Sugar and Spice_ An L.A. Candy Novel - Lauren Conrad [62]
Scarlett wondered if Jane was already at the club. She hadn’t seen her all day. She had woken up early to go to the gym, and by the time she got back, Jane was gone. It was Saturday, which was not a typical workday, although Jane often put in weekend hours, and Scarlett knew she had been busy with an upcoming restaurant opening, not to mention Aja’s engagement party, which was happening in a couple of weeks.
Jane hadn’t forgotten about her birthday, though. She had left a sweet note with smiley faces all over it and the message: Happy Birthday, Scar!!!! Let’s go out for birthday drinks as soon as we have a free night, okay? Love you, Jane.
Tucker trotted into Scarlett’s room and plopped down at her feet. She bent down to pet him, and he licked her face excitedly. “Aw. Thanks for my birthday kisses! Yeah, I’m turning twenty today. Isn’t that crazy?”
Scarlett picked up her bag and glanced at the time on her phone: 5:35. She’d better go, or she would be late for the stupid PopTV shoot. She was dressed in the same outfit she’d worn to Coco de Ville for the original scene, so PopTV could create the illusion that this new scene wasn’t being shot out of sequence. Dana had emailed her scene shots so she could match her hair, makeup, and jewelry as well. Yeah, reality.
But Scarlett didn’t care. And as soon as the shoot was over . . . well, Liam would be pulling up in front of the club to pick her up. She couldn’t wait to see him. She planned to throw her arms around him and kiss him for a really, really, really long time. . . .
“Surprrrrrrise!”
Scarlett stood inside Coco de Ville, staring dumbfounded at all the people shouting and waving and blowing noisemakers at her. A surprise party?
“Happy birthday, Scar!” Jane ran up to her and gave her a big hug. “Were you surprised? You were, weren’t you?”
“Scarlett, let’s get you miked right away so we can get you greeting everyone.” Matt handed her a mike pack, which Scarlett automatically tucked under her blouse and clipped to the back of her skirt. At the moment, she was too numb and at a loss for words to question anything. “Oh, and happy birthday!” he added.
People began coming up to her in a flurry of hugs and kisses. “Miss Scarlett!” D screeched. “I got you the most amazing present! No, I won’t give you a hint! Okay, I will. It’s the most adorable little Prada bag!”
“Happy birthday, Harp. You don’t look too bad for an old lady,” Caleb teased her.
Naveen kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just mad cuz you beat him in arm-wrestling last week.”
“That’s because of yours truly, her awesome personal trainer,” Deb spoke up.
“This party had better be good, because I have a twenty-page paper due for linguistics on Monday,” Chelsea joked.
Scarlett!
Happy birthday!
Hey, birthday girl!
Scarlett blinked, dazed and bewildered. More people came up to her and talked at her . . . a waitress handed her a glass of champagne . . . someone else put a party hat on her head . . . and all the while, flashbulbs popped in her face and the PopTV cameras zoomed in on her and Dana gestured frantically at her to do—what?
“A super-short pickup scene.” Right. Scarlett couldn’t believe she had fallen for Dana’s dumb ruse.
Hannah from Jane’s office wished her a happy birthday, as did some cute red-haired guy who had his arm around her. Peering around, Scarlett saw that the room had been decorated with balloons, streamers, and vases of yellow tulips, her favorite. A DJ was playing Kings of Leon, also her favorite. Nearby, an easel held a large collage of