Kimberly Lang: The Downfall of a Good Girl

“Yep.” They’d had similar conversations before, but for the first time she felt a small stab of envy for Lorelei’s freedom before she stomped it down. Adopting a bit of Lorelei’s attitude might make the next few weeks easier. She kicked off her shoes and leaned back. “Okay, just aim for temporary sainthood. A couple of weeks won’t kill you.”

“But it will still be painful…” Lorelei wrinkled her nose again. She liked to play the bad girl too much for comfort, but somehow it worked for her. “You know, no one has ever considered me saint-like in any way. It will be a challenge.” Lorelei squared her shoulders. “And LaBlancs love a challenge.”

“Amen.”

“Speaking of challenges…” Lorelei started, and Vivi knew what was coming next “…you did quite well not ripping Connor’s head off at the ball.”

Vivi felt herself snarl. “I totally understand the choice—it’s great PR, money will come rolling in, blah, blah, blah—but, yeesh . Is there wine?”

“I’ll pour.” Lorelei disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two glasses. “I have to agree that it’s brilliant PR, but you need to be careful.”

“I promise it will be justifiable homicide. I won’t ask you to bail me out of jail.”

Lorelei leveled a look at her. “Do I really need to bring up your coronation ball?”

“No. I’ve already had those flashbacks tonight.”

“Good. Remember you don’t want to look bad, so you’re the one who’s going to have to be gracious.”

Vivi raised her glass in a mock toast. “Luckily I came to that conclusion on my own earlier.”

“ That explains your good behavior.” Lorelei returned the toast. “Good for you, Vivi. You’re growing as a person.”

Vivi snorted into her glass and earned a suspicious look from Lorelei. “Vivienne LaBlanc, what did you do?”

The smile was hard to fight, but Vivi would stick to the truth regardless. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

The suspicious look sharpened. “ What did you do?”

“I was gracious, kind and friendly. Perfectly saint-like.”

“Exactly the actions that will make Connor wonder if you poisoned his meal.”

Vivi bit back the laugh and shrugged instead. “I can’t control Connor’s thoughts or behavior. If he wants to look foolish and juvenile, he’ll have to go there alone.”

“You know that I find you two endlessly entertaining, but honestly, Vivi—”

She held up a hand. “Lorelei, don’t start. Why do we have to go through this every single time Connor’s name is mentioned?”

“Because it’s just ridiculous. I like Connor—”

“I know. You started his fan club.”

A pink flush climbed up her neck. “Someone had to.”

“Three years before his first record came out?”

Lorelei tried to brush it off. “He’s a nice guy, you know.”

“You barely know him.”

“I know enough. I know he’s had some bad PR recently—”

Vivi nearly choked. “ Bad PR? Good Lord, Lorelei, the man’s fresh off a scandal that covered the tabloids for weeks.”

“The DNA tests cleared him of paternity.”

“That only means he wasn’t the father and escaped child support. The rest…”

“You’re taking the tabloids at face value? I can’t believe that. You’re always telling me not to jump to judgment of people based on rumors.”

“No one is rushing to judgment. I’m just saying that you don’t really know him—at least not now that he’s an adult. And you know nothing of his sex life beyond chatter in the high school bathrooms. Who knows what he’s really into?”

Lorelei shook her head. “I don’t believe Connor could change that much.”

“He lives a life we can’t even begin to imagine.”

“Still, I stand by my earlier assertion that he’s a good guy.”

Vivi shook her head. “I had no idea you could be swayed by good looks alone.”

That earned her a cheeky smile. “At least you admit he’s good-looking.”

“I’m not blind. I just know that a pretty face can hide an evil heart.”

“Another scar from your pageant battles, Vivi?”

One of many . “Oh, hush. I’m not saying Connor’s a serial killer in his spare time. I just don’t like him.”

“Then tell me why.” Expectation written all over her face, Lorelei leaned back into the corner of the couch and stared at her. “And I mean it. No wiggling out.”

Vivi struggled for words. She was really too fried to handle deep conversations tonight. Charm and personality were like superpowers, and both Lorelei and Connor had them in spades. Connor, though, had turned supervillain with his, and used those powers for evil instead of good. Lorelei had never used her superpowers against Vivi or anyone else to get something she wanted. Lorelei didn’t use people the way Connor did. So it probably made it hard for her to see how someone else could.

Vivi sighed because it was just too hard to put into words. “Are you trying to tell me that you’ve never met a single person that you didn’t like? Who just rubbed you the wrong way?”

“Of course I have, but I’m not you. You like everyone. Everyone likes you. You’re the closest thing I’ve ever seen remotely close to an actual saint, so this irrational and extremely juvenile head-butting with Connor just isn’t you. It doesn’t make sense.” Her blue eyes narrowed and sisterly concern crept into her voice. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Did Connor…?”

I do not need that kind of rumor floating around . “No. There’s nothing dark or evil lurking.”

“There were all those rumors around the time you were Mississippi River Princess…”

“And they nearly cost me the crown. But none of them were remotely true.”

She saw Lorelei wasn’t totally convinced. Funny that she’d never mentioned those rumors bothered her before now.

“You swear?”

“Hand to God.”

“Good. Because I will kill him for you if I need to.”

The show of loyalty warmed her. At least Lorelei liked her better than she liked Connor. “Thank you, sweetie, but it’s not necessary. If Connor needed killing, I’d have taken care of it already.”

That lightened Lorelei’s mood. “Then tell me. How bad can it be? Did he pull your hair in kindergarten? Steal your lunch money? Tease you?”

“Yes.” Lorelei frowned and Vivi shrugged. “He did sing that song he wrote about me all the way to Baton Rouge on the eighth-grade field trip.”

“Oh, well, that explains it all.” Lorelei snorted. “Connor Mansfield wrote you a song . No wonder you hate him so much.”

“It was called ‘Vivi in a Tizzy.’”

Lorelei raised an eyebrow. “I love you, cherie , but you often were.”

“That’s beside the point. No fourteen-year-old girl wants a cute fourteen-year-old boy making fun of her.”

“Ah, I see. There’s a little unrequited tween crush—”

Oh, for a different choice of words . “Stop right there.”

Lorelei grinned at her.

“First of all, I happen to know for a fact that you failed Psych 101, so please don’t try to analyze me. Secondly, we don’t live in a sitcom. And third, I’m really, really tired of people shoving Connor in my face and telling me to like him. That’s just annoying and it makes me like him even less.”

“That’s hardly his fault.”

Maybe it was the wine, the late hour or just the exhaustion, but Vivi finally sighed. “Marie Lester.”

Lorelei looked confused until she placed the name. “What’s Marie got to do with it?”

“He used me to get to her.”