Just Like Her

Chapter 64

Emma

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," I said with a sigh of relief.

"Of course," Trisha murmured as she secured the final bobby pins at the base of the French twist she'd somehow managed to construct despite the unruliness of my hair. "Anyways, gives me an excuse to see you. It's been awhile."

I had to consciously stop myself from nodding. "I know, sorry. Everything's just gotten a little... insane recently."

Trisha smirked at our reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Oh, I'm aware. I follow your tag on Instagram."

My eyes nearly doubled in size. "I have a tag?"

Trisha laughed as she deftly used the pick of a comb to pull out a few strands of hair, making the whole look appear effortless when in reality it had taken her near a half hour to create.

I still couldn't fully believe my friend had managed to pull it all off. When I had called Trisha to tell her about the dinner, I wasn't even sure it would be possible but within twenty minutes Trisha was strutting through the front door with a garment bag and robust-looking cosmetics kit.

"#EmmaHenderson," she supplied rather glibly.

"So weird..." I muttered.

Trisha hummed in agreement as she put down the comb and tapped my shoulder to follow her into the bedroom.

I hovered silently in the bathroom doorway, watching as she pulled the dress from the closet where she had hung it earlier to prevent wrinkling.

Trisha sent me a dubious look as she carefully laid the dress on the bed. "You really didn't know?"

I hugged my arms and merely offered her a tight shrug. "I try to stay off social media, especially anything with a comment section."

"Probably smart," she conceded. "Have the paparazzi been bothering you?"

I shook my head as I glanced down at the material of my robe. It was made of silver-colored silk that was cool to the touch. It had been a recent gift from Tom, one I had attempted to refuse for being far too luxurious, but he had easily silenced my objections with a soft kiss on my forehead and a murmured assurance that seeing my curves wrapped up in silk was a gift for him. I'd quickly put it on then, though, admittedly, it was just as quickly taken off...

I blushed at the memory and cleared my throat before responding. "I don't usually see them when I'm out, but I can usually feel them if that makes sense."

Trisha grimaced over her shoulder. "You make being famous sound like being haunted."

I merely shrugged again. "Pretty accurate description."

"I've, uh, been meaning to mention..." Trisha straightened and rubbed the back of her neck as she turned toward the closet to retrieve the heels she'd selected for me. "Some people have started calling me..."

I frowned. "Reporters?"

Trisha practically snorted. "Well yeah but I can handle them. I meant styling firms."

"That's great, isn't it?" I grinned. "You've been talking for ages about wanting to break out of retail."

She nodded. "Yeah, working in the boutique for the rest of my life certainly isn't the dream..."

"What is?"

Trisha's pale features reddened as she diverted her gaze to the floor.

"Hey..." I walked over and gingerly touched her arm.  "It's me, Trish."