“One hundred percent.”
At that, I arrive at a total loss for words, and I’m left just staring at him on the screen like it’s just another one of his videos.
“So, what we’re gonna do is, I’m gonna get off this call, and then you’re gonna message me your email address and phone number. Yeah?”
He prompts me with a gentle nod, and I automatically mirror it.
“Atta girl. And then, I’m gonna have my manager get a hold of you with the dates and flight information and all that jazz,” he goes on. “His name is Meyer Lowenstein. You got it?”
He nods again, and like a trained puppy, I bob my head up and down, mimicking him.
“Good.” Lucky winks at me while flashing a blinding white grin. “I’ll see you soon, Ava doll.”
The screen goes blank, and I just stare at it, sitting in a total stupor.
Lucky De Luca wants me to come stay at his fancy Jazz Manor.
He basically rigged his own contest so I’d be one of the winners.
Setting down the phone, I reach for my now-cold black coffee and stare at its mirror-like surface. The three P.M. fog settles over my eyes again, and I blink.
“There’s no way that just happened.”
My phone buzzes on the desk, and I peer at the message preview.
D. Luca: Ava, doll. Don’t forget to send me your info. xx
I shake my head and swig the coffee. “No way. No freaking way at all.”
I'm twenty-seven years old. And if those twenty-seven years have taught me one thing over and over again, it's that when things seem too good to be true, they are.
Four
Ava
Zoey jumpsup from the sofa to stand with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at me with her glass of pinot noir. “I say this with all the love in my heart for you.” Her black brows crawl high on her forehead. “You’re an idiot.”
I stare into the pale gold sauvignon blanc in my glass. “It’s justway too much, Zoey.”
“Screwthat.” She clicks her tongue. “Way too much. Please. It would only be for a few days,andthis is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
I peer up at her. “For what? I already met him.”
She throws her free hand in the air and lets it fall at her side. “For you to do something crazy and exciting! You need some excitement in your life.” She takes a quick sip, smacking the wine between her lips as the gears in her head continue to turn at an exponentially faster rate. “You’re too safe. You need to take some risks. Everything about your life is too bland.” She makes a dramatic turn to her right and scoffs at the bare walls of my tiny apartment. “Look at this place! You can’t tell me you’re happy with this.”
I shrug. “I’m happy with having locked-in rent at an affordable rate.”
Ignoring me, Zoey continues to size up my bland apartment with disgust. “Why else would you be so into this guy and his crazy, over-the-top band if you didn’t want that kind of thing in your own life?” She turns to me and cocks her head. “If nothing else, you can maybe siphon off some of that craziness for yourself so you can be less bored.”
Before I can say anything, she sets down her glass and marches out of the room. I watch her leave and then push off the couch to follow her.
In my room, I see her ample behind sticking halfway out of my closet while she appears to be digging through my stuff.
“What are you doing, Zoe?”
With a grunt, she pitches upright, hefting my suitcase out of the closet, and then swings around to drop it on my bed. She returns to the closet and starts pulling clothes off the hangers, then throws them onto the bed next to the open suitcase.
Marching toward me, she holds out her hand. “Gimme your phone.”
