into trouble.”
I linked my arm with Waldo’s. “Life isn’t fun without causing a little chaos. We’ll get Kurt a present. That’ll make everything better.”
* * *
Waldo had disappeared into a tie store. Oh, Where’s Waldo had a thing for a flamboyant tie. We’d agreed to meet in the park across the street in about forty minutes. I was walking on the sidewalk taking in my surroundings as kids played Frisbee in the area beside me. It was a gorgeous day in LA. My phone vibrated again. For shits and giggles, I pulled it out.
Kurt: Waldo said you kidnapped him to go shopping?
Me: I will neither confirm nor deny that traitorous statement.
I nearly gasped when my phone rang. Poor guy. It was time to throw him a bone.
“Hello?”
“Seriously? You’re all chipper when you have completely emasculated me.”
“Sparkles help everyone. They aren’t gender specific. Don’t be prejudiced against glitter.”
“You realize this means game on, right?”
I gave a hearty laugh, and at that moment, some cute puppies caught my eye. “You are a funny man, Mr. Glitter Sparkles. Gotta go. I need to squeeze some puppies. See you in a few.”
“Sawyer—”
Before he had a chance to finish, I ended the call and walked over to the pen set up ten feet away from the sidewalk in the grassy area. “Oh my, these are adorable puppies. What kind are they?”
“Lap oodles.” The woman had a strong accent, and her sweet smile endeared her to me.
I reached in to pat the white one, who sat ever so calmly among the sea of craziness. “Lap poodles?”
“Yes. They’re good dogs. My daughter breed them. Sorry, my English not great. I’m from France. My daughter get lunch.”
I smiled. “That’s totally fine. You’re doing better than me, considering I don’t speak any French.”