about to do as the time drew closer to the show beginning.
Guilt flushed her cheeks again and a tremor of fear swept over her. What if she were caught? Would Kelsey tell the shows producer that they weren’t exactly buds in high school? Nah, she wanted the limelight more than she cared about Tara and she certainly wouldn’t credit Tara with being able to one-up her, nor would she want them to know what she’d done to Tara. Like she’d told Andy, Kelsey probably wouldn’t even remember her. Humiliating Tara in high school was a blip on her screen of life. She’d done it so often that it had to be a blur. All part and parcel of a day in the perfect life of perfect Kelsey. Besides, Tara looked different now. If worse came to worst, Tara would gush over her and tell Kelsey how profoundly fabulous she was. That was always what worked in school.
The show must have done their research, they’d run a background check that rivaled the CIA before she was chosen to interview. Surely, they knew
who
Tara was, and either cared very little, or they were looking to cash in on it. Either way, it hadn’t raised an eyebrow and she wasn’t about to complain as long as she could quit looking over her shoulder.
Toweling off, Tara went to unpack and find something cute to wear. Maybe that little black evening dress that everyone was always talking about and she wasn’t able to claim bragging rights to until she’d lost all that weight. She smoothed a hand over her belly. She was by no means what one would call “skinny”, but she was rounded in all the right places and firm thanks to the many hours she’d spent on a treadmill with a little tofu on the side. Looking down at her thighs she squinted, examining them. She always expected to see pockets of cellulite taunting her. Maybe she should have done more leg lifts? Another round of sit-ups…
Okay, she needed to stop this.
Like now.
It wasn’t enough that she’d worked like a dog to lose the weight, now she was going to critique herself just because Kelsey was within a five-mile radius? It was vain and shallow and … well, just
too
Kelsey like. As if she wasn’t already subscribing to the Kelsey school of the shitty by setting out to humiliate her on national television. Tara didn’t lose the weight because she wanted to impress anyone. She’d lost it because she needed to.
Enough!
Securely wrapping the towel around her, she went in search of her luggage and something slinky.
Slinky was good. Crossing the room, she grabbed her suitcase and hauled it to the bed, sifting through it until she found her little black dress purchased in some Beverly Hills shop Linda had taken her to. Tara fingered the label, running her thumb over the tag. Size eight… It still felt wrong sometimes, even if it really was true. Linda had gushed over it. “Oh, Tara, you are gorgeous! God, what I wouldn’t give to have a body like yours. It’s killer,” Linda had sighed and Tara had blushed.
Laying the dress out, Tara sat at the edge of the puffy bed and took some head clearing breaths.
A turquoise blue envelope caught her eye on the floor by the door. Her gut clenched, they’d found her out and they were going to kick her off the show. Oh, damn … that couldn’t be, could it? Crap, now she was screwed, they’d caught the geek in action and it was over. The show was going to boot her ass outta here, quicker than she could say, “eat my thong, Kelsey Little”. Then, she’d be splashed all over the front of the rag mags, wearing dark sunglasses and hanging her head in shame to avoid the paparazzi.
Dramatic indeed.
Ugh, the guilt… Shaking her shoulders, Tara thrust aside the gnawing stab in her belly and exhaled sharply, focusing only on
evil.
Crouching, Tara grabbed it and ripped it open with a shaky finger. What next? The show was infamous for catching folks off guard.
Tara scanned the note. Ah, the ever popular getting to know you luau. Tara had watched tape after tape of the
Michelle Betham
Peter Handke
Cynthia Eden
Patrick Horne
Steven R. Burke
Nicola May
Shana Galen
Andrew Lane
Peggy Dulle
Elin Hilderbrand