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Smart ass.
“This isn’t quite what I had in mind.” He shrugs with a smirk. “I just figured you had some superglue or duct tape with you.”
With a lift of a brow, he chuckles. “Sorry. The penguin suit doesn’t go with my tool belt.”
“Okay, shoes will be here momentarily,” Aleena states walking up to us, still typing out a text. When she lifts her head, her eyes widen as she notices me in Max’s arms. Her eyes dart around, not amused by Max’s helping.
“Where to?” Max asks, not seeming to care about her or the million cameras snapping pictures of us.
Kill me now.
I pull in a deep breath, searching deep for that girl that didn’t care what people thought of her. By the time I exhale, a resigned energy fills me and I let out an awkward laugh. Max exchanges a smile with me and I shake my head at the ridiculousness of right now. Addison and I will laugh our heads off in a week, but at the moment, it’s tragic.
“Um…” she hesitates, torn by what to do. Tapping her phone against her palm, she glances at the next booth and then back to us. She’s never dealt with Max. He’s not putting me down so she might as well just go with the flow.
“Aleena, let’s just move on. My shoes will probably be here by the time we’re done with the next interview.”
She nods with a vague hint of disapproval and spins on her toes, sauntering to the booth like she’s about to be executed. I don’t know what she’s worried about. I’m the one in the spotlight, being carried around.
To make things even worse, we’re doing TV interviews now, so the cameras catch Max setting me down. He tries to adjust my dress, but Aleena shoos him away. I place most of my weight on my right foot, trying to achieve looking graceful in front of the camera.
“Sky Owen, so glad you could talk to us,” Gwen Stark from Entertainment News says into her mic. She stands next to me, at least six inches taller than me, so I have to look up at her. “What an entrance though.” Her mouth twitches with amusement, glancing at Max.
“I mean, don’t you have your own personal escort to carry you around everywhere?” We both laugh, but I have an overwhelming need to tell her why. “He’s actually helping me since my heel broke.” I lift my dress, flashing my left foot and the broken heel hanging on by the backside stitching. The red silk fabric slips from my fingers, covering the shoe disaster.
“Oh, no. Well, I like your solution.” She wags her brows. “Let’s talk about you. You’ve been touring with Preston Scout and your first single hit the top twenty on the Billboards. And now, you’re performing tonight. You’re already being crowned the up-and-coming star of the year.”
My cheeks burn as I nod, listening to her run through my last few months. Every time someone reiterates my accomplishments, it makes me uncomfortable. I clasp my damp palms together to prevent fidgeting.
“It’s been a surreal ride so far. I’m humbled by the support I’ve received from everyone. I still can’t believe this is my life.” My gaze sweeps across the red carpet. Cheers grow louder and I glance to see who’s coming. An excited squeak from the back of my throat escapes my lips. “Seriously. There’s Taylor Swift.” I regain my senses and turn back with a slight shake of my head. Graham is going to kill me.
Gwen laughs at my fan-girl moment. “You’re such a doll. You came out of the shadows, guns blazing. Let me tell you, I’m a huge fan. I can’t wait to watch your growth in the industry.”
“Thank you.”
“One last thing. I have to ask because you’re trending on Twitter and our viewers are very interested.” My brows pinch together. I’m trending? Please don’t ask me who the designer is for my shoes. My mind reels with responses other than outing the designer. Nobody would ever want to dress me for a future event. “Everyone wants to know… who’s your date?”
My smile freezes on my face, while my head switches gears. I glance over my shoulder at the gorgeous man standing behind me. He gives me a subtle wink, having no idea what was just asked or that he’s the center of the social media frenzy today.
When I turn back, I’m anchored with Gwen’s inquisitive gaze. “He’s a good friend.” As soon as the words pass my lips, I know I’m opening a floodgate. My chest tightens thinking about all the women that will search Max out since I said the friend word. She waits a beat for me to continue, but when I don’t, she lets it go.
“Well, there you have it,” she says into the camera. She turns back to me. “It’s been great talking to you, Sky. Thank you for stopping by.” The camera stops filming us and points down the carpet. Gwen leans into me before I can turn away and mumbles, “I wish I had a friend that looked at me like that. You better hold on to that one.”
“It’s complicated. But thank you for not expecting more.”
“Like I said, I’m a huge fan. I don’t want to be blacklisted already. When you get back to LA, let’s have lunch. Without cameras.”
I believe her genuine smile and that she just wants to be friends. “Yes, I’m always up for drinks with the girls.”
She claps once, excitedly. “It’s a date.”
Right after she gives me a quick hug, Aleena runs up, with shoes high in the air. “I have new shoes,” she beams.
Thank god.
Gwen allows me to change my shoes by stepping in front of me, talking to Aleena. I’ve never been so appreciative of putting two feet on the ground and walking around. Aleena stuffs my broken shoes in her bag.
“Ready for the next one?” she asks, her voice much more enthusiastic than before. I nod, saying one more quick goodbye and thank you to Gwen. Max takes his place at my side and everything is back to normal.
