“She thinks I’m still in college. I always wear a ponytail when I see her. I’m horrible. So how’s Riley doing?”
“He seems to be okay. Went golfing with the boys. He’ll probably come back drunk enough not to care. And Knox showed up.”
“That man is fine. Why can’t I meet someone who looks like him?”
“If you come to the wedding, you can meet him.”
“Oh, lord have mercy. I’ll probably have a spontaneous orgasm. Or my ovaries will explode.”
“When you meet him, you should ask him the question you always want me to find out the answer to.”
“What I want to know is why in the world has no reporter ever asked him. It’s the one question every woman in America wants to know, whether they’d admit to it or not.”
“I dare you—no, I double dog with hot fudge on top dare you—to ask him.”
“I can see it now. I have a few thousand glasses of wine, stumble toward him. He catches me in his arms and I ask him. Only he doesn’t understand because I’m drunk and it sounds like Knox, do you mumble mumble really and if we mumble mumble would you mumble mumble mine down lower?”
“Katie! Oh my god! I thought you were going to ask if he bites a girl’s lip when he kisses her in real life! Not if he does it when he goes down on her.”
“You didn’t know that’s what I’ve always been talking about? Every time I see you two kiss on screen that’s all I can think about. Him going down on me. Oh—shit, gotta go, my doorbell is ringing. The hot asshole history teacher is taking me to lunch.”
“Well, that sounds sweet!”
“Okay, I lied. He’s bringing lunch, but we won’t eat it because he will attack me the second I open the door.”
“And that sounds hot. Enjoy!”
“You too. Tell Foxy Knoxy that I’m coming for him.”
I hang up the phone laughing as I let the hair and makeup team in, order some lunch from room service, and then get myself in the shower.
“What do you think?” Gracie asks, holding up her hands and showing off pretty, pale pink nails with black tips. “I got a fun French manicure. Subtle, but cute, right?”
“It’s very pretty and will go with anything you wear.”
I pay the hair and makeup team and let them out of the suite as Kym is coming down the hall with two bellmen in tow. It’s already five o’clock, and I was starting to get worried she wasn’t going to make it in time.
“Auntie Kym!” Gracie screeches, hopping up to give her a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“I dressed you for the premiere just a few weeks ago!”
“Well, it feels like forever,” Gracie smiles.
“You know how to work it, don’t you? Trying to butter me up, so I’ll let you wear something your mother wouldn’t approve of?”
A Cheshire cat grin spreads across Gracie’s face. “Maybe.”
“I swear, you both smile just like your mother,” she huffs, coming over to give me cheek kisses. “It just so happens there is nothing on these racks that she would approve of.”
“Can I see?” Gracie asks, standing patiently by the door as the bellman leave, only to be replaced by Dallas, Knox, Riley, and Braxton, who are tipsy and sweaty.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite stylist,” Knox drawls, giving Kym air kisses. “How’s married life treating you?”
Kym finally tied the knot last summer after dating a real estate mogul for over five years.
“It’s good. He’s as busy as I am, working on a new business development in Dubai. We meet up for sex every week then go our separate ways. The perfect arrangement.” She glances at Gracie then says, “You didn’t hear that.”
“My lips are sealed,” Gracie says, pretending to zip her lip.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Braxton says. “Keatyn, wanna join me?”
“Not this time, Brax, but thanks!” I say with a laugh.
“Your date, Baylor, is a good golfer. Like, really good,” Dallas says to Gracie, as he makes Kym a drink.
“He beat Dallas for best ball every time,” Riley chuckles as he flops onto the couch.
After Kym takes a sip, she rolls the clothes into the bedroom. “You all stay seated on the couch. Miss Gracie and I are going to put on a fashion show. You can help her decide what to wear.”
“You know she’s going to decide what she wants to wear,” I say.
“She does have strong opinions, that’s for sure,” Kym agrees.
After about twenty minutes, I’m getting worried that Kym didn’t bring anything Gracie likes. But then the door opens and Gracie bounds out in a skintight embossed black halter dress with a plunging neckline.
“What do you think?” she asks, spinning around for us.
“Uh,” both Dallas and Riley say. I think they are shocked to see that she has boobs. And her cleavage is fully on display in this dress.
“Love it,” Knox says. “Is that for the after party?”
“It is,” Kym says. A Cavalli mini dress with the Fendi Chunky Mixed-Media Hole Punch Sandal. We didn’t do any jewelry because the dress says it all.”