Drop Dead Gorgeous by Suki McMinn Page B

got to keep. And frankly I’m shocked she let him keep it.”
    “That’s good. I like that.” Derek studied the painting with fresh appreciation. “She’s beautiful. Where is she now?”
    “Madeline killed her.”
    A shiver ran up Derek’s spine. He looked at Terence and just nodded in understanding. “Okay. I got it.”
     
    The following night, Derek went down the street to help Billy unpack. Billy’s house was similar to Derek’s in its layout – a wide entry hall flanked by a huge living room and study on one side, and dining room and kitchen on the other, but it wasn’t decorated as tastefully as Derek’s. The sofa and chairs were a bit shabbier, and the walls held less art.
    Derek climbed the wide stairs in the center hall and found Billy in his bedroom setting his computer up on the desk, surrounded by boxes and piles of clothes. He looked about twenty, with messy blond hair in bad need of a trim and striking blue eyes. They were all striking, all handsome, and all young. Derek had probably died the oldest at twenty-eight.
    Derek started on the pile of clothes on the bed, hanging things in the closet while Billy sat at his desk.
    “You were the last one before me, weren’t you?” Billy asked.
    “I was.”
    “Were you mad when she got me?”
    “No. Not at all. I’m glad she has you. I mean, I’m sorry you died, but, well, you know what I mean.”
    “Yeah, I know. How long were you with her before I came along?”
    “Not long. A couple of months,” Derek said.
    “Really? Will she get someone new after a couple of months with me?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe not. She stayed with some of them for years – decades even.”
    “I don’t think I’m ready to be on my own. I need her.”
    Derek recalled the feeling, and felt bad for Billy, saying, “Don’t worry. She needs you too.”
    “Yeah, for money, but I want her to...you know, keep me as hers.”
    “Then she probably will. No offense, but you don’t look like you have a lot of money – I mean, you’re just a kid.”
    “Oh, I don’t yet. I started a website – it compares businesses for consumers. Now, she’ll own it – probably sell it.” He didn’t look happy at the prospect.
    “How does it work?”
    “If you’re looking for something – a car dealer, a dry cleaner, whatever – it finds the companies closest to you and provides data. So you can make an informed choice. I’ll show you. What was the name of your agency?”
    “L.A. Faces.”
    Billy started to type. Derek came to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder at the screen. “Well, there are lots of others in L.A. Which one would you like to compare it to?” Billy asked.
    “Beacon.”
    Billy typed in “Beacon,” and said, “L.A. Faces is newer, has more models, a more expensive address. A better looking owner than Beacon’s.” He laughed.
    “Wait, let me see,” Derek said.
    He wasn’t really jealous, but he was a little curious about what Clara’s former boyfriend looked like. Billy brought up photos of the two owners – one a beautiful brunette woman – obviously the owner of L.A. Faces, and the other of Jeffrey Rizo. He was a little older than Derek, also dark, but with brown eyes, and a darker five o’clock shadow – actually, not a bad looking man. Derek felt a little jab of envy.
    Billy finished his demonstration of the site and, unfortunately, ended with Jeffrey’s headshot on the screen.
    “You were a big model, weren’t you?” Billy asked.
    “I did okay.”
    “You probably had a wad of money.”
    “I guess. It was a lot for someone my age. I got a little when my parents died when I was twenty, but most of it I made modeling. It’s hers now. Ours, I mean.”
    “So, what are you going to do now? I mean, how will you make her money?”
    Derek thought for a moment. That’s a good question. “Not sure. I’ll think of something. I’m still getting the hang of all this.”
    “Right. Me too,” he said. “How did your parents