“What’s that supposed to mean?” her mom asked.
“Because, in your eyes, if it’s anything less than a Michelin-starred restaurant, she’s a failure.” Gigi’s frustration sounded like it bordered on anger.
“Lulu could never be a failure. She’s too talented.” Her mom grew defiant. “Besides, it’s not my dream. It’s Lulu’s. Ever since she was a little girl.”
“Little girls don’t dream about Michelin stars, Mom,” Gigi said. “You put that idea in her head. You pushed her too hard. All of us. You made our entire lives about accomplishments.”
“That’s not—” her mom began.
“But I did fail.” Lulu’s tone caught their attention, and they stopped arguing. “And if I can’t manage to run the kitchen at The Orchid, I’m certainly not going to start my own. I’m not ready for that yet, so I’m…swerving. But it’s okay, because it’s still going to get me where I want to go.”
“Are you happy with this new direction?” her dad asked.
She loved him so much. Though he had four daughters, he made each of them feel like his special little girl. She could’ve told him the truth, and he’d have been cool.
She just hated disappointing him.
No, it’s Mom. She’s the one I don’t want to disappoint.
“I think so. We’ll see. It’s something I’ve never done, so I can’t say if I’ll like it or not. But the good news is, if this project works out, it’ll be happening in Calamity. In fact, I’m meeting with someone there next week.”
“Calamity?” Gigi looked hopeful. “You’re coming home?”
“Yep.”
“Oh, my God.” Her sister flew into her arms. “I’m so happy about this.”
“Wait a second,” her mom said. “Whatever you do next, shouldn’t it be based in a major city like New York or Paris?”
“Joss,” her dad said.
“What? Of course I want her home.” Her mom grew defensive. “I’m thinking about her career.”
“So am I,” Lulu said. “And the only way to get a project like this off the ground is to have a unique angle, and there’s nothing cooler than our wild west town in the Tetons. We’ve got Owl Hoot, the bison preserve, world class extreme sports…I mean, our county is ninety-seven percent national park, and yet we have some of the best luxury hotels and restaurants in the world.”
“We’ve got quirky events, too,” Gigi said. “The Pole, Pedal, and Paddle race is next week.”
“It is? That’d be really good timing.” She’d have to check the dates, see if the producer would be in town for it. But she wasn’t too worried. She’d already sold her on the setting and content for the show. Now, they just needed to make sure her live personality matched her recording. “But what’re you guys doing here?” In a million years, she would never have thought they’d come to their vacation home on Maui. Not when Coco was two weeks away from her due date.
Her mom gestured to where Cassian stood eating tacos with some of his friends. “Oh, you know. It’s the annual trip he throws for the guys who help him at summer camp.”
“He rented a place for them,” Gigi said. “It’s a few houses over from ours.”
“We figured we’d come with him, take a quick trip to surprise you,” her mom said. “We had it all planned…even made the reservation under a fake name. We were going to ask if we could meet the chef, and then you’d come out and find us all there.”
“That would’ve been fun.” She’d have loved that.
“Once Coco has the baby, it’ll be months before we can get out here.” Her mom looked hurt. “We just wanted to celebrate your new job.”
The humiliation had burned out, leaving Lulu nothing but exposed and vulnerable. “I’m sorry for not telling you. I wanted to wait until I had some good news.”
“You didn’t have to wait,” her mom said. “We love you no matter what’s happening with your career.”
“I know, but this is the first time I’ve failed, and I only wanted to tell you about it once I’d recovered.”
“I just hate that you’ve gone through this all alone.” Her mom’s expression turned fierce. “We believe in you. Whatever you set your mind to do, we know you’re going to succeed.”
“No pressure, though, right, Mom?” In spite of her teasing tone, Lulu could feel herself doubling down on her determination to win over the producer.
Now that her family knew the truth, she had to get this show.
If she didn’t…nope. Not going there.
Failure is not an option.
Well, a second time anyway.
* * *
Lulu sat with her sister on a blanket, her toes tucked into cool sand. A warm ocean-scented breeze fluttered the hem of her sundress and teased the bare skin of her arms.
A few yards away, the football players gathered around a bonfire on the private stretch of beach in front of Cassian’s rental house. “I thought he wasn’t planning these kinds of trips anymore?”
As the new kid on the team, Cassian had thrown lavish parties to win over his teammates. The press had labeled him a hard-partying playboy, and that had made it hard for him to win back Gigi, the love of his life.
“Well, it’s not that kind of trip. Nothing decadent or crazy. But you know Cassian. He likes to do nice things for the guys, so we came up with a compromise.” Gigi watched her fiancé tussle with a huge behemoth of a man, bringing him down to the sand with a playful bump to the back of his knees. “He’s rented a house and stocked it for the week, but we’re only here for the weekend. Besides, it’s a whole different crew than the ones who trash hotels and yachts.” She reached for Lulu’s hand. “I’m so glad you’ll be home this summer.”
“Me, too.” Even if her show fell through, she’d still be in Calamity. Until she found a new job, she had nowhere to go.
From the time she was thirteen, she’d built one success off another. That’s why this fall felt catastrophic.
“I’ll be in the studio a lot, but I’m still around. It’ll be the first time we’re all home since—” Gigi cut off abruptly, looking guilty.
Why was everyone so careful with her? “It’s okay to talk about her.” I didn’t cause the rift. Stella had done this.
Sometimes Lulu wondered…if she’d reacted differently, if she hadn’t dropped out of Penn State and flown across the ocean to enroll in culinary school…would her youngest sister have run off?
But, come on, Stella had kissed her fiancé.
At my rehearsal dinner.
In front of everyone they’d known their entire lives.
Stella had left town right after high school graduation, because she’d made a fool of herself.
“What would you do if you saw her?” Gigi asked. “Like, if she just strutted back to Calamity one day?”
“I honestly don’t know. Believe me, I’ve thought about it. Every time I’m on an airplane, I imagine her coming down the aisle.” Sitting in First Class with her Louis Vuitton luggage and her Italian lover. “When I’m in the grocery store, I glance at the magazines, expecting to see her on a cover.”