Last Flight to L.A.

chapter two: l.a. living

"Stanger things have happened," Kelsey murmured amusedly.

As Kelsey gazed out at the passing scenery, she thought of Ethan Glenn. It was strange to think of him living here, shining beneath the spotlight instead of stressing out over a missed flight.

Sandy's convertible suddenly pivoted and turned into the driveway of a cute little house.

It was white with light green shutters and a rounded sunroom on the corner. Yellow flowers bloomed along the walkway and Kelsey thought she might actually die from aesthetic pleasure.

"Oh Sandy," she swooned.

"It's been a work in progress," Sandy admitted, throwing the gear into park and reaching down for her purse. "I bought it from this old New Yorker who'd basically used the house as a beer can storage compartment. But, it was right outside the hub of L.A., and the price wasn't insane, so ta-da!"

"It's incredible," Kelsey said, managing to tear her eyes away to get her luggage.

Once she got inside, five boxes had been stacked at the entrance.

A sigh of relief washed over her. "My stuff made it! Hallelujah."

Kelsey was shown to her room, which was a quaint guest space with a large window on one wall and a floral-printed bed on the other.

She hauled the boxes into the room and began unpacking. Three of the boxes were filled with clothes, random items, and personal things she couldn't live without. The other two were filled with all the cooking supplies she'd received from culinary school. Pots, pans, knives, utensils, cutting boards, cast iron dishes...everything. Maybe she wouldn't need it all at the internship, but still, familiarity was one thing Kelsey craved in her whirlwind of life.

Evening settled over the hills of California, casting an orange glow over Kelsey's room by the time she was finished unpacking. Things were still in disarray, but they were out of their boxes—which was a start.

When she walked into the kitchen, Sandy was sitting at the bar, typing away on her laptop.

"Blogging must pay pretty good," Kelsey quipped, pulling her hair into a messy bun.

Sandy didn't look up, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "When you're a lifestyle blogger and pretend like everything is perfect all the time, people seem to enjoy it."

Kelsey chuckled. "Is that some kind of trend here?"

Sandy finished her sentence and propped her chin up on a finger. "What?"

Kelsey filled her turquoise kettle up with water and placed it on the stove. "Being perfect."

Sandy shrugged with one shoulder. "Maybe we're all striving for the ideal."

"Or maybe you're just pretentious," Kelsey sneered playfully.

"You better watch it; I'll drop you off in the desert and never come back."

"Ha! Not before I make you some mac 'n cheese, you're not."

"Touché," Sandy murmured, leaning back over her laptop.

"Whatcha writing?"

"A blog post about you."

Kelsey hesitated as she pulled down a mug. "Me?"

"Uh-huh. I've got a new roommate! The people need to know."

Kelsey laughed as she poured hot water over two peach tea bags in each mug. "Make sure to mention how Kelsey Harris is not planning on starting a lifestyle blog because she likes to bite her nails, and wears the same outfit for five days straight."

"...five days...straight..." Sandy nodded as she typed.

"No! You're not actually writing that!" Kelsey cried, racing around the corner and glaring at the computer screen.

Sandy burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm kidding! Gosh, chill! Not so secure after all, are we?"

Kelsey stuck out her tongue and walked back to hand Sandy her tea. "How many followers do you have now?"

Sandy scrolled for a minute before saying, "About six-hundred-thousand."

Kelsey exhaled. "For real?"

"And Alex doesn't follow me. Can you believe that?" she mused.

Kelsey frowned. "Why not?"

"He says it's stupid and a waste of time," she rolled her eyes. "But I can pay the bills on this place! I'm making money doing it."

"And you love it," Kelsey added, "That's more than a lot of people can say about their job."

Sandy looked up, thought for a moment, and nodded resolutely. "You're right! It is a job. It's not a hobby like Alex says."

"A proper career woman!" Kelsey exclaimed.

"Darn right!"

Once their laughter had subsided, Kelsey's phone buzzed in her pocket.

She fished it out and saw a text message from an unknown number.

Hello Miss Harris. This is Chef Antonya Romano from Carmichael's Catering Service. We will expect you to be on set in two days and will send you further information tomorrow.

Nervousness coursed through Kelsey's veins. It was real. She'd be starting a new job—a huge job—and she wasn't sure if she was ready. How could a girl from Kansas make it in a place like L.A.?

"You look like you're about to pass out," Sandy muttered into her cup.

Kelsey scanned the message again. "Yeah, I think I might."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed ^_^

~What do you think of Sandy?

~How will Kelsey's new job work out?

Thank you for reading! {don't forget to comment, like, and share!}