Her Bundles Of Joy

Chapter 4

“He was like completely speechless, just staring at me for a full minute, and then he screamed. He literally screamed for the whole restaurant to hear ‘BRANDI? I’M ON A DATE WITH BRANDI?’”

“He didn’t!” Nicole wiped a tear that had slid down her cheek from laughing so much. Brandi was telling her about some disastrous dates she’d been on and Nicole thought it was hilarious.

“Did too! Man, I was pissed. I mean, I was wearing a damn wig so no one would recognize me, and the son of a bi*ch had the nerve to scream for the whole world to hear that I was in the restaurant.”

“What happened then?”

“I was ambushed, everyone wanted a freaking autograph. It was actually kind of scary, but thankfully I had a bodyguard keeping an eye on me from afar.”

“Wow, I guess fame isn’t all glamour and happy times.” Nicole frowned. She felt bad for Brandi, the singer couldn’t even go on a date without being harassed. Sure, Nicole thought artists should give back to their fans by being nice, giving autographs, taking pictures and whatever else, but fans should respect their idol’s private time and personal space.

“Not at all, girl. I’ve lost count of how many people have showed up on my doorstep claiming to be long-lost relatives of mine.” Brandi dipped one of her fries in the ketchup bowl. They’d ordered french fries while waiting for the pizza to arrive at their table. “People all around will try to take advantage of you, and those who don’t want to destroy you. I’m not even being dramatic, but there’s only so many people I’ve been able to trust since my career took off. You’ve met Jenny, right? She’s quite the character, but that woman is one of the most dependable people in my life. I trust her with my life.”

Nicole stopped chewing, “You guys do seem really close.”

“Yeah, we are. I think that’s why our professional partnership has worked so well all these years. We’re friends above being manager and client, you know?”

Nicole nodded. “Must be nice, having such a good relationship with your manager. I’ve heard of artists whose managers make them work to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion.”

“It happens. Guess I lucked out.” Brandi smiled. “So, I want to know more about you! I feel like you can make it to the shortlist of people I can trust. Maybe you’ll let me down, but maybe you won’t. I’m willing to take the risk.”

Nicole opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of the right words to say. Brandi was being so friendly, she didn’t know what to do. What had she done differently that had made one of the most popular singers in the world want to be her friend? Nicole didn’t recall acting any differently in front of Brandi during the little gathering they’d had after that concert a few weeks prior. Before she had a chance to reply, the two women were interrupted by the arrival of Evan Campbell. He was wearing the same navy pants from before and a black tight-fitting dress shirt that showed the outline his slightly muscular chest. Nicole could also see the outline of a flat stomach but couldn’t tell if the blonde man had abs or not. Not that it mattered, anyway. She wasn’t that big a fan of guys sporting six-packs. Overly toned bodies were definitely a turn-off for Nicole.

“Hope I’m still invited, Brandi?” he said in his silvery voice. Earlier, Nicole hadn’t noticed how pleasant it was to listen to Evan’s voice.

“Of course you are, Evan,” Brandi said excitedly. “I don’t think I’ve introduced you to my friend, right? Evan, this is Nicole Carter. She’s one of my dancers and hopefully she’ll also be my friend in the near future. Nicole, you heard Evan introducing himself earlier, right?”

Nicole nodded silently. She flashed the blonde man a shy smile. He returned an equally shy smile. Regardless, it was a beautiful smile. Nicole noticed the cute dimples on his cheeks. The dimples gave Evan a sort of juvenile look, which was refreshing in contrast to his posture—that showed he was a masculine, grown man.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Carter,” he said.

“You too, Mr. Campbell.”

“Evan is fine.”

“Well then you can call me Nicole.”

Brandi had started feeling like a third wheel when Evan and Nicole got into an intense staring contest. The young singer took pride in being a rather observant person. She grew up being able to read people’s facial expressions and her ability had only improved after she became famous. Being able to read people came in handy whenever Brandi met someone new because she was able to tell whether they were being true or not, whether they had second intentions or not. Right now, Brandi was even more thankful for her insightful mind because it was clearly telling her that Evan was just as interested in Nicole as she was in him. Obviously, considering that the two of them had only just met, Brandi knew it was probably lust. For now. Maybe if she pulled a string or two, their instant attraction could become something else…

“Ahem,” Brandi cleared her throat, getting her companions’ attention. “So, Nicole, you were about to tell me about yourself.”

“Oh, I thought you’d want to discuss business or something with Mr. Camp—I mean, with Evan.”

Brandi laughed. “Do I look like someone who enjoys discussing business? Jenny told me she found you through YouTube. You trying to pursue a career there?”

“As a YouTuber?” Nicole raised her eyebrows. “Not really. I mean, they have my total respect but I want the real thing, you know? I want to dance onstage and stuff like that.”

“That’s cool. Are you single?”

“What?” she widened her eyes.

“I asked if you’re single,” Brandi said in a plain tone as if it was the most common question ever. “It’s not something to be ashamed of, if you are. I mean, I’m not exactly single at the moment, but there are still a lot of people who are single nowadays. Evan, you’re single, right?”