“It’s all washable,” the nanny says calmly. She speaks four languages, has the patience of a saint, and is teaching the girls both French and Spanish.
Kym turns to me. “Why are you going to meet Sander? I saw on Facebook that you broke up. Is there going to be a big makeup already?”
I grab a kitchen towel and wipe the paint off my stomach. “We broke up, but we’re still friends.”
“I get that. That’s what I’m doing. Working on me.”
“Do you need work?”
She laughs. “Hell, no. I’m perfect. It just sounds insightful.” She lowers her voice. “Plus it sounds better to say, I’m doing me, than saying, I have no man in my life. Like it was a choice.”
Kym makes me laugh. “Well, I’m working on making Brooklyn fall in love with me, and I’m going shopping with Sander to find the outfit to make it happen.”
Just as Brooklyn was walking up to his house, he turned around and said, Do you wanna grab some dinner before we go to the bar? And I was like, Sure. All the guys going? And he said, Naw, just us.
And I really had to control myself to not start jumping up and down with excitement.
I can picture the scene.
FADE IN: BUDDY’S RESTAURANT ON THE BEACH - SUNSET
A young couple is sitting at a picnic table on the big deck. The breeze is slightly blowing back the girl’s golden blonde hair. Handsome surfer boy reaches across the table and takes her hand.
BROOKLYN
(grinning)
I’m so glad you’re single. I’ve thought of you every day since we met. I recall it was your birthday. You had gotten a new surfboard and were desperately trying to use it.
KEATYN
(smiling sweetly)
You taught me how to surf.
BROOKLYN
(leans across the table and kisses her)
There’s a lot I want to teach you. I want to be your first, Keats. You haunt my dreams. I love you.
Do I want to haunt his dreams?
No. Don’t want this to be a horror flick. Let’s fix that.
BROOKLYN
(leans across table and kisses her)
There’s a lot I want to teach you. Come back to my place. I want to make love to you, Keats.
Ha. That sounds so dorky. I’d totally laugh in his face if he said that.
My thoughts are interrupted by Kym. “So you’re going shopping with your ex-boyfriend to find an outfit to snare your next boyfriend? Oh, what a tangled web you weave. Best to leave this to the experts, though. Where are you going?”
“We’re grabbing some dinner on the beach, probably Buddy’s. Then going to The Undertow to listen to Damian’s band. It’s Twisted Dreams’ last gig.”
She nudges my shoulder and raises her eyebrows. “You already got him to ask you to dinner. You work fast!”
“It’s not a date or anything. Just friends, as usual. But I wanna look really hot. Like, sexy, but still casual, like I don’t care. Like I didn’t try.”
“You wanna knock his socks off!”
I laugh. “He never wears socks! Just flip flops.”
“Well, whatever—we need the perfect outfit. It has to have that casual I-didn’t-really-try-I-just-always-look-this-amazing look.”
“Exactly!”
“It’s a tricky combination. What about that cute Saucey t-shirt dress you ordered online? The one with the monkey on the front. You haven’t worn that yet, have you?”
“No, that would be cute.”
“We can add those embellished chunky Marni heels or maybe the short Burberry motorcycle boots, a bunch of your key necklaces, and some big hoop earrings?”
“I think the boots. Will you be here when I get back?”
“Yeah, I’m working on some looks for a couple interviews your mom’s doing next week.”
“You know, sometimes I think it’d be cool to be an actress, but then I don’t know if I’d wanna deal with all of that. Always having to look perfect. Having to look perfect every day at school is about to do me in and nobody is even taking pictures of me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with always wanting to look your best. Did you tell Tommy you want to act? Because I overheard him talking to someone about you for a role the other day.”
“Really? Why?”
“I don’t know. He just said you’d be perfect. That you’d light up the screen like your mom.”
I roll my eyes. “Doubtful.”
“Haven’t you seen pictures of your mom at your age? You look just like her. Well, except for those gorgeous eyes of your dad’s. He was such a hunk.”
“A hunk?”
“Yes, that’s what we used to call hot boys back in the Stone Age when I was in high school.”
Be still my heart.
2:30pm
I throw on a pair of hot pink Ralph Lauren skinny jeans, a royal purple polo shirt with a big pink pony, a multi-colored web belt, and some Haviana flip flops to wear shopping with Sander. I didn’t think about how my shirt would match his car until he pulled up in it.