had quietly toiled, volunteering with me when they could, helping their neighbors, teaching their students with kindness. Spending time with me in nature, always gently encouraging my attention to the connections that existed between all of us. Every leaf and grain of sand as integral to our planet as the tusk of an elephant, a white whale, stray cats and honeybees. It was one, harmonious web—which was why every action we took as human beings had a reaction, no matter how small. For them, it was no act. And really, my compassion wasn’t an act either—it felt as essential to my body as water, as air.
“Namaste, bitch.” Daisy was standing on my patio, waving excitedly at me through the glass of the patio door. Behind her, of course, were Cameron and Emily.
I jumped, clutching the sheets to my chest.
“What do you want?” I mock-yelled, waving them away half-heartedly. “I’m naked and thinking about Beck.”
“Girl, I bet you are,” Cameron cheered. “Get dressed. It’s not Sunday but we brought you surprise Drag Queen Brunch.”
I cheered, shaking my wild hair loose. A glance at my phone let me know I was in meetings for eight straight hours until I could finally sneak away to Lucky Dog before dinner. Eight long hours where I knew I’d be distracted by thoughts of Beck all day.
But I had forty-five minutes before I had to get ready for work—it was barely 6:30 in the morning, but when your best friends were adept at running the world, they carved out time to bring you brunch at dawn. Mordecai’s Bistro hosted an extremely popular Drag Queen Brunch on Sundays that all four of us attended once a month. It was our special, sacred time to overindulge and gossip and laugh our way through whatever rough things had come up during the week. It also had the added benefit of being a meeting space for four local romance authors that we all read and followed obsessively.
I tossed on a sundress and slipped barefoot out onto the patio, where Roxanne was already setting up coffee and bright yellow bowls of ripe mangoes and sliced oranges. I placed a hand on her shoulder, thanked her, and joined my best friends at the infinity pool. They’d laid out the best vegan breakfast that Mordecai’s offered—complete with mimosas.
“A kiss for you, you, and you,” I said, kissing each one on the top of the head. Emily and Cameron were both dressed in stylish running clothes while Daisy wore a hot-purple tracksuit. “This is literally the nicest thing ever.”
Emily held out a donut, teasingly—and when I reached for it, she yanked it away. “You can only have this if you tell us about what happened with Beck last night.”
I snatched it, bit into it with a fake growl. “I’ll spill all the deets. But I need your help with blowing up my reputation on Instagram.”
“Go on,” Daisy said, lifting her sunglasses.
“Last night I almost ate a bacon cheeseburger from a burger stand off the highway called Mel’s.”
There was a long pause. And then Cameron said, “Thank god.”
I snorted. “I only contemplated doing it because I felt wretched.”
“Cameron means thank god you’re a human being,” Emily said, patting my hand. “I mean, we know you’re a human being. An extremely good human being. But being tempted doesn’t make you weak. It makes you real.”
I shook my head. Watched a trio of birds land in the palm tree closest to me. “Is that how I come off though? Not real?”
My best friends exchanged a look. “You’re a billionaire, Luna. A smart one. A savvy one. The media might play at making you out to be a glittery Instagram influencer, but we all know that beneath that flower-crown is the mind of a savage businesswoman,” Emily said. “You couldn’t have gotten here without it, that ability to see an opportunity and use it to your advantage.”
I trailed my toes through the warm water. “But?”
“You’re almost too aware of your brand,” Cameron said. “Which isn’t a criticism, really. Because we all are. But I think if there’s anything that’s coming from this Ferris Mark shit, it’s that the public’s opinion is mercurial, impossible to predict, and impossible to truly cultivate. You, Luna da Rosa, have to exist within the middle of that feeling proud of who you are and your decisions. They’ll love you and hate you regardless of what you do.”
I tilted my head, picked up a slice of orange. “Sylvia said something similar to me last