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Tiffany watched through the window while Kelvin drove away. From inside, she couldn’t hear him scream, but she could see him dance in his seat. She rolled her eyes then tapped into her tablet to open the gate.

Aliyah cleaned off the counters in the meantime. She gathered more bottles and threw away some garbage. “You know, you didn’t have to work tonight. It kinda goes against the party.”

“I know, but I wanted to. We have a lot lined up this summer. I wanted to get a jump on it.”

Aliyah stopped cleaning. “Really? It wasn’t Kelvin?”

Tiffany shrugged then turned around. “Maybe a little. We just haven’t hung out in a while. It’s been all work lately, yet we still haven’t hit anything. I feel like I’m disappointing you.”

“You’re not. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, right, Babe. Things have been on the decline since you hired me. How is that not my fault?”

Aliyah glared at her like she resented the question. The two of them stood in silence a moment. The dishwasher hummed between them.

Years ago, Tiffany almost gave up on Hollywood. Acting never came as easily to her as it did Aliyah. Her biggest role was in the high school drama where they met. She juggled modeling and even tried singing, but nothing ever took off. She went to castings in the day, waited tables at night.

Once her modeling career slowed, Aliyah suggested she go to school for talent management. A job, she said, was already waiting for her. Both of them were crying when she agreed. Tiffany promised she wouldn’t let her down. She took classes online while studying the job from the inside. The program hardly challenged her. She graduated with honors, and at the ceremony, Aliyah hired her in front of everybody. The two moved in together shortly after.

“It’s not you,” Aliyah said, “It’s the house. It was too much. Ever since I bought it, there’s been this weight on me. I can’t shake it. Projects keep dropping me. Castings keep passing me up. I don’t know what to do.”

Tiffany walked to the island and pushed in the stools. “Have you considered raising the rent?”

She snorted.

“I’m serious. Ask Aja and Miko to pay more. Or hell, pay us less. We can all take the hit.”

“Absolutely not. None of you deserve that. This is my burden, and I’ll figure it out. I just wanted you to know. It’s not you.”

Tiffany swallowed the lump in her throat. She reached across the island to hold her friend’s hand. Tears welled in their eyes.

“You got this,” she whispered, “We all believe in you. And like I said, we have a lot lined up this summer. Plenty of opportunities. No one’s counting you out.”

“Thanks, Tiff.” She sniffled. “And I’m sorry we haven’t hung out in a while. We’ll make time soon, I promise.”

The women tapped their knuckles on the counter before letting go. The gesture was subtle and conveyed a message of strength. They’d been using it for years.

“So, how was the party?” Tiffany asked as she headed back to the window, “I heard there was a fight.”

“Yeah, Aja’s boyfriend sucker-punched him. The night went well otherwise.”

“What about the other guy? Are we doing damage control?”

“No, I don’t think so. Aja said she’ll take care of it. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Tiffany nodded in the window. She’d never seen her client so distraught about money. Or was it the fight?

“And Kelvin? Do you think you’ll see him again?”

Aliyah wiped away a tear then continued cleaning. “Yeah, I think so.”

“You don’t feel you have to, do you? You know, because he got walloped.”

“No, Tiff, I want to. It was actually really fun, one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. All things considered.”

Tiffany blinked in disbelief. She recalled her client saying it wasn’t a date.

“Okay, not to play the manager here, but do you really think now’s the best time to be adding a guy to your schedule?”

“I handled it. I told him I can’t reach out until I have work. I didn’t give him my number or anything.”

“And if he contacts me?”

“He won’t.”

Tiffany spun around and tried to keep her voice down. “Babe, you can’t be serious. If this guy starts blowing me up—”

“Then get rid of him. Like I said, if he fights at all, boot him. I told him no distractions. That goes for you, too.”

She thanked her with another nod then turned back to the window. In the reflection, Aliyah grabbed a rag and started wiping down the counters. They hated arguing, although they disagreed often. It wasn’t just a guy getting between them that time. It was a fan.

“Well, hopefully he won’t contact me, and we won’t have anything to worry about.”

“This is really stupid, isn’t it?” Aliyah threw the rag in the sink. It hit with a wet thud. “I’ve never gotten this close to a fan before. That can’t be a good idea.”

Tiffany held her tongue again.

Her client was right. It was a terrible idea. It seemed obvious to her that Kelvin couldn’t be trusted. He could leak something for clout or become a stalker if they got too close. The paparazzi would have a field day in either case. The tabloids could ruin her. The article wrote itself: Aliyah Gavins, slumming it. Every male fan would think he had a shot. The female fans would likely question her mercilessly.

Is he rich? No. Famous? No. Connected? No.

Then what the hell? He sure ain’t a model.

On the other hand, Aliyah’s mood had improved quite a bit since their meet-and-greet. Whatever that boy did really lit the fire in her. And maybe that was all she needed.

Tiffany took a deep breath before answering, “Do you want the manager’s opinion, or the friend’s?”

“Are they different?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Now Aliyah was the one in disbelief. She put her shoulders back afterward, standing tall. Tiffany had to look at her twice. In that instant, she resembled her old self, back when gossip was nothing, and work was everything.

“Thanks, Tiff. That’s good enough for me.”

Scene 3: Her Day Off