All That Really Matters, Nicole Deese [best detective novels of all time .TXT] 📗

Val.

I swiped right to answer the video call.

“Val!” I blurted, a mix of groggy morning voice and overzealous enthusiasm at seeing the face that topped today’s personal to-do list, or rather, my to-call list. “Hi—how are you?” I barely knew how to start this conversation. It was as if the culmination of the last eight weeks was perched on the tip of my tongue, and I had no idea how to hold a single thing back, because all I wanted in this world was to keep her on the phone for as long as possible.

“I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“No, no. I’m good. It’s good. I’m totally awake now.” I rubbed at my eyes, waiting for the blurriness to clear, but even as it did, the moisture I thought I’d seen on Val’s cheeks was still there, still glistening in the recessed lighting above her kitchen table. The place she’d so often videoed me from.

“Molly.” She released a sound similar to a laugh and then patted her face with the sleeve of her purple Alaskan Frontier sweatshirt. “I just watched it, your video. That was . . . I mean, I don’t even have the right words yet. I just had to call you.”

Tears blurred my vision again. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” She peered into the phone, her eyes shiny and bright. “Your hair.” She breathed. “I could hardly believe it was you at first. But it is. You really cut it off.”

My haircut was the least of all that had happened over our time apart. I pinched a wonky piece tickling my earlobe, and reality set in afresh. My long, billowy hair that was a signature to my brand was no more. And I was okay. Better than okay. “Yes, I really did.” Quite literally.

“What you said, about the heart makeover and about authenticity . . . it was beautiful. I’m not surprised at all to see what’s happening with it. And don’t worry about the naysayers . . . you know there are hateful people in every crowd.”

“Wait, what are you talking about? What’s happening with it?”

Val’s shocked expression was almost comical. “Molly, your video’s been shared over ten thousand times already. Even Felicity Fashion Fix posted it to her page! It was very inspiring. I was inspired.”

Felicity? I fought an unexpected rush of emotion at that. I’d sent Felicity a one-sentence apology DM after what went down in Malibu, hoping she could read between the lines of everything I couldn’t say, seeing as I was still contractually bound to her ex-talent manager and boyfriend. I honestly hadn’t expected to hear from her again.

I opened my mouth to respond to Val’s shocking pronouncement, but I had nothing to say. The very idea of a post featuring my naked face, my self-cut hair, and my unpolished words going viral on a platform that promoted just the opposite was . . . nothing short of mind-blowing. Maybe Silas had been right. Maybe last night had been the beginning of something new.

“I’m proud of you,” she continued. “I just wanted you to know that. I’m not even sure what all is different about you, but it’s clear that it’s more than just your hair. It’s deeper than that.” Regret shadowed her delicate features. “I should have called you sooner. I wanted to so many times, I just . . . I didn’t.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m the one who should have called you. You were absolutely right to make the decision you made. It’s what was best for you and Tuck. I can see that now.” Her face fell, and my stomach dropped several floors. “What? What’s that look for?”

She tried to pull her smile up to her natural dimples again but couldn’t quite make it. “Nothing. It’s just so good to see you. It’s made me nostalgic is all.”

“Val, please. Tell me. Is everything okay at home?”

“Yes, Tucker is great.” She pursed her lips, and I watched a silent battle wage behind the screen of her amber eyes. Val never wanted to be a burden; it was her Achilles’ heel. “I’m just not sure I did make the right decision.”

“To take the promotion at Cobalt?” I scooted to the edge of my bed. “Why?”

She gave a single nod. “I promise this isn’t why I called you. I didn’t want to dump my problems on you, I just—”

“We’re friends, Val. We can share our struggles and our victories. I promise I care equally about both.”

“Something’s going on there,” she said. “At Cobalt. I’ve been uninvited to several meetings in the last few days.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “What kind of meetings?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. I’m not sure, but I think they might have something to do with Makeup Matters. Ethan doesn’t trust me. He’s made that clear by limiting my access to anything involving you or your team.” She blew out a deep breath, an indication that there was more news to come, something unpleasant by the crease in the middle of her eyebrows. “And I’ve heard some rumors lately.”

“About what?”

“That Ethan’s been entertaining other talent. Other fashion industry influencers, specifically. Courtney, one of the admins in his office, told me he took a big rising name to lunch the other day.”

Heat fumed from my cheeks at the very idea that Ethan would try to replace me. Too bad for him we were still legally bound to each other by contract until December. “It doesn’t really matter who he’s trying to woo,” I said. “Cobalt can’t acquire two beauty endorsers at the same time. It’s a conflict of interest. My legal team has already examined our contract thoroughly. Neither of us can break without severe penalty until our contract is up for renewal.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You have a legal team?”

No, I had Silas Whittaker. And he was better than a team. But Silas was a conversation all on its own, one I’d be telling Val the details of shortly.

“Is Ethan paying you what he promised? Is your job still secure?” I asked, rerouting