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The models step to the side, leaving only Mr. Magic. He’s still wearing the giant head. “And thank you, Mister Magic. I had given up on ever seeing that dance routine again. How in the world my sister found someone who was the right size and could pick up the routine in a day is beyond me.” I give him the well-deserved applause I couldn’t earlier. “Those last two moves. I would have never had the courage to even draw those up; it would take a specially coordinated and trained person to even attempt those.”
Stacy slips next to me, a gentle nudge of her shoulder to mine. “That was all him. He insisted on giving it his all.”
I take a step forward, attempting to look through the mesh sewn in his eyes. Stacy’s words are filled with clues. It can’t be.
The mascot is too important to give to anyone. It would need to be someone talented enough to do this on short notice. It would need to be someone she trusted, and that list is impossibly short.
I take a small step forward. Logic dictates it can only be one person. But that would be impossible. Michael is on the other side of the country.
If not him—who?
My pulse picks up again as my mind catches up to my heart.
It can’t be.
I press my palm to his chest. The hitch of his breath echoes in the silent air. He knows I know.
Slowly, he lifts the head off his shoulders.
My pulse races quicker with every inch it rises. I can’t stop the smile forming on my face. Gone is the concern of what my reaction might be, how I might react if our paths cross again. My heart knows. It always has.
It’s Devon.
He’s here. He’s here for me. He’s giving me what he believes I need from him.
So, I do the same. I give him two words to let him know I appreciate his effort.
“Hey, you.”
***
Chapter Twenty-One
Devon
Two words from Zara do more for me than the half dozen pep talks I received from my friends. They give me hope.
“Hey.” I press the giant head against my hip, my elbow holding it in place. “I didn’t break it this time.” Her lips flatten at my failed attempt at humor. This is no joking matter.
I sense the movement behind me. Stacy directs the hired actors to the waiting bus I rented in the parking lot.
“I never meant to hurt you.”
She chews on her tongue, her eyes filled with confusion. “But you did.” Her whispered admission rips at my heart. She’s right.
“When we met, I couldn’t reveal to anyone who I was. I had to stay in character and be someone else.”
“And I fell for that someone else.” Her arms cross in front of her, another barrier for me to overcome. The more I talk, the worse I make it.
“Zara, I—”
“I get what you did here today, Devon. I really do. You and your Hollywood friends scooping into our little ole town andrescuing the damsel in distress. Can’t you see you’re still playing a role? I have no idea who you are. Still.” Her words strike like fists. Each one pounds me further and further away from her.
But I won’t go quietly. “This is me, Zara. The real me. The one who cares about you. The one who made a commitment to help you with the pitch and despite me ruining us, I wouldn’t let it ruin your dream.”
The muscles in her forearms clinch. “You’re still missing the point. You don’t get to decide that. You knew how important this pitch was for me. But at the end of the day, it’s my pitch, not yours. I must stand on my own two feet and show the world I can do this. On my own.” She stomps a foot, and I see the head of steam building. I’ve been wrong, again.
“You called my sister but not me. You didn’t give me a heads up. This could have turned into a disaster.”
