Kali & Grayson Read online

  Also by Paige Tyler

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  SEALs of Coronado: Books 4 - 6 (SEALs of Coronado Boxed Set Two)

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

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  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  EPILOGUE

  KALI & GRAYSON

  The “IT” Girls

  Paige Tyler

  Copyright © 2021 by Paige Tyler

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the author.

  Editing by Jennifer Jakes / The Killion Group, Inc.

  Copyediting by RVP Editing

  With special thanks to my extremely patient and understanding husband, without whose help and support I couldn’t have pursued my dream job of becoming a writer. You’re my sounding board, my idea man, my critique partner, and the absolute best research assistant any girl could ask for!

  Thank you.

  Sign up for Paige Tyler’s New Releases mailing list and get a FREE copy of SEAL of HER DREAMS!

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  http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Sutton!” I groan, frowning at my best friend and costar of the newest video we’re filming—or at least we were—for our popular beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel. “Gurl, you were supposed to sit still. Now you look like Goth gone bad.”

  I laugh. Thank goodness we aren’t doing this on Instagram Live right now or we’d be screwed.

  From her director-style chair, Sutton grins back at me. Like she hadn’t just smeared the fabulously winged eyeliner I’d spent the past fifteen minutes meticulously applying to her prepped and primed lids as I described what I was doing in detail on video. Her brilliant green eyes glitter with amusement in the golden light pouring in through the windows of the beachfront home we share with our other bestie, Liv. We’d picked the most sun-drenched room in the house for our recording studio so that our viewers not only got a great look at us in natural light, but also glimpses of the cresting waves and golden sands that make up our backyard, too.

  “Sorry,” Sutton says. “My allergies are acting up.”

  Liv edges into the shot—but only when she’s sure that she’s paused the recording.

  “No worries.” A warm smile lights up Liv’s face. “It isn’t like we’re live on Insta right now. We always have to do some editing magic on our videos afterward anyway. Besides, Sutton is only adding more to her workload since she insists on doing all that editing herself. We promised our subscribers we’d have this up tonight.”

  Now it’s Sutton who pouts. “Ugh! I forgot about the deadline. Kali, we’ve got to hurry this thing along. I have a date with a beach towel. If I’m going to model Liv’s designs, I need to work on my tan.”

  I pin her with a look. “I thought we all agreed to use sunless tanner from now on. You know, better for our skin and all that.”

  Sutton runs her hand through her long, dark hair, flipping it over her shoulder. “You know how I like to lay out. It relaxes me.”

  “Well, then do it under a beach umbrella,” Liv says, backing me up. “And put on sunscreen.”

  Sutton playfully sticks her tongue out at us. “Okay, Mom.”

  Liv and I can only laugh. . Sutton really is the most childlike of the three of us.

  “I guess that makes me Dad, then. And…” I grab my cell and check the time, “Dad is late for a meeting.” Crap. I needed to leave—now. “You’re not the only one with a full itinerary today, Sutton. I’ve got a date with about fifteen different people in the city.”

  Unfortunately, my dates are definitely not for pleasure. I’ve got business meeting after business meeting lined up today and I can’t be late.

  Sutton winces. “On second thought, can we not say the D-word? Especially since none of us have time for love with how much we work.”

  Liv and I exchange a pained look.

  I’m totally feeling Sutton on that. I mean, she isn’t exactly wrong. I can’t remember the last time I went out with someone. Between sponsorship calls and post deadlines and video shoots, there isn’t a whole lot of time left over for romance. Not that I’m complaining. I’m in love with my career as a lifestyle influencer. What more could I really ask for?

  Right?

  “Are you stopping by the boutique when you drive up to LA today, Kali?” Liv asks hopefully.

  I flash a grin at my slender, auburn-haired friend and nod. “They’re dying to get our Glossed & Glammed clothing line on their shelves. All I have to do is sign some more contracts and we’ll be ready to rock.”

  Sutton, Liv, and I let out a trio of dreamy sighs that are a heady mix of optimism and excitement.

  Glossed & Glammed is practically our baby. The beauty and fashion YouTube channel started out as a simple passion project during our sophomore year of college but it’s since exploded into a super popular—not to mention super profitable—social media phenomenon. While I focus on generating perfect makeup tutorials and collabs, Sutton is our model, video editor, and most avid poster on our socials. Liv, our resident fashionista, prefers to be behind the camera when she’s not working on fashion tips or designs, but Sutton and I make sure to drag her into the shots whenever we can.

  Speaking of which...

  “Liv,” I announce dramatically, “you’re going to have to take over for me.”

  At my rising tone, the adorable black Labrador mix pup curled up on the plush, Tiffan
y Blue bed on the floor near the big picture windows perks his ears and cocks his curious head to watch us. I blow a kiss at my George—named aptly after George Westmore, Hollywood makeup artist extraordinaire—and leap to my feet.

  Liv’s face instantly turns bright red. She stares at Sutton, then the camera, then at me. “Seriously? You’re leaving now? You didn’t redo Sutton’s makeup yet.”

  Sutton yawns and scoops up her sleek calico cat to plant a kiss on the feline’s pink nose. Coco the cat mews and majestically stretches up lean and tall for the camera as though she’s modeling for it. I swear that cat loves the spotlight as much as her twenty-two-year-old owner.

  “I know, Liv, but business calls.” I hold up a hand and start ticking off my to-do list using my fingers. “Like I already mentioned, I have to meet with the boutique to get those designs for you to check out. Then I have a meeting with the charity we’re promoting this month, Fostering Tomorrow. Oh! Speaking of which, there’s a big event coming up at the end of the month that we’re supposed to be anchoring, girls. Don’t forget!”

  “Believe me, I won’t,” Sutton says with a laugh, running her hand over Coco’s fur. “You make me post about that charity every other day.”

  Though Sutton is teasing, there’s a proud smile dancing on the corners of her lips. She understands how much it means to me that we use our huge following, especially as concentrated as it is here in California, to make the world a little better. Besides, the girls know how close Fostering Tomorrow’s cause is to my heart. If they’d been around when I was young, maybe things wouldn’t have been so hard.

  Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I lean over and pick up a Q-tip, then deftly fix the smeared makeup on Sutton’s face. There. As good as new.

  “But... but...” whimpers Liv as I start gathering my things. She’s staring at the camera like it might suck the soul from her body.

  As beautiful and stylish as Liv is, sometimes the girl needs a little push to show herself off.

  “You know our fans love seeing you on camera,” I urge Liv before quite literally urging her toward my empty director-style chair with a gentle push. “Plus, you’re wearing one of G&G’s sample pieces. Take this chance to drop some major hints about the limited line coming out.”

  Liv bites her lip, then nods toward where Coco is still purring in Sutton’s lap. “If Sutton’s cat gets to be on camera, can I pull Chanel from her hutch, too?”

  It always makes me laugh when Liv refers to her bunny’s triple-decker, closet-sized, lavish rabbit castle as a hutch. The lavish condo costs a small fortune.

  I swallow a giggle and nod. “Your bunny can be a superstar for the day, too. Like you even need to ask. I should be back by dinner time.”

  “Don’t be late. We have big plans tonight,” Liv reminds me enthusiastically. “We’re celebrating, girl!”

  This time I do laugh. “There’s no way I’m going to be late for a party. Do you guys want me to pick up some sushi on my way back from LA?”

  “Or I can make dinner,” Sutton offers cheerfully, no doubt hoping to procrastinate editing the video.

  Liv and I immediately shake our heads. Energetic, free-spirited, and easily distracted, Sutton can hardly brew a cup of coffee without losing track of it. Her meals tend to be just as disastrous.

  “Sushi it is!” I call before grabbing my purse and darting toward the door.

  I pause long enough to bend down next to George and bury my face between his big, floppy, fuzzy ears and kiss him on the head. I found the sweet pup wandering the beach outside our bungalow a few months ago, and George and I have been all but inseparable ever since. Usually, when I have meetings in the city, I bring him along and then he hangs out while I do my thing, but I have way too many today. He’ll have much more fun here at the bungalow with Liv and Sutton and his furry friends.

  “I’ll see you later, Georgie,” I whisper before hugging him again. He licks my cheek before I climb to my feet, wave to the girls, and hurry through the studio to the four-car garage, slipping on sunglasses as I go.

  The second I press the button to open the heavy door, I’m embraced by the balmy California breeze. As I soak in the warmth of the midday sun that fills the space, I take a moment to gaze out at the blue waves cresting the beach behind our home, breathing in the salty fragrance of ocean on the summer air.

  Every time I set eyes on this view, I’m left feeling as astonished as I was the day Sutton, Liv, and I realized we could easily afford to buy the place. This is the kind of life I could only dream about as a little girl with barely a penny in my pocket or enough food to eat, but here I am. Here we are. I had no one to rely on until I met Sutton and Liv. They’re more than my friends. They’re my sisters. The family I never had.

  Sliding into my powder blue Mini Cooper, I rev the engine, find a playlist on my phone, then back out of the garage and head down the short driveway and turn onto the road. It takes about thirty minutes to get to LA from the beach where we live, but I enjoy every moment of the ride because it gives me time to think about how amazing our lives have become since G&G really took off.

  It feels like Sutton, Liv, and I are standing on the edge of something amazing, all holding hands as we get ready to take one more big leap of faith. When I think about our future that way, I can already feel my stomach tossing and turning and twisting around like I’m on a roller coaster.

  Where will this next plunge take us and how far will we go?

  Only time will tell, of course, but I’m so excited to find out.

  Traffic isn’t too bad in LA, and luckily, the parking garage I want to use isn’t full. Giving the valet my keys and a nice tip, I make a beeline for the door, purse over my shoulder. I check my reflection in one of the store windows as I make my way down the sidewalk. The peplum cardigan I’m wearing turned my favorite sleeveless dress into business chic and I mentally give myself a high-five on my choice of outfits as I pick up the pace. Not because I’m late for my first meeting—I’m never late—but because I’m excited about what the deal with this boutique means for G&G. And what the other meetings I have after this one do as well.

  As the business side of Glossed & Glammed, I have a full plate at all times. But I like it that way. I hate sitting around with nothing to do, so the more I’m juggling, the better. We each have our specialties when it comes to our company and our brand, and one of mine is keeping G&G up and running and in the spotlight. That’s why I got a dual degree in art and business at the University of Southern California. In fact, that was there Sutton, Liv, and I met, during freshman year. Fate brought us together when we all independently volunteered for a play the theater department was putting on. Little did we know exactly where that choice would take us.

  I was painting backdrops and doing the actors’ makeup, Sutton was an extra without a single line, and Liv was assisting the costume designers. After a particularly exhausting day of rehearsal, we all wound up at the same juice bar across campus. We recognized each other immediately and that, as they say, was that. It was simply serendipity. The first time we chatted over green tea matcha smoothies, it was like we’d known each other in another life. G&G was born a year later after we decided to room together sophomore year.

  “Oh. My. GOD!” someone shrieks from behind me.

  I glance over my shoulder to see a throng of girls gawking at me. They lift their phones in unison, all while beginning to eagerly jump up and down. They’re so excited they can hardly contain themselves.

  I’ve been recognized.

  Again.

  “Kali!” one of them screams. “Kali, is that you? I seriously can’t live without G&G! Girl, I need your advice on lipstick for a date—”

  I quickly turn back around, cursing silently as I practically run down the sidewalk now. Normally, I love my fans and I’ll stop and chat with them, but right now I absolutely can’t be late for my meeting. The seconds are ticking away as it is.

  I bob and weave between people bustling down the LA s
idewalk, listening intently to the girls lingering squeals and rapid footsteps. They’re chasing me in the hopes that I didn’t hear them. At least, they still sound cheerful so we probably won’t get any angry comments on our socials later.

  Hoping to lose them, I duck through the open doors of the nearest building.

  The scent of paper and old books immediately fills my nose and I realize I’ve stumbled into a library. Huh. I’ve never really noticed it before.

  I don’t have long to consider my hiding place. A little boy with carrot red hair carrying a huge stack of colorful books seemingly appears out of nowhere and suddenly wanders in front of me and I quickly move out of the way, my arms pinwheeling. I like to think that I’m fairly graceful, but running from my fans has left me breathless and out of sorts. My legs refuse to cooperate, and I fall sideways. I brace myself for the pain—and the embarrassment—that’s going to come with hitting the hard tile floor, but instead, I collapse against a firm, warm chest.

  Books and papers go flying as I get lost in the most captivating, charming chocolate brown eyes that I’ve ever seen in my life.

  CHAPTER TWO

  He lifts dark eyebrows, gazing up at me with interest from where I’ve accidentally pinned him to the library floor.

  “In a hurry to get some reading done?” he asks from beneath me in a deep, husky voice that’s as alluring as his face. In fact, he’s so gorgeous that I can’t even convince myself to climb off him just yet. I haven’t been in a hunky guy’s arms in a while.

  I laugh a little breathlessly. “Something like that.”

  Adrenaline fades and mortification finally starts setting in and I force myself to ease back onto my knees. He pushes himself into a sitting position, grinning at me as he shakes his head. Tall and well-built, he’s probably only a few years older than me. Maybe twenty-four or so.