What the hell was that supposed to mean? Gloria had convinced her father to cut her off after Kris spent an extravagant sum of money on her friend Courtney Taylor’s birthday weekend during study abroad, but a guilt-ridden Roger had reinstated Kris’s credit card privileges soon after. She doubted Gloria would try that trick again.
Besides, Kris’s checking and savings accounts were flush with cash, and once she turned twenty-three, she’d come into a trust fund large enough to ensure she’d never have to work a day in her life.
She decided Gloria was merely fucking with her and ascended the rest of the stairs to her room. Once Nate accepted Kris’s offer—and hewouldaccept—Gloria would be out of her life forever. Kris had faith in his ability to seduce the Stepmonster.
Despite her giggly facade and damsel-in-distress routine, Gloria was no dummy. But she also hadn’t seen her fiancé in over a month, and Nate was beautiful enough to bring even a nun to her knees. A lusty, bored housewife-in-training would be a piece of cake.
Kris kicked off her Jimmy Choos and flexed her feet against the plush carpet. Her stomach tangled again when she pictured Nate’s broad, strong shoulders and exquisitely sculpted face. She wondered what poor bastards were wandering around with warts and sagging jowls so Nate could enjoy his surplus of beauty. God had to have poured at least three males’ worth of handsomeness into him; his gorgeousness made little sense otherwise.
Kris attempted to push him out of her mind by unpacking her purchases, but she was so distracted she couldn’t even appreciate her new Rag & Bone booties.
Her eyes strayed to the clock on her nightstand.
“Tick-tock, Nate,” she whispered. “I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
* * *
Kris spentthe next morning at Alchemy, knee-deep in research. She was sure Nate would accept her offer, butjust in casehe didn’t, she needed a backup.
By the time noon rolled around, she’d scrolled through so many actor headshots her eyes swam. Six-pack abs, strong jawlines, perfect tans. Blah, blah, boring.
Nate had all those things too, but he imbued them with a confidence and swagger that captivated at first sight. The guys Kris found online were the opposite of captivating.
To be fair, they were pictures. Maybe they were more charming in person. But Kris needed a break before she banged her head against the table out of frustration.
“Vanilla oat latte, double shot of espresso.” The blue-haired barista/waiter with a wicked-looking nose ring slid the drink in front of her.
“Thanks.” Kris flicked her eyes at the rest of the staff. No Nate. He usually worked the morning shift on Sundays—not that she was keeping track or anything.
He’d caught her eye the second she saw him, but she’d never thought about engaging with him until she came up with her brilliant plan to get rid of Gloria a week ago.
A strange wisp of disappointment curled through Kris at his absence.
“Looks like a full house today,” she said casually. “I’m surprised there are only three people on staff.”
The cafe was a tranquil coffee shop during the week, but on the weekends, it buzzed with trendy brunch-goers. Kris had arrived early enough to claim a corner table, and she’d justified hogging her spot for hours with a steady diet of coffee, pastries, and an order of delicious French toast.
“It’s okay. No more or less busy than other weekends.” Blue Hair looked startled by Kris’s sudden chattiness. She’d never initiated a conversation before beyond the usual hi, thanks, bye. “Another waiter was supposed to come in this morning, but he had a last-minute emergency and switched to the afternoon shift.”
Kris sipped her latte. “Everything is all right, I hope.”
“Yeah, he’s fine.” A group of drunk blondes demanding more mimosas snagged Blue Hair’s attention. He flashed Kris a rueful grin. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
After a few minutes of scrolling through more headshots without actually seeing them, Kris slammed her laptop shut and caught the eye of an older woman sitting at the next table over. The woman was beautiful, with high cheekbones and tan skin. She was also a regular at Alchemy.
Kris couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen this woman before they both stumbled into the same coffee shop in L.A. Maybe she was a small-time actress?
The woman smiled; Kris didn’t return the overture. Just because they were familiar with each other’s faces didn’t mean they were friends or acquaintances. For all Kris knew, the woman was a stalker.
Kris slid her laptop into her bag, tossed a twenty on the table, and glided out of the cafe. She was done with work today. Her next appointment wasn’t until six, which left her plenty of time to…do what?
Shop? She did that yesterday.
Go to the spa? Also did that yesterday.
Go to the beach? Too hot and crowded. Kris preferred private stretches of sand owned by five-star hotels in the Mediterranean.
Ugh.