Kayla Perrin - Getting Some

“No.”

“Oh,” Claudia says, the word full of sadness.

“I didn’t mean that to sound so final, if it did,” Annelise tells us. “We’ll definitely wait until my divorce from Charles is finalized before thinking of that step. Which is fine with me. What I want to tell you is what my lawyer said when I saw him today.”

I suck in a sharp breath. For the past few weeks, we’ve all been hoping and praying that she’ll get good news regarding her house with Charles. That she won’t lose her portion of it because her husband decided to rip off terminally ill children. “You said it’s good news?”

A smile spreads across Annelise’s face. “I can’t believe it, but I get to keep my half of the house!”

“Oh, Annie.” I clasp my hands together. “That’s the best news.”

“I know.” She can’t stop beaming. “I’ve been feeling a bit guilty, though. Wondering if it isn’t fair for all the proceeds from the house to go to the charity. But it’s not like I don’t need to live.”

“And you had no part in Charles’s scam.” I reach across the table to grip her hand. “Honey, take the money and run. Put some into your business, invest some, find a place to live.”

“Oh, I don’t think she and Dom will be parting ways anytime soon,” Claudia says.

“Not likely,” I agree. “But you keep some of that money under lock and key. Never let yourself be in a situation again where a man can fuck you over because he’s got the money and you don’t.”

“I won’t.”

I shift in my seat, sitting a little higher. “That was truly good news. My spirits have lifted already.”

“And you haven’t even heard my news yet.”

I turn to my right and face Claudia. “If you tell me that you’ve found another man, I will whoop you upside the head. I don’t want to be the only single one.”

“A man. Right.” Claudia laughs sardonically. “That’s a good one.”

“Then what could possibly be your good news? Adam is going to jail, too? No, if that news had broken, I would have heard it.”

Adam, Claudia’s ex-fiancé, who formerly held the position of president on the board of the Wishes Come True Foundation, was investigated for any possible connection to the embezzlement but was found to have no involvement. Still, when the news of his drug use and sexual fetishes came to light—thanks to our plan of revenge—he resigned from the board amid great scandal.

“No, this isn’t about Adam. But it is about the foundation.”

“I’m listening,” I tell Claudia.

“You know one of my cousins is a music producer, and as such, he obviously has lots of connections.”

“Right.”

“Well, I was talking about our desire to help the Wishes Come True Foundation, and he had an idea. He said that if we want to make this fund-raising effort work, we need to get some big names attached to it.”

“Which is a great idea, yes,” I agree. “But getting someone—”

“Let me finish.”

I mime pulling a zipper closed across my lips.

“Well, Morgan talked to Rugged—you know, that hot new rap artist from Atlanta—about the idea of possibly participating, given that this is his home town, and—”

“And he said yes?” Excitement washes over me.

Claudia nods. “He wants to do it.”

“Yes!” I pump a fist in the air. “This is exactly what we needed. Some celebrity to headline the event.”

Across the table Annelise is grinning, too. “It gets better,” she practically sings.

“Really?” My eyes flit from Annelise to Claudia. Then I notice Apple in my peripheral vision.

“Here are your drinks.” Her face looks flushed as she deposits three mimosas and three mugs of coffee onto the table. “I’m sorry, I got busy with other tables. I didn’t mean to bring them out this late.”

She’s looking directly at me as she offers this explanation, as though she expects me to bite her head off.

“That’s fine,” I tell her.

Nodding nervously, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “You haven’t gotten food yet.”

“We’ve been gabbing,” Annelise explains. “We’ll get to it.”

When Apple walks off, I say to Claudia, “Okay, what’s this even-better news?”

“Right.” She grins. “Well, Rugged likes the idea so much that he said he’d ask other rap artists, like 50 Cent, Ludacris and some others, if they’d like to get involved as well. Maybe do a ‘rap artists support the cause’ type of event.”

“You know what, I will never feel sorry for myself again,” I proclaim, smacking the edge of the table as I do. “I came in here feeling so shitty, but life is still good. There are still good people in the world.”

“Exactly,” Annelise agrees. “I told you things have a way of working out.”

“Can you believe it?” Claudia’s eyes are beaming with happiness. “We’re gonna make this happen. And we’ll raise a ton of money for the foundation.”

“Lord, I hope so.” I reach for my second mimosa. “I’m so passionate about this now, ya know?”

“We know,” Annelise agrees. “And we’ll do right by the children who need this money so desperately.”

“Oh, and Rugged is getting into town tonight and would like to set up a meeting,” Claudia goes on. “Talk to you at least, Lishelle, as your network will be hosting this. Or we can all meet him. Whatever you’d prefer.”

“It’d be great if he could come to the station. Meet with me and my station manager.” My mind races as I think of how this is exactly the boost we needed. “And you’re welcome to come, too, of course. Or I could handle the preliminary meeting. Whatever you think is best.”

“We’ll figure it out by tomorrow,” Claudia assures me. “In the meantime, my stomach is growling.”

“Yeah, mine’s pretty angry too.” Annelise chortles. “And if I keep drinking on an empty stomach…”

“Say no more.” I rise. “Let’s head to the buffet.”

I know the moment that Rugged enters the studio. I hear the excitement in the air. Even a couple of squeals.

I’m in my office, but I don’t move. I sit casually at my desk, a current tabloid open on my lap. It’s trash, I know, but I read it to escape the reality of the heartbreaking stories I often report on the news.

My door is ajar, but someone raps on it nonetheless. “Lishelle?”

“Come in.”

It’s Carmen, one of the production assistants, and she’s grinning from ear to ear. “Rugged is here.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I took him to the green room. Is that where you want to meet him? Linda says she’ll be at least ten minutes. I didn’t want to leave him waiting.”

I glance around. My office looks presentable. “Why don’t you bring him here?”

Carmen disappears, but less than five seconds later, she pops her head back in my door. “Can I ask you something?”

I lower my magazine to my desk, but don’t close it. “Of course.”

“I know this is going to sound silly, but I’m a huge fan of his. I thought he was hot on television, but in person he’s even more attractive. Wait till you see him.”

“What exactly is it you want me to do?”

“Ask him for his autograph for me. Please, pretty please.”

“I don’t get it. You’ve met him. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“Because I’ll die!”

Whatever , I think. But I say, “Sure.”

A few minutes later Carmen reappears with Rugged. Her face is flushed—clearly she’s blushing. I’m completely shocked, since I never figured Carmen the type to listen to rap music, much less be a huge fan of Rugged’s. Hell, I’m not a big fan of rap. I have caught glimpses of Rugged’s videos featuring women in barely there bikinis on late-night TV, and I wasn’t exactly impressed. But for the cause of raising money for charity, I’m happy to embrace the idea of working with him.