The Best Friend Scandal - Lucia Jordan Page 0,3

that I had to brain-dump onto the paper in order to get out of my head and sort it out. The runway show was capped at a total of ten pieces, although the clothing line itself could be more than that. I needed to showcase my best ten at the show, and I wanted to pull forth my best ten ideas to show Arlo over dinner. The turnaround time for the entire thing was pretty crunched, so I would be working at a faster pace than I usually did. It should be okay, though, since this was my only project at the moment. And after this, if it were successful, I would never have to worry about picking up overworked and underpaid projects again.

Arlo picked me up and drove us to his favorite Indian food restaurant in Soho. I lived way outside Manhattan in Astoria, so the subway commute for me was a bit of a hike. That was why it was always such a treat when he came to pick me up in his fancy car and we got to drive over the bridge. I didn’t really much see the point in owning a car in New York City, especially since traffic and parking were such a nightmare. But if you were a billionaire like Arlo, and the insanely high cost of private-garage parking wasn’t an issue for you, then it was a cool luxury to have.

This place was one of his favorite restaurants, and I only got to come here when Arlo was treating. Even the name of it was cool—Divinities. I had no idea what that title had to do with Indian food, but it sounded like a very mysterious name for a restaurant. I think I had been here three times with him already this year, and every time I came, I tried something new from the menu. The prices were through the roof, but Arlo never seemed to care. My favorite part about the place, besides the delicious food, was the visual and sensory treats that met you as soon as you walked through the front door.

The lighting was soft and subdued, and the entire place was a collage of deep purples and reds. There were big floor cushions set around large, low, square tables for a truly authentic feel of community while enjoying the savory delights. The tables were large enough for me to spread out all of my sketchbooks and loose papers, and I loved the feel of being able to sprawl my legs out beneath me or get up on my knees when I got particularly excited and wanted to point to something to show Arlo.

One of the waitresses there remembered us, and she was intrigued by all of the drawings that I started to layout while she was bringing us glasses of wine. “Those are incredible,” she said.

“Thanks!” I smiled up at her as I gratefully lifted the wine glass to my lips.

They always had the tastiest sweet white wine, which Arlo knew was my favorite thing here, so he ordered a bottle as soon as we sat down.

“But this is all secret design stuff,” Arlo said to the waitress with a grin on his face. “No telling anyone what you see here tonight.

“Oh no, Mr. Pratt, you don’t have to worry about me,” she smiled. “You are my best tipping customer; there’s no way I would leak any of your ideas.”

He seemed pleased with her answer and gave her a smile and a nod before she walked off to give us a chance to look over the menu. Arlo knew the menu by heart, but it was my mission to try every single dish here.

“Cheers,” he said as he lifted his glass to mine. “On our first collaboration and a new phase in our relationship.”

I clinked my glass to his and then took a long and delectable sip of wine.

Cheers, I thought in my head. This was a long time coming.

2

Chapter Two (Arlo)

If one more person asked me why I didn’t have a girlfriend, I was going to seriously slap them. Why was it that no one seemed to understand how busy running your own brand was? I could barely keep up with Luscious on a daily basis as it was, but now, with this new line on the brink of creation, I was busier than ever.

I knew that when I first started Lucious, it had the potential to be big. I just had no idea how big it would