“Does this mean things with Sebastian have heated up?”
Oh hell, Gigi thought. She wasn’t one for sharing her personal life. She’d never been a part of a close circle of friends whom she could talk to, and now she just felt weird about it. “Um… pretty sure there’s no surprise baby.”
Carly grimaced. “That means there could be, right?”
“I guess, but… ugh! We used protection, okay? I’m not a reckless teenager.” Not that Gigi had ever been reckless when it came to sex. James had been her first and only until Sebastian. And James hadn’t wanted kids any more than Gigi did, so he’d gotten snipped pretty early on. But up until then, they’d been careful.
“Thank the goddess,” Carly said dramatically. “Can you imagine having a kid now? You’re in your forties, right?”
Gigi nodded. “I’m not down for a geriatric pregnancy.”
“I hear more and more women are waiting until they’re in their late thirties and early forties to start having kids,” Joy said. “There’s nothing wrong with that if all the equipment is still working.”
“Bite your tongue,” Gigi and Carly said at the same time. Then they both started laughing.
“I guess we’re in the no kids club together,” Carly said to Gigi.
Gigi held her closed fist out to the actress and started to relax when Carly met it with her own for a fist bump of solidarity.
Joy shook her head at them. “The pair of you are like two peas in a pod. I think you have a lot in common with each other.”
“She’s not wrong,” Carly said with a kind smile. “Between our mutual love for herbs and resistance to motherhood, we’re practically soulmates.”
Gigi snorted. “I can’t argue with that.” She leaned forward. “Now, tell me the honest truth about the products I sent over. Do you like them?”
Carly shook her head, looking solemn.
Gigi’s heart sank. She’d been feeling so good about her products while working very hard to produce them, and now she was being told they weren’t good enough. She glanced around the restaurant, looking for some sort of easy escape. But she didn’t see one that wouldn’t cause a giant commotion and bring a bunch of unwanted attention to Carly. Since escaping was out, she was left with hoping that the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
“I don’t like your skin care line, Gigi; I adore it. Oh. Em. Gee. I am going to be able to sell the hell out of this stuff to my Hollywood girlfriends. Just hook me up with some samples, and the orders will fly in. I guarantee it.”
Gigi sat there, momentarily stunned. She knew she had talent at what she did. But it was entirely another thing to hear from a movie star just how much she loved her product. “I… Thank you. I’m so glad you love it.”
“It’s by far the best skin care system I have ever tried, and that’s saying something,” Carly said. “I think I’ve tried every elixir out there at one time or another. This stuff? It’s just so hydrating and great for sensitive skin. I swear, even my wrinkles started to fade.”
“You don’t have wrinkles,” Joy said, rolling her eyes. “But I’m glad you’re giving Gigi an ego boost. She deserves it.”
All of Gigi’s self-consciousness disappeared, and she beamed at them. “You two are excellent for a girl’s ego. How about I return the favor?”
“Oh? Is this the part where you gush about Carly and beg for an autograph?” Joy asked, winking at Gigi.
“No. But it is the part where I tell Carly that her cellulite cream is amazing and that I’d like to add it to my line to be sold at Skyler’s shop.” She turned to Carly. “Only if you’re interested, of course. You might not want to make that kind of commitment.”
Carly’s eyes lit up. “You think it’s good?”
“It’s great!” Joy said. “But I already told you that. Remember that dress that showed off my thigh at that gala I went to with Troy last week?”
“Yeah?”
“I couldn’t have worn it without your cream. I would’ve had to wear a bodysuit, or maybe a bag over my head, so they were focused on something other than my dimpled thigh,” Joy said.
Gigi laughed at her. “You’re being a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
Joy shook her head. “No way. That stuff is going to be gold for the over-forty crowd.” She glanced at Carly. “Gigi knows it too; otherwise, she wouldn’t be asking you if she can include it in her line.”