Page 20 of Kind of Famous
“Yes. I’ll just be a minute.”
I gave myself a lightning fast makeover. Slightly dramatic eyeliner, subtle foundation, a bit of cheek shading, and a lip color that worked well against my bright hair. I surveyed my work and decided it was the best I could do on short notice.
And then, I took care of nature. The tail end of my period didn’t require ShamWow! levels of absorbency, but I was spotting, so I made sure to load up with some backup protection. It reminded me to take today’s sugar pill from my birth control pack.
“I’m ready,” I called as I went downstairs to wait.
Five minutes later, Jo practically tumbled down and grabbed her purse. “Let’s go!”
As the car rolled up, I asked, “So, where is it we’re going?”
“It’s not that far. Just over in Brooklyn Heights.”
Before I could ask anything more, she picked up her phone. “We’re heading over now. Can you meet us?” Pause. “Love you, too.”
She hung up. “Micah’s been rehearsing since noon.”
“It must be nice when he’s home, though.”
“Oh, yeah. I never thought I’d get involved with someone who’s never around. We make it work. There’s video chat, and I join him when I can. We definitely cherish the few times the fates convene so we’re all in town at the same time.”
I wanted to ask what she meant by “all,” but she said, “It’s just up here,” and unfastened her seatbelt. The car halted in front of a building similar to the one she lived in. We climbed the steps, and Jo knocked once, then just opened the door. “Hello?”
“We’re back here!” called a voice.
We followed it through a living room into a kitchen that opened onto a backyard. An older woman sat at the kitchen table with a baby asleep on her lap. “Shhh!” she somehow yelled.
Jo leaned down and whispered, “Hello, Joshua. How’s my good boy?”
The woman said, “Fussy. He just fell asleep. If Eden would quiet down.”
Eden?
Micah came in from the back patio, kissed Jo, laid a hand on my shoulder with a “Hey, Layla,” and disappeared into the house.
Jo waved me through the sliding door onto a deck to where Shane stood in the yard, hammering what looked like croquet hoops. Before I could drink him in, Eden stood and put a hand on her hip. “No, I think they’re supposed to be farther apart.”
I whipped my head to the patio table where I discovered a black man with a killer afro holding hands with a Latino man with short-cropped hair. When the latter glanced up at me, I felt like I’d seen him somewhere before. He smiled, and I blinked at the intensity of him just sitting still. He might have been an actor. Another movement caught my eye, and I looked left.
There, at the grill, stood Adam motherfucking Copeland.
The oxygen expelled from my lungs, and I forgot how to get it back. The entire diorama caused my brain to blow a fuse.
Jo stepped beside me and touched my arm. “Guys, I’d like you to meet Layla Beckett. She’s just started working at theRock Paperwith me.” She took one look at me and laughed. “By the expression on your face, I guess I don’t have to tell you this is Adam Copeland and Eden Sinclair.” She stage whispered, “It’s okay to be starstruck at first.”
Adam smiled. At me. “Nice to meet you. Layla, is it?”
I nodded like an idiot. Shane dropped the croquet mallet and waved.
Jo said, “You already know Shane.”
The baby made a fussing sound, and Eden said, “Excuse me,” and ran in.
Jo gestured after her. “That’s little Joshua. And Eden’s mom, Peg.”
Peg emerged from the kitchen, patting her hair into place. Inside, Eden sat with the baby latching on.
I focused on this ordinary activity so I could breathe and gather my composure until I realized I was ogling Eden breastfeeding her child.
