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Pearl nods and looks away, clearing her throat. She's quick to change the subject. "Should we make a lap first? See who's here before we pick what to do?"
"Yup. You lead the way."
Pearl breaks away and heads off, elbowing her way through a group of teens. We check out the lines at the Scrambler and the Gravitron before I see my brother wave to me from a picnic table. "There's Rex. Let's go say hi."
Pearl takes my hand as I edge through the crowd. She's trusting me to lead her. Even though the stakes are not very high, it feels good. My ego purrs like a happy kitten every time independent, strong Pearl leans on me for support.
I make it to the picnic table and survey the scene. Rex is standing with one foot on the table, staking his claim. Several of Rex's fans hover around the table. By fans, I mean women who unabashedly think Rex is the hottest thing to walk on two legs. They fawn and simper over Rex in his blue jeans and tight white Atlanta Kings T-shirt. And sitting at the table to Rex's right, is a curvy blonde in jeans and a black tee, with a badge hanging from a lanyard that reads "PRESS". She's jotting something in a tiny notebook as I approach.
"What's going on here?" I ask. I wait for Pearl to join me and then usher her forward with my arm around her shoulders.
"I was just telling..." Rex pauses and turns back to a pretty young Latina wearing an Atlanta Kings jersey. Her eyes never leave Rex's face. "What was your name again, sweetheart?"
The girl flushes and smiles hopefully at Rex. "Elaina."
"Right. Uh, I was just telling Elaina here about the time I hit the winning homerun in the championship game."
The blonde sitting next to him snorts softly but doesn't interrupt. Rex glares at her then clears his throat. "Elaina, honey. Why don't you find me later? Give River and his fiancée a little room." He looks around, smiling benevolently as if all these women exist solely for him. "I'll see you all later."
Elaina and the other fans move away. Elaina blows a kiss, which Rex pretends to catch. I can't roll my eyes hard enough.
Rex catches my eye roll and shrugs in response. "What are you going to do? They asked for autographs." The blonde coughs. Rex glares at her. "What? They did!" he insists.
"Uh huh."
Pearl leans forward. "Aren't you Savannah's sister?"
The blonde straightens and beams. "I am! Do you know her?"
“I’ve heard about you!” Pearl clutches her hands to her heart. "Sav’s one of my favorite people. I'm Pearl."
"Birdie." They shake hands and Birdie offers Pearl a seat. "Please! Any friend of Sav's is a friend of mine."
"Thanks." Pearl turns to me. "This is River. My fiancé."
"And my brother," Rex adds.
"Hi." I look her up and down. "Are you actually a reporter?"
She gives me a strained grin. "Yup. I work for The Island Daily. I'm doing an in-depth piece about Rex Bennett's life. People want to know where he hangs out, what he eats, who he spends time with."
"I can answer that. He hangs out at home. He eats nothing but egg whites, spinach, chicken breast, sweet potatoes, and brown rice. And he hangs out with..." I cut Rex a look. He glowers at me, making me grin. "His family, mostly."
Birdie is jotting down more notes. She pauses and gives me a blunt look. "Uh huh."
"Enough about me," Rex says, eager to change the subject. "What about you? Have you guys picked a wedding date yet?"
"Nope. We're... uh... trying to pick." I raise my brows at Pearl. "Isn't that right, darlin’?"
"Yep." Pearl bobs her head. "There are a lot of schedules to take into account."
Rex frowns. "No one asked for my schedule."
I resist the urge to roll my eyes so far back in my head that I go blind. "We already got your schedule from Mom."
"Oh." He nods, seeming satisfied with that answer. "Okay."
"Scuse me," a little boy says, approaching our group shyly. "Could I take a selfie with you, Mr. Rex?"
