Page 8 of More than Myself

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She narrowed her eyes at the unprotected hardwood. Putting the makeup chair on the newly finished floors would be a sure way to scratch them. She crouched and adjusted the tarp meant to cover the area where the makeup team worked.

“Someone can do that for you.”

Aly jumped at the unexpected voice. She couldn’t remember the woman’s name, but the show went through hair and makeup people quickly. Most of the time before she could even connect with them. Aly was the definition of socially awkward. Depending on her nerves, she vacillated between not knowing what to say or talking too much. Plus, with the amount of time and attention Logan needed, the crew and support personnel tended to ignore her.

“I don’t want to bother anyone.” However, she did need to protect the floors.

“You’re one of the stars. You’re supposed to be a bother. Where is yourI’m better than everyonebitchiness?” A pop cracked as she snapped her gum.

Aly finished adjusting the tarp and turned her full attention to the woman. “I’m sorry. Are you new?” she asked, shocked because she was sure this bleached blond with thick black eyeliner and a constant chattiness hadn’t been here before today.

“There ya go. There’s a hint of prima donna.” She smirked her red lips as she leaned against the doorframe and crossed one black knee-high boot over the other. “I started two days ago, but you’ve been preoccupied with your emails and phone calls. Figured you hadn’t noticed that I wasn’t Rachel.”

A heated blush crept up Aly’s cheeks. She hadn’t meant to be rude, and she usually prided herself on the kindness she showed the crew, but she’d had a lot on her plate lately. “I- I’m sorry?” Why did that sound like a question?

“Don’t be.” The woman pushed off the doorframe and reached out a small hand with three rings and black polished nails. “I’m Lily,” she said, helping Aly to her feet with the outstretched hand. “Your aura is gorgeous. I can tell we’re going to be friends.”

Was she messing with her? Most women on set hadn’t bothered to talk to her. They wanted Logan’s attention.

“One of these days, we can get together off set, and I’ll convince you,” Lily assured her with a wink of an eye flocked by lashes most women would kill for. “But for now, since you don’t have your head stuck in your phone, park it in the chair. I’ll fix your makeup, and we can gossip a little.”

She guided Aly to the chair and pushed lightly on her shoulders until she plopped down in the seat. The red and white roses tattooed on the insides of both of Lily’s wrists caught Aly’s eyes as her skilled hands went to work.

“So which one of the guys is off-limits?” Lily flashed a grin.

Aly took a deep breath; she wasn’t good at gossip or small talk. Her brain never knew how to respond.

She swallowed. Truthfully, the crew was full of nice people. The only one Aly thought should be avoided was Logan, but that was a waste of her breath. All the women chased him.

Lily leaned back against the makeup table and crossed her arms over her black tank top, causing the chains around her neck to rattle. “Which one of the guys is yours? Who should I keep my hands off? I’m on the market, and I don’t want to step on my BFF’s toes.”

“Oh.” Aly chuckled. “None.”

“Got a boy back home?” she asked. When Aly shook her head, she prattled on. “Prefer women? It’s okay if you do.” Aly again shook her head. Lily’s black polished nail came up and tapped her chin. “Tough nut to crack. That’s what I heard. Guess it’s true.”

“Huh?”

“I heard you don’t make friends with the crew,” Lily explained.

Aly felt a blush creep up her cheeks. Yes, she was bad with people, but being called out on it was mortifying. “I don’t have a lot of time, and my people skills suck. It’s not that I—” She huffed. She didn’t know how to finish the sentence.

“Lucky for you, I love peopling.” Lily smiled again. “I heard talk about a kid. You have one back home?” Lily held her palm out, gesturing Aly to fill in the blanks.

“It’s a long story.” Aly shrugged.

Lily raised her pierced eyebrow expectantly, so Aly stumbled through.

“My mom died last winter. Breast cancer. It shouldn’t have been sudden, but she told me the chemo was working and she was getting better. Until she wasn’t.” Aly swallowed. Her mom hadn’t wanted to face the truth, so for months, she’d sworn she was beating it. Finally, when the doctor had given her only weeks to live, she told Aly the truth. If they’d had those months to prepare, maybe then Aly could have had a better plan in place. She cleared her throat. “Neither of our dads has ever been in the picture, so I have sole custody of my little brother. And he’s a lot.” Aly sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I have no idea what I’m doing, and I-I suck at it.”

“I’m so sorry about your mama. But you don’t suck at taking care of him.” The smile dropped from Lily’s face for the first time. “I’ve only been here two days, but I see you on the phone all the time. And when you’re not, you’re sending emails. The staff talk about how you’re constantly checking up on the kid. Sounds like you really care about him.”

“Thanks, but he’s making me nuts.” Aly blew out a breath. “I spend every free minute trying to find nannies and taking phone calls from his teachers. None of which are flooded with compliments, by the way.” Aly shook her head. She couldn’t do it from far away anymore.

“That’s why we’re headed to Jersey next, right?” Lily asked.

“From your lips to God’s ear. I asked the producers if we could try. And I’ve applied for at least twenty jobs back home. But if I stay there, it means taking a massive pay cut I can’t afford. I feel like the world’s worst guardian because I’m not in Jersey with him, but if I go home unemployed, we’ll lose our house.” Aly slammed her mouth shut. Ugh. The makeup girl did not need to listen to her woe-is-me story.

Lily frowned, her eyes soft, but just as she opened her mouth to respond, a knock echoed from the hall.


Tags: Jenni Bara Romance