Waking Up in the Land of Glitter Read Online Free PDF Page A

for a while.”
    There. He said the words he never thought would come out of his mouth. He bent down to unpack his supplies from the caddy
     so she wouldn’t see his hands shake from the adrenaline. She touched his arm, and he brushed her off as if her fingertips
     were toxic. An invisible thought bubble blinked over his head, filled with the image of her kissing some drunk asshole. The
     passersby noticed the tension and dispersed to allow them to argue in private.
    Slowly, Star leaned in to whisper in his ear. He had lied about the bad breath. She smelled delicious, as usual. He wished
     they were fighting about his brand-new Latin Playboys T-shirt that she’d cut up into a halter top last week. As much as he
     wanted to hate her, he ached for a kiss.
    She used her index finger to tilt his face in her direction and studied his expression, just like he used to do to her. “Give
     me a little credit, please? I help you with your art, I book all your shows, make all your flyers. No one believes in you
     more than me. Isn’t that worth something?” Her dark eyes glistened under a set of curly black lashes.
    Theo dipped his rag in the can again, contemplating his response and its consequences. This was one of those head-versus-the-heart
     dilemmas. Why did she have to look so damn sexy right now? Even at nine in the morning, with mangled hair, a wrinkled tee,
     a sequined skirt, and old ratty sneakers he often teased her about? He sucked his lips and shook his head.
    “We’ve run our course, Estrella,” he said.
    “What do you mean by that?” she asked.
    “Exactly what I said. I want to go it alone for a while,” he repeated, slow and sharp, as he rubbed the rag over a splotch
     of green paint on the wall.
    “Okay, I understand. Can I ask how long is ‘a while’? Like, a day, a week?” she inquired in a soft voice.
    He shrugged and still refused to look at her. “I don’t know. But I do know if you want to salvage the last thread of patience
     I have for you, I suggest you start right now.”
    Star wanted more than anything to fall into his arms and beg for forgiveness, to tell him how sorry she was and how much she
     loved him. Should she tell him about the wedding brochures and why she’d freaked out? She wished she could press a rewind
     button and go back to not only last night, but the last few years. Theo knew her too well. Star had no clue what her mission
     in life was. There were no words that could win back his respect. Star would give him time to cool off, so she could devise
     a killer plot for redemption.
    “Okay. I get the hint,” she said as she backed up and held her bag with both hands. “I’d give anything to take it all back.
     And I
will
make it up to you. Someday.”
    She waited a second for him to respond, but he didn’t. So she stood on one foot, kissed his cheek, turned, and left him alone,
     just as he wanted.

3
    E verything pissed off Chloe Chavez this morning. She drove away from La Pachanga’s mural mayhem and went through her mental
     checklist:
    1. Working on a Sunday and not downing her triple shot of Café Bustelo yet.
    2. Having her weekly craft segments moved to a prime time slot and her mother not even mentioning congratulations when she
     called and told her last night.
    3. The thought of Ezra, her lazy boyfriend, snoring without her in the California king bed
she
bought in the loft
she
paid for.
    Oh, and number four: her brand-new tube of MAC Viva Glam lipstick that had melted on the leather seat of her BMW X3—a result
     of parking in direct sunlight for the La Pachanga assignment. Chloe wondered why in the world the owners would host such an
     intricate piece of art on their premises anyway, and then act surprised when it was tagged. That’s what happens when you own
     a business on Grand Avenue.
    “Thugs on that stretch of the city are as normal as dollar stores in South Phoenix. The Estebans should be grateful. The damage
     could have been far worse than