Willow stood and grinned, smoothing her black dress over her bump. “The doctor says I’ve officially popped. And it’s a boy.”
“I’m going to be an honorary aunt to a boy. You look so good. Did you pick out a name?”
“Not yet. Luke is still calling him Cletus.”
“And how is Luke coping with it all? I mean, that was some ultimatum you dropped on him. I’m glad he stepped up.”
“He’s doing great. It took us a while to find our feet. I tried to keep to the contract, but . . .” She sighed. How to explain how it was impossible to not get buoyed along by Luke’s sudden one-eighty. “We’re . . . I don’t know . . . what’s the adult word for fooling around?”
Riley’s eyes flashed wide. “I think that’s called friends with benefits. Or hooking up. Wow. I mean. Are you staying there with him long-term?”
Was she? She heard the door to the apartment slam. Luke was home. She’d dressed for him, in a slim knit dress that showed off her new pregnancy curves.
“It’s way too early to make those kinds of decisions. Staying in Manchester is a huge step. Malibu is home to me. Listen, Luke just got home, so I’m going to have to go in a minute.”
“Oh, well. I wondered if you could do me a favour?”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I need to borrow fifty thousand dollars.”
Her stomach flipped at the size of the ask. “Riley, that’s a lot of money.”
“I know, I know. It’s a lot. I’m sorry. I said I wasn’t going to get into a mess on my credit cards again, but I did. And you know last time Dad paid them off, he said he wasn’t going to bail me out anymore. I wondered if you could pay it off for me just this once, and I’ll pay you back a bit each month.”
Something troubled her. While she’d do just about anything for her one true friend, she knew Riley had a spending problem, trying to live up to everyone else in their zip code. “It was only four months ago that your dad nixed bailing you out. So, you spent a lot. That’s over ten thousand a month.”
Riley flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I feel like garbage about it. I don’t even know how it happened.”
“It happens when you hand over your card for shit you can’t afford to repay. It’s not rocket science.”
Riley played with the ends of her hair. “I know,” she said on a whine. “But then, Jules’s dad said she could borrow the condo in Miami, and we went for a month. And you know how Jules is, she’s so extra. We went to all these great places. We hired this speed boat and toured the Keys. It got expensive real fast.”
“Jules’s parents are, like, uber-loaded. Her dad got some of the most profitable start-ups off the ground when the whole tech bubble started in the nineties. It’s impossible to keep up with her spending. And she doesn’t work or have to pay off her credit cards. She’s a bona fide trust fund baby.”
Riley gasped in exasperation. “You’re telling me stuff I know. I just didn’t want to be left behind. It’s been hard without you here. I’ve missed having someone on my wavelength to hang out with.”
The words hurt. She had bailed on her friend when she left. But it didn’t fix the problem that, while she had money, giving it away to Riley wasn’t going to help anyone.
“Couldn’t you just opt out of some things they were doing?”
“I’m scared they’d stop asking me if I did.”
“I thought you were going to take being an influencer and content creator more seriously. I didn’t see any photos on your profile of the month you spent in Miami. You should have been able to make loads of great content while you were there.”
“I was having too much fun to hole myself up in my room every day editing. And you don’t post all your content as soon as you make it.”
“That’s true, I don’t post it, but I do make it ready to post. Everything I do, everywhere I go, I take five minutes to capture it. Then, I think about what will be evergreen content, and what needs to be posted in the moment. I keep records of which images have been shared. I schedule in advance so I can see how my content looks together. I can help you. We could co-work remotely. I’ve been working on my goals for the second half of the year. I’ll set up a video chat and you can work alongside me. I can help you get things on track. And if you post some, I’ll happily share on my page for you. Did you follow those tips I gave you for some great collabs?”
Riley rolled her eyes. “I did. But I’m not you. So, it was a no from the few I reached out to. Look, I’m desperate. Please, babe. I helped you out when you came up with this scheme for Luke. I helped you pack, stored your stuff at my house, kept your secret, and drove you to the airport. Help a girl out.”
Willow sighed. The last person in her life to not ask for anything from her was now asking. And even though she loved her carefree friend, she had to accept that if she gave her fifty thousand dollars, the chances of her paying her back were slim. “I’m sorry, Riley. I can give you ten thousand, but that’s it.”
Riley pouted. “Pretty please. I’m desperate, Willow. I’ll pay you back, I promise.”
“How?” Willow asked. “You know what it takes to be a social media influencer, but you aren’t putting in the work. You know how this goes. I love you, but you need to do the work. It’s costing me a lot to be here. And I’m having a baby. When I get back, I’m going to have to buy my own house because the legal stuff with Dad may not be resolved.”
Riley smiled, but there was a steely glint to her eye that unnerved Willow. “Fine. I’ll happily take the ten to tide me over while I figure something else out. I need to find a sugar daddy or something.”
“Okay, send me the details of where to send it. And there are apps for sugar daddies, but I hope you’re joking.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Love you, babe.”
And just like that, she disconnected the call.
Willow leaned back and blew out a breath. Within seconds, her phone pinged. A message from Riley with where to send the money.
“You busy, flower?” Luke said, nudging the door open.
“Not too busy for you.” Willow stood and walked over to him, savouring the sturdy feel of him as he pulled her to his chest.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and let his lips distract her from her call with Riley.
“You want some good news?”
“Yes, please.” It was impossible to not get distracted by how good his T-shirt looked pulled across his pectoral muscles. She smoothed the fabric with her hands.
“I don’t have a rehearsal, band meeting, interview, or anything else for three whole days.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“So have you. Growing a baby and all this.” He gestured towards her laptop where the image of the two of them still filled the screen. “I thought I’d surprise you with something, but I don’t want it to stress you out.”
His dimples popped, and it was her most favourite thing about his genuine smile. “I love surprises. Tell me.”
He glanced down at his watch. “You’ve got thirty minutes to pack and then we need to leave for the airport.”