“Go.” Lulu stepped away from the door.
Gigi grabbed her purse and a bag off a side table. “Here’s your costume for the Pole, Pedal, and Paddle race tomorrow.”
“Should I even look?” She, Gigi, and their mom had agreed to be teammates—wearing some of the outlandish costumes from her sister’s pop star days.
Gigi handed over the bag. “You’re going to look hot.”
“Is Mom still coming? Now that Coco’s in labor? Maybe we should cancel.”
“She said she is.” Gigi shrugged. We’ll see. “No matter what, though, I think we should do it. It’s a really fun day, and the money goes to a great cause. We can always get someone to take her place. Oh, whatever happened with that person you’re meeting? Is she coming to the event?”
“I told her about it, and she sounded interested, but I get the feeling she’s keeping her distance. She only wants to see me at the au”—she’d almost said audition—“at the actual meeting.” That would’ve piqued her sister’s interest, for sure.
Gigi cocked her head, clearly wondering why Lulu insisted on keeping secrets.
And, as she locked the door behind them, Lulu had to wonder the same thing.
So what if she didn’t get the show?
For so long, she’d blamed her mom for calling her gifted, but maybe the only person invested in the idea of her being a prodigy was Lulu herself.
And the only way to get over it was to allow herself to fail.
* * *
Hot sun burning the top of her head, Lulu forced herself to paddle through aching muscles. Up ahead, other contestants reached shore, celebrating with waiting friends, while crowds clustered around the food booths and the bouncy house.
After nearly an hour, the rhythmic splash of each oar dipping into the water had turned from soothing to unbearable.
Why had she thought the boating portion would be the easiest?
Fortunately, the race had fallen on a perfect day. A lovely breeze rippled the water and cooled her heated skin.
I have got to start working out. As a chef working impossible hours, she’d had very little time for basic errands, let alone exercise.
With her sights on the inflatable arch that signaled the finish line, she laughed when she saw her two teammates waving, encouraging her on. Just like the other participants, they looked ridiculous in their costumes. Too bad the sexy leather leggings Lulu wore made her feel like she’d been rolled up in a heavy canvas tent.
Right as the tip of her boat nudged the shore, her dad walked into the freezing river and dragged the kayak onto the rocky sand. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m dying, but I made it.”
“You sure did.” Her mom reached out a hand to help her out of the boat. “Oh, my goodness, look at you. You’re red as a beet.” She swiped the damp bangs off Lulu’s forehead. “Gigi, grab her a water bottle, will you?”
In a white sparkly jumpsuit, her sister dashed off to the event table and pulled a couple bottles out of a large cooler. Her mom looked fresh and lovely, and if she hadn’t been wearing a hot pink tutu over black lace leggings, you’d think she’d just had lunch with friends.
“How do you manage to look glamorous after biking twenty miles?” Lulu asked.
“Oh, stop. I’ve had a while to recover.”
Gigi handed her a drink. “We did it.”
“We’re a bunch of badasses.” Lulu pressed the icy bottle to her cheek.
Gigi waved another one. “Let me get this to Cassian.” She headed over to where a group of guys chatted not far away.
“Thanks for doing this with me,” Lulu said.
“Honey, you haven’t been in town in seven years. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
“Yeah, but I know you’re dying to get to the hospital.”
“We saw them this morning, and we’ll be there when they get home this afternoon. I wanted to do this event with my girls.” Her mom shifted, blocking the sun so she could look into Lulu’s eyes. “You’re important to me, Lulu. You’ve given me a lot to think about the past few days, and I want to be a better mom for you.”
“You’re a great mom—don’t misunderstand what I said. You’ve encouraged me and rooted for me and helped me become a damn good chef. What I did with that…that’s on me. And, honestly, getting fired sucked, but I think it kind of woke me up.”
Her mom let out an exasperated breath. “I still can’t believe I actually encouraged you to move to another city when you said you were basing your project here. So, yes, it is partly my fault.” With a troubled expression, her mom glanced to the river. A pontoon floated to shore, its captain dressed as a pirate. “You’re not the only one who’s talked to me about how much I pushed all of you.” She glanced to Gigi who stood in the shelter of Cassian’s arm. “Gigi says I focused so much on helping you all find your passions that I never let you just hang out and bond as sisters. I feel terrible about that.”
“Joss?” her dad called. “Lu?”
Her mom held up a finger before pulling Lulu into her arms. “I love you, sweetheart, and I’m sorry for pushing you too hard.”
“Mom, I promise. It’s okay.”
After they joined her dad’s group, Lulu twisted the cap off her bottle and lifted her arm to drink. “Ow. Oh, God.”
“Nine miles of kayaking for someone not used to it isn’t easy,” her dad said.
“Look at them, reveling in their victory.” Gigi grinned at the large Bowie clan.
The four extreme athletes seemed to take up the entire beach with their powerful physiques and charismatic personalities. Three of the women in the group wore costumes, so she assumed they made up a team. One wore a toque, the other a frothy gown, and the third a tiara.
“Who are they?” Lulu asked.
Gigi pointed to each one in turn. “Delilah’s a chef, Knox is a wedding gown designer, and the one in the tiara? That’s Princess Rosalina.”
“What’s a princess doing in Calamity? With the Bowies?”
“Well, they’re a little more civilized than when you knew them in high school, but she’s engaged to Brodie.” Her mom watched a food truck roll in. “Oh, look. Maureen’s here. Let’s grab a breakfast sandwich.”
As her parents headed over to the food booths, Gigi said, “You ready for your meeting?”
“I think so.” Her audition was on Monday, and she got a thrill just thinking about it. Right then she knew it was time to stop keeping secrets. “Can I tell you what it is?”
“You know you can. I won’t say a word. Not even to Cassian, if you don’t want me to.”
It shouldn’t feel so monumental. But it was, and she was dying to tell someone. “I pitched a cooking show.”
Her eyes widened. “You mean like Chopped?”
“No, more like The Farm Woman. I don’t have a big personality like Stella, so I couldn’t pull off a show like Rachel Ray. And I thought, well, what makes me unique?” She gestured around her. “This. I grew up in a wild west town settled by outlaws. Our tourism site calls Calamity the western capital of whoop ass, where the people are wild at heart. We’ve got everyone from billionaires and celebrities to seasonal workers and recluses like Lachlan Bowie living here.” She looked at the people around them, wearing rainbow leggings, cow costumes, and hot pink wigs. “I think I said something like, Calamity’s made up of eccentric people who want to live free.”