“Okay,” Tony said. “Is everyone in agreement?”
Starshine glanced around. Since everyone else was nodding, she nodded too. If they had all disagreed with that, she would have disagreed too.
“So it’s decided,” Tony said. “Why don’t you girls talk to each other and come up with some acts? Just make sure you don’t repeat any. Can we start doing it by Saturday?”
“No way, we need more time than that,” Kylie said.
Starshine wondered what she was planning on. A slight twinge went through her at the thought. She would have watched Kylie dance around in any outfit. She didn’t have any preference for what it was, as long as she got to check out that hot body.
“Let’s say next Wednesday, then,” Tony said. “That’ll give you a good week to prepare.”
“Sounds good,” Paula said. “You girls want to come over? We can talk through some act ideas now.”
“Sounds good,” Kylie said. The others agreed one by one.
Starshine hardly needed to go to a party to get inspiration.
This new change was going to be simple for her. She was already playing a role.
Three
Kylie grabbed a beer out of Paula’s fridge and brought it over to the couch. She tipped the bottle back and took a long drink. After yet another late night, all of the girls needed to blow off some steam.
“Where’s Jennie?” Paula asked, leaning against the wall.
“I invited her, but she already had plans,” Chloe said.
Chloe had come out of her shell when she started dating Jennie, and had stayed out after Jennie left the restaurant. She was a pretty decent girl. They made a nice couple, even if Kylie had been doubtful at first.
Starshine sat down next to Kylie. “So, what’s everybody think about the new stuff happening at the restaurant?” she asked, bright-eyed. She took off her bandana and ran her fingers through her brown hair, mussing it effortlessly.
“The act thing could be helpful,” Paula said. “We just have to come up with costumes. But I guess that depends on what we pick for our acts.”
“I know what you two should be,” Kylie said, gesturing to Alyssa and Paula. “Alyssa, you should be the devil, and Paula, you’re an angel.”
They both had that kind of vibe to them. Kylie could picture Alyssa adding some devil horns to her Jubblies uniform, a forked tail coming down off her waist. And as for Paula, some white clothes and a fuzzy halo would be the only costume she’d need.
“I like that idea,” Starshine said, glancing over at Kylie.
Kylie looked away as soon as their eyes met. She liked Starshine in general.
“What about Chloe?” Paula asked.
“She needs some little whiskers,” Alyssa said. “She should be a sexy mouse.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “I was thinking I’d be a sexy cat.”
“All right, so we’ve got three. What about me?” Starshine asked.
“You?”
None of the girls responded immediately. They all stared at Starshine with their brows furrowed. From Kylie’s perspective, Starshine was a bit of a mystery. She had no idea what type of persona she should take on.
“I can’t think of anything,” Paula said. “What would you want to be if you could choose?”
“Yeah, why don’t you throw out some ideas and we’ll tell you if they’ll work?”
“Well,” Starshine started, looking uncertain, “I liked the idea of a cat.”
Chloe shook her head. “Nope. Can’t have two cats. Find your own thing.”
“All right,” Starshine said, more hesitant than Kylie remembered seeing her before. “Maybe a teacher?”
“Not sexy,” Paula said.
“How about… how about…” She pursed her lips, the worry on her face somehow flattering to her. “A pirate?”
“Wouldn’t they be kind of evil and dangerous?” Kylie asked.
“I’m thinking more like the Johnny Depp kind of pirate,” Starshine said with a chuckle. “Those are some great movies.”
The husky sound went right down Kylie’s spine. “Oh, yeah. I can see that.” Although Starshine’s eyes were lighter, she had Keira Knightley’s brown hair and amazing figure. Kylie cleared her throat. “Why don’t you give us your best ‘arr, matey’?”
Although Starshine looked embarrassed to be put on the spot, she got up and straightened her back, putting in one hand on her hip. “Arr, matey!”
The others applauded. “That works,” Kylie said. “You make a pretty decent pirate.”
“I guess I should get an eye patch then,” Starshine said. “Maybe a toy parrot to sit on my shoulder. I already know what song I’m going to dance to—the Tiesto remix of “He’s a Pirate” from the Dead Man’s Chest soundtrack.”
“Sounds sexy.”
A little too sexy, actually. Kylie knew she’d get turned on at the sight of Starshine in a half-unbuttoned, flowing white shirt. The eye patch wouldn’t take anything away from her sexiness, either. Starshine would look delicious in anything that she wore. If only she was single.
In general, Kylie had no problem hitting on whoever she liked. Working at the restaurant had made her more confident than ever when it came to making her intentions known to either men or women. But there were lines that she just wouldn’t cross.
She didn’t know how serious things were between Starshine and her girl, but they had been together since Starshine had first come to the restaurant. As soon as it ended, she would be on Starshine in a millisecond… but not a moment earlier.
Starshine’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she sat down. “And what about Kylie?” she asked.
“I’m thinking… nurse?” Paula said.
“Wonder Woman?”
“Batgirl?”
Kylie wasn’t crazy about any of the suggestions. “Can we talk about something other than work?” she asked. “Did any of you see the new Bachelorette after you got home last night?”
“But there’s still a lot to talk about,” Starshine said. “We have to pick a role for you to play.”
“It’s okay, I can choose for myself.”
“We want to help,” Starshine said. “Everyone else has picked. You should think of something soon, before it’s too late.”
“What do you think I should be?” Kylie asked. Her tone was probably a little too flirtatious, and she was sitting a little too close to Starshine.
Starshine looked back at her, her eyes slightly mischievous. “I would say, well… I don’t know. What about a bad girl?”
Kylie laughed. “A bad girl?”
“Yeah, sure. Look at your leather jacket and your whole, you know, attitude.”
“But that’s just me. I’m not bad.” Kylie looked at the other girls, trying to see what they thought.
“I like the idea,” Alyssa said. “You could pass for bad.”
“Okay,” Kylie said with a shrug. “I won’t even have to change anything. I’ll just go up there and be myself.”
The debate resolved, they spent the rest of the night talking about things other than work, as Kylie had asked. When Kylie was ready to leave, Starshine was right behind her. Kylie glanced at Starshine as they got in the elevator. “Heading home too, S?”
“Yeah,” Starshine said, fiddling with her phone. “It’s about that time. I’m pretty tired.”
As they walked outside, Starshine stood too close for comfort. Kylie wished she would take a step away. If she couldn’t have Starshine, being this near her was torture. At least Kylie was only parked at the side of the road. This conversation wouldn’t have to last long.
“Same,” Kylie said. “Some long-ass nights lately.”
“Longer than usual?”
They reached the car, and Kylie put her hand on the door handle. “No, same as always.” Kylie could have left at this point, but something kept her here.
Starshine looked up from her phone, and her expression made Kylie’s breath catch in her throat.
“You s
aid you live with your grandparents, right?”
Kylie was impressed that she remembered that. She didn’t recall mentioning her living situation. “Yeah, and my parents.”
Starshine’s questions seemed to be offhand, but her tone was genuinely curious. “No siblings?”
“None. You?”
“I’ve got a sister back in Haberdee.”
“Nice. You live with your girlfriend?” Kylie asked.
Starshine looked up sharply. “No, we haven’t moved in together yet.”
“Cool,” Kylie said, wishing she had something more useful to say. She had hoped Starshine would say they’d broken up. Of course, that was unrealistic. She should be a better person and not wish break-ups on others.
“So, where is she? Why haven’t we met her yet?”
“I’m sure you’ll all meet her eventually. She just works a lot. I hardly get to see her myself.”
“That sucks,” Kylie said, thinking the exact opposite. If Starshine saw her girl that little, maybe their relationship was weak. She felt guilty for even letting such thoughts cross her mind. “I hope you get to see her soon.”
“Thanks.” Starshine tossed her phone from one hand to the other, then slid it back into her pocket as Kylie watched.
Kylie opened the door to her car, saying goodbye to Starshine. As they parted ways, she stared after her. That girl was better-looking than any other woman she’d seen in her life. She had everything Kylie wanted in a partner. Starshine’s light brown hair and bandanna were intriguing. Her tanned skin got Kylie excited, and thinking about it led her down the path of imagining her without any clothes.
She opened the car door, jiggling it to get it to open. The Jeep was getting on in years, and it had already been well-loved by the time she had bought it. She looked over at Starshine, who was gone, and then glanced at the ground, where a phone in a red case lay. Was that Starshine’s phone? She picked it up. It definitely looked like the one Starshine had just been holding.
So Starshine had dropped her phone. Kylie touched it gingerly. “Yo, S!” she called after her. “Starshine!”
Starshine was nowhere in sight. Even if Kylie were to drive around looking for her, she had little chance of finding her. It would be more efficient to find one of her contacts and ask them to get in touch with her.
Kylie got in the car. She figured she would look for a number labelled “Mom” or “Home.” The phone was locked when she thumbed it open, though. She couldn’t get inside without a four-digit password.
A text showed up, though. One that made Kylie stop and stare. On someone else’s phone, she wouldn’t have thought twice. Since it was on Starshine’s, it seemed more like a clue.
As she kicked the car into gear, she reread that text, still perplexed.
I need an update ASAP.
Four
After a full day without her phone, Starshine was just about ready to buy a new one. She’d been in denial all day, but it was past seven in the evening and she still couldn’t find it anywhere in her bedroom. Her best guess was that it had fallen out of her pocket on the way home after the party. She’d been a tiny bit tipsy.
Now that she had admitted the loss to herself, she switched her laptop on. Angling it on her tiny desk so the webcam pointed at her face, she opened up a video call to her boss. She half-expected her to not pick up. At this time of night, most people would have already left the office.
Krista’s irritated face filled her screen a minute later. “Stella, what the hell?”
“Hey, Krista.” It was strange to be called by her real name now. No one had called her Stella since the last time they’d spoken.
“Don’t you ‘hey, Krista’ me! I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”
Although Krista was barely older than Starshine, she often took on a motherly tone. Except she was the controlling, angry, toxic kind of mother. The sound of her voice alone made Starshine want to reach for her package of Tums.
“Sorry. I think I lost my phone last night. I’m going to get a new one ASAP.”
“How could you lose it?” On her screen, Krista’s expression turned to panic. “Sensitive information could be on there.”
Starshine was aware of that. “It’s locked. We’ll have to hope that keeps people out. If it was stolen, they’ll just wipe it and resell it without looking at what’s on it.”
“I hope you’re right,” Krista said, sitting back in her chair. “What took you so long to call me?”
“I didn’t realize it was gone when I woke up. I thought I’d just misplaced it, so I went out.”
Krista was right that Starshine should have emailed her as soon as she realized it was missing. She’d slept in, though, taking her time to get out of bed. With these overnight shifts, her body needed extra sleep to recover. It was only through liberal coffee drinking that she was able to stay up all night at first.
She’d spent the rest of the day hiking, a hobby that she only occasionally got to indulge in—at least before she took this assignment. Her friends were back in her hometown and she couldn’t get close to anyone here, so she spent most of her time alone. That gave her plenty of time to go out and do as much walking and bird-watching as she wanted. It was satisfying, in a way… just incredibly lonely.
Krista scoffed. “I texted you a bunch of times. You have to think about these things. Your accounts could be compromised.”
“I think I can sign out of my email remotely. I’ll do that right now, actually.”
Starshine hurried to minimize the window with Krista’s face. As she opened her Internet browser, a bird chirp came through the open window. Starshine listened with half an ear, trying to identify its song. It sounded most like a kingbird. She pursed her lips, reflexively preparing to whistle the song back at it.
“Stella? I asked how things are going.”
“Great.” Bringing her attention back to the conversation, Starshine pulled Krista’s face onto the screen again. “Lots of things are happening at the restaurant. They’re trying to drum up more business. They just decided to have the waitresses dance and do different acts.”
“Like, stage routines?” Krista asked. “That seems like a good idea. What’s yours?”
Starshine would have answered, but she saw the amusement on Krista’s face. When she laughed at her, it was never in a nice way. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
This was the first time Krista had given her anything bigger than grunt work. She’d always said Starshine needed more preparation before she could work on anything halfway interesting. After hearing excuse after excuse for not letting her write a real article, she’d almost given up on ever getting that chance.
Going from coffee runs to a six-month undercover assignment was a huge leap. Krista had resisted, but Starshine was the only one on their team who could even attempt to pass for a Jubblies waitress. Letting her do this had been an act of faith on Krista’s part. Starshine had to stay on top of things and prove herself.
“Anyway, I should let you go,” Starshine said. “I’m sure you’ve got other stuff to do.”
Krista shot a glare at something past her webcam. “One or two,” she sighed. Knowing the layout of her office, Starshine could guess she had a pile of papers on the edge of her desk. “Keep track of your stuff in the future. I really don’t need any more worries.”
“I’ll be more careful from now on,” Starshine vowed. She hit the “end” button, and Krista’s image compressed to a line and disappeared.
As Starshine walked into the change room a few hours later, she’d almost forgotten her concern about the phone incident. She’d get a new one as soon as she had the time. It’d be a pain in the ass, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.
Except that Kylie came up to her, a familiar object in her hand. “Hey, S, you dropped this last night.”
Starshine’s heart sped up at being so close to her. She did her best not to look at the glinting silver piercings at Kylie’s collarbones. Fuck, the l
ight was too good in this change room. She could even make out the outline of Kylie’s bra under the Jubblies crop top.
“Oh, thank you.” She went to take the phone back. Her hand brushed Kylie’s, and her voice caught. “I’ve been wondering where that was. I was about to buy a new one.”
“Yeah, sorry for keeping it all day. I wanted to get in touch with you, but I didn’t have your email or anything.”
“That’s okay,” Starshine said. “It was only half a day. Thanks so much for bringing it back.”
“Yeah, no worries. You would’ve done the same for me. I think someone wants to get ahold of you, by the way.”
Shit. Krista had mentioned texting her, and there was a good possibility that she might have written something sensitive. She quickly typed in her password and scrolled through her notifications. There were five new messages.
I need an update ASAP.
Update?
You were going to send me a progress report.
Where are you? Status?
What’s going on? Email me ASAP.
With the way her phone was set up, Kylie would have been able to see every message as it came in. Shit, shit, shit. She scrolled through the notifications. Krista had definitely come across as desperate to reach her.
Attempting to keep a neutral tone, Starshine said, “It’s okay. I already spoke to that person, and everything’s fine.”
“So many texts,” Kylie said. “You’re more popular than I thought.”
Starshine tensed until Kylie’s teasing tone registered. “Very popular,” she joked back.
Thankfully the texts weren’t too incriminating. Starshine still wished Kylie hadn’t seen them. There was no doubt that she would be curious.
“Probably her girlfriend missing her,” Paula said.
If Kylie hadn’t seen the texts, Starshine would have been able to lie. “I’m not going to say,” she said instead.
With the phone given back, the other waitresses began heading out to the main room. Starshine stayed, looking at the Jubblies waitresses’ group chat. Kylie had indeed asked if any of the girls had a way to contact her. None of them had her email address, which she supposed was for the best. Starshine had given them her real cell phone number, and that was enough.
Incognito Page 2
