“Let’s go!” I yell to the kids as I stand at the door.

“I can’t find my shoes!” Aubrey yells back, and I groan.

It’s my first day back to work, and I’m going to be late. Finn finally comes out with his headphones on and the phone glued to his hand. He doesn’t acknowledge me, but I don’t care this time. He’s moving to the car, which is all that matters.

I look at my watch and tap my foot. “Aubrey! Come on, honey! Just put anything on your feet! I don’t care if they match.”

She comes running, and her blonde hair is already falling out of her ponytail, but I don’t have time to fix it. “Sorry, Mommy.”

“It’s fine, baby. Mommy can’t be late, so let’s move it, okay?” I usher her out and lock the door behind me.

Once everyone is in their seat and buckled, we head to the babysitter—also known as Aunt Danielle. I can’t afford to pay someone since my starting pay at Celebaholic isn’t great, but having Eli make a call on my behalf definitely helped in getting a little more than what they originally offered.

I’m not sure how comfortable I am covering Eli and his friends, but . . . it’s a job.

One that I know I’m going to suck at. I can’t remember the last adult television show I watched, and I’ve never even seen A Thin Blue Line, which is something Eli finds hilarious since he was the star. Following celebrities was the last thing I cared about with everything going on in my life. I’m not even sure who is popular now . . . I wonder if people still like Josh Hartnett? He was my ultimate crush.

While my friends like Nicole were soaking up the gossip, I was focused on the PTA, the community book club, and Scott’s work functions. But, after spending the last two months scouring for something and coming up short, I can’t be picky. If I had any other choice for a job, I’d take it, but the hours are perfect for a single mom. I can work from home at least three days a week, which means I can still do the things that I’ve come to love doing for my kids.

My lawyer told me it’s actually perfect in case Scott changes his tune and suddenly wants custody. I’ll be home with them for the most part, earning a salary, and have the flexibility that no judge could argue with. This job tosses any reservations he has about me out the window. I have to succeed.

Plus, my lawyer has basically said if I want to ensure I maintain custody of the kids, I need to show a stable income.

“Are we going to Dad’s this weekend?” Finn asks as I make the drive to Danni’s house.

“Yes.” I glance at him in the rearview mirror.

He shakes his head and pops his earbuds back in. Clearly, he isn’t getting any better with adjusting to our new living arrangements. I’m not sure what to say at this point because nothing seems to make a difference.

Aubrey gives me a sweet smile and then looks out the window. It’s hard to believe how old they’re getting. Finn is ten and Aubrey just turned six, but they are both too young to have their worlds flipped. They’ve been handling things well, though. The last month we were in the house was tough, but now that we’re in our new home, the normalcy will come.

We reach Danielle’s house with a little time to spare, but she’s already waiting for us.

“Hey,” I say when she opens the door.

Danni looks at me and laughs. I can’t blame her, my keys are in my teeth, the bag holding Aubrey’s toys is half-open and everything is spilling out, and my shirt is only half-tucked in. I’m the definition of a hot mess.

“Give me the bag, Kris.”

I hand it over and try to right myself. “Bad morning.”

“It’s your first day back to work in a long ass time. You’ve got this.”

Right now, I don’t feel like I’ve got this. I’m not sure I have anything handled.

I hug both the kids, Finn is more of a pat on the shoulder as he moves away, and do my best to fix my shirt.

“Does the outfit say forty-year-old divorcee with her life in the crapper or seasoned reporter ready to take on the world?”

Danielle taps her lips. “I’ll go with the second one.”

“Good. I need to get downtown. Thank you for this. Seriously.” I kiss her cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you, too!” Danni calls as I’m scampering down her walkway to the car.

I have twenty minutes to get to the office. I added another fifteen minutes on top of that, because I hate being late. It’s my biggest pet peeve, which is why we lie to Heather and tell her to meet a half hour before we actually mean.

The drive isn’t awful, but traffic is a little heavier than it was a half hour ago. Thanks to my planning, I’m still early. I park the car and check my makeup, which is light and fresh. My hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and I actually still have both my earrings in.

Whether I’m ready for this or not, I’m going to look the part.

My phone pings with a text.

Oh, God. I hope I never have to write anything about Eli. But he’s famous, which means I may have no choice.

Damn it.

My head falls back against the headrest, and I close my eyes. Who am I kidding? I’m going to get fired.

The phone rings, and I don’t even have to look to know it’s her.

“Do not pep talk me,” I warn before Heather can get a word out.

“Well, don’t be so damn pessimistic! You’re the one who always had rainbows shooting out of her ass. Now you’re all doom and gloom.”

I grip the steering wheel. “That was before my husband served me with divorce papers three months ago.”

“Welcome to the club, bitch.”

“I never wanted a membership,” I say with a hint of hostility.

“I know you can’t see it now, but trust me, you’ll thank your lucky stars later. When you meet a man who loves you through all the shit, it won’t seem like the worst thing in the world. You’ve just got to get through this part,” Heather tells me with so much hope in her voice that it stuns me.

Her divorce wasn’t easy, I get that, but we have two children involved. There’s a home filled with the life we shared, child support, alimony, debt, and so much more. Since moving out of the house, he’s attempting to be cordial, but our lawyers are the ones communicating about the ugly stuff.

It’s almost like Scott lives for finding ways to make my life hell since he found out how much he’d pay in child support.

“Regardless, I’m not there yet,” I sigh.

“Today you’re starting your new life, Kristin. You get to be anyone you want when you walk through that door. Be fearless.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I smile, knowing she’s right.

Fearless is the last thing I am, but I can fake it. Can’t I?

Heather laughs. “You’d be lost. Now go in there and show them who’s boss.”

I exit the car and head into the small office building.

“Hi.” I smile at the woman sitting the front. “I’m Kristin McGee. I have a meeting with Erica.”

My nerves are high, but I do my best to keep it together. Erica and I spoke at great length on the phone, but we didn’t actually meet before she offered me the job. All she needed was Eli Walsh’s endorsement.

She nods, looking at her screen. “Yes, you’re the new girl. I’m Pam.”

We exchange pleasantries as she walks me to a desk in the back corner. I place my things down, and then she leads me to what should be an office, but I don’t think I can call it that. There are two partitions, which I guess are supposed to be walls, posters tacked in random places, papers all over the desk, and clothes all over the chairs.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

“You must be Kristin!” A short woman at least half my age jumps up. “It’s great to meet you.”

“You, too.” I plaster a fake smile on and shake her hand.

“Excuse the mess,” she says with a smile as she looks around sheepishly. “We moved to this office last week, and it’s been a transition, to say the least.”

I shake my head, dismissing her worries. “I just moved myself, I get it.”

Erica pulls her hair into a messy bun, and I realize how overdressed I am. She’s barefoot and wearing a pair of workout shorts and a T-shirt that says: Y’all Need Jesus.

I’m not sure if I’m excited about the possible dress code or scared.

“Please, sit.” She motions for the chair.

“Thanks,” I say as I move the shirt to the other chair.

“So, you’re seriously friends with Eli Walsh?”

This is going to be so awkward. “Yes. Heather, his girlfriend, is one of my best friends.”

She leans back with a grin. “That’s amazing. FBD is definitely one of the hottest Tampa stories. Even though we have readers across the country, we started as a local blog, and Tampa is still our base. Eli and Randy are the area’s golden boys, so we need to keep our followers fed.”

It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve seen firsthand how crazy people go over the band. They’ve been around since we were kids and haven’t lost their fans. Eli and his brother Randy grew up in Tampa, which makes the people here a little more nuts about the Walsh brothers. I can’t say anything because I was one of them until I got to know Eli. Now, it’s kind of sad how much of his life people think they have a right to know about.

The worst is how they treat Heather. Thankfully, she couldn’t give a shit less.

“I want to be clear that I won’t actually be writing about Eli. I won’t do that to him or my friend.” It’s the same thing I told her during our phone interview, but there’s no harm in reiterating it.

Erica leans forward with her arms on the desk. “Of course not. I completely understand that. However, you do have access to the celebrities in his life, which is one of the reasons Eli suggested you’d be a great fit here.”

Perfect. I don’t have to write about him, but his friends are fair game.

Maybe I can’t do this. I’m not comfortable with being that lurking friend always thinking of a story.

Then I think about what my lawyer said about Scott and the kids. I can’t go to court saying that I took a job and then quit the first day. It definitely won’t bode well for my character should Scott actually try to fight me about custody.

Eli is the one who suggested this, so he must be okay with it.

I shift, straightening my back. I may not want to do this, but I will. I’ll do the best damn job possible. “Do you have anything you’d like me to start with?”

“Actually . . .” Erica’s smile is mischievous. “I got a tip that I want you to follow . . .”

And so it begins.