The Girl With Diamonds (Midtown Brotherhood Book 2) Read Free Page B

the first, second, and third time she got lost on her way home, and Stella taught her how to ride the subway. At least how to ride the subway without looking like a tourist and risk getting mugged every day.
    Stella’s smile at the sight of her was instant. Mocking.
    “Damn, girl. Look at those legs.”
    Magnolia groaned, bypassing her friend and hopping directly on the escalator.
    Stella ran after her. “What happened? That is not the outfit we discussed on the phone last night.”
    Magnolia didn’t turn around. “I had a change of heart.”
    Stella stepped up beside her and grinned. “You spilled your coffee again, didn’t you? What did I tell you about that silly football mug? The lid is broken. Throw that wretched thing away.”
    Magnolia shot Stella a menacing glare over her shoulder. It wasn’t the first time Stella made such a horrific suggestion about her beloved mug that survived eight finals weeks. The mug wasn’t her problem.
    Stella’s frown turned sympathetic at the edges. “Sorry. Again. I know I’m not helping.”
    Magnolia hopped off the edge of the escalator, searching the intersection for their next train. “If you want to be helpful, then tell me I don’t look like a streetwalker and Evan isn’t going to pull me from the interview tonight.”
    Stella threw her arm around Magnolia’s shoulder. A gentle Stella-like hug. “Evan would never pull you. You’re the best on-air person in our group.”
    Stella would make a terrific mother one day. She was a constant breath of fresh air in a city that rained doubt.
    “Thanks.” For the first time since she woke up, Magnolia took a moment to just breathe.
    The train to Madison Square Garden was crowded, just as she predicted, but at least they were on time. They followed the sea of blue and red to the arena, Magnolia switching her sneakers for her leopard print heels at the crosswalk. She pulled her lanyard with her press badge out of her bag.
    Stella grinned while Magnolia slipped it over her head, eyeing the jewels that trimmed the edges of the lanyard. “You’re such a rhinestone cowgirl.”
    Magnolia pushed her glasses up her nose. “That’s rude. I’m not a cowgirl.”
    “I apologize. Rhinestone princess.”
    Magnolia shot Stella a playful glare. “Owning a BeDazzler isn’t a crime.”
    “It is in Manhattan, and pretty much every place in the entire world except that crazy place in your head where it’s okay to sparklify everything you touch.”
    Magnolia smiled, skipping down the street, her bad mood slowly slipping away. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, Stella. Didn’t your mother ever teach you that?”
    “Isn’t there something to be said for quality over quantity and less is more?”
    Magnolia winked at her best friend as she backed into the door at the side entrance. “Not in the south.”
    Stella rushed in after her, whispering as they squeezed through the crowd. “Last time I checked, you’re above the Mason-Dixon line.”
    Their boss Evan waited for them at the gate with two of the other interns, Marc and Troy. His face fell at the sight of them, and Magnolia knew why. She held up her hands, refusing to take responsibility for their missing friend. “Cressida told Stella she’d meet us here.”
    Cressida’s reputation for being late was becoming legendary. Magnolia took the itinerary Evan offered.
    “I thought I asked you two to keep her in line.”
    “I’m not her mother,” Magnolia shot back, straightening her backpack and running her gaze down the list of the night’s events. Her interview was in bold letters. “We’re adults, in the general sense of the term. I don’t know where I am half the time, and I make it to work.”
    Evan shook his head, his features still tight. He was only a couple years older than they were. He completed the internship at MSG three years ago. Evan understood more than anyone that this internship was about proving you had what it took to be in this business, and more