Sugar and Spice_ An L.A. Candy Novel - Lauren Conrad [57]
“I don’t know, Dr. Phil,” Jane joked. “Or should I say Dr. Harp? Has your mom been giving you therapy lessons?” Scarlett’s mother was a shrink.
“Hey, shut it! I’m just trying to help.”
Of course, Scarlett knew something about commitment issues because she used to have them herself . . . until she met Liam.
She gazed out at the twinkling lights of the city against the dark sky, wondering where he was right this second. On the nights they didn’t spend together, they usually talked before going to bed, just to say hi and talk about their day. Scarlett checked the dashboard clock: 11:23. Not too late. She could still call him when she got home.
Liam was due back on Saturday—her birthday. The plan was for him to pick her up at 7 p.m. that night, her bags packed for whatever surprise he had in store for her. She couldn’t wait.
Scarlett normally didn’t get worked up about birthdays. Her family had never been into traditions and celebrations, so she grew up not expecting much each April 24. Usually, Jane had to drag her out and force her to do something, even if it was just going out with a few friends. Although some years Jane went all out, like on Scarlett’s sixteenth birthday, when she organized a barbecue at the beach, followed by a girls-only sleepover, followed by a spa day.
But this year . . . well, Scarlett was excited about whatever plans Liam had for her. Knowing him, they were sure to be awesome.
Chapter 21
The Other Team’s Playbook
“Miss Jane! You’ve outdone yourself. Our birthday girl is going to be soooo surprised,” D said, typing briskly on his iPad. “Tell me—what juicy little lie did you come up with to get her here tonight?”
“Dana told her to come by here at six to shoot a quick pickup scene,” Jane replied. She stood back and studied the HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCARLETT! banner she had just strung across the doorway of Coco de Ville. “What do you think? Higher or lower? Hmm, should I have gotten green letters instead of blue? Maybe I should just take it down. . . .”
“The sign is perfect! Honey, stop stressing and give me something to write about for my blog,” D ordered her, patting the chair next to him.
“Hey! Don’t post anything until after she gets here. I don’t want you to ruin the surprise. I mean it, D!”
Jane sat down, wishing she didn’t feel so anxious. But there was still much to do for Scar’s birthday party, which was in less than three—no, two—hours.
The inside of Coco de Ville looked strange to Jane in the daytime, brightly lit and almost completely vacant. The floors were swept, the bar was clean, the mismatched, patterned cushions were neatly lined up, and there was a quiet hush in the air. It was hard to imagine that in just a short while, the place would be packed with people—drinking, dancing, shouting over the music, and spilling their cocktails.
Across the room, the PopTV crew was shutting down to break for dinner before resuming the shoot once the party started. They had spent the afternoon filming scenes of Jane and Hannah putting up decorations, making last-minute changes to the menu with the kitchen staff, and going over the playlist with the DJ. Hannah had just left to pick up a poster at OfficeMax: a “best of” collage of photos of Scar spanning from childhood to the present. Getting the photos had not been an easy project, since unlike Jane’s parents, Scarlett’s parents were not big on taking family pictures.
D had stopped by around three to watch the shoot and get some notes for his blog. In the old days before D-Lish (i.e., two months ago), he might have been in the shoot as a friend of Jane’s versus observing from the sidelines. But Jane knew Trevor would never allow that now. It would be too weird to have a journalist who blogged about the show to also be on the show, especially because D was becoming very well-known very quickly. In any case, it had been a while since they had hung out, and Jane was happy to spend some time with him, even if it was during “work hours.”
“So, have you talked to your gorge ex lately?” D asked Jane. “I hear rehab is