Color rose to my cheeks as I thought of the whole disaster. The last thing I wanted to do was watch the video. Ever. I grabbed Sloane’s phone and pressed delete before she could stop me.
“Hey! I was saving that for your rehearsal dinner,” she said.
“We aren’t even dating.” One date, a half-dozen phone calls, and two mind-blowing orgasms didn’t mean dating.
“If you two have kids, they are going to be good-looking and smart.”
I choked on a peanut. “Hold on. You can’t skip ahead to our wedding and future children.”
“Time’s ticking.” Sloane tossed a peanut into her mouth.
“I’m only twenty-five.”
Sloane cocked an eyebrow at me. “Exactly.” Her eyes widened, and she stared at something over my shoulder. “Look!” She grabbed my wrist with an iron grip and jerked her chin at the lobby.
I followed her gaze and saw a woman gliding towards us. Dressed in slim jeans and a silk blouse, she exuded style and elegance. She was polished and sophisticated and…Oh my God!She was Miranda Lockhart.
I could hardly breathe as I watched my favorite author toss her hair over her shoulder and scan the lobby.
“How does she get her hair to shine like that?” Sloane wondered aloud.
I patted my wild tangle of curls, staring at Miranda’s sleek mane with longing. Miranda had the kind of hair I’d always been envious of, the kind that flourished under a thorough brushing every night while sitting in front of a vanity. I didn’t have hair like that, or even a vanity to sit at while brushing it. The only time I could get a comb through my curls was when they were wet.
I watched Miranda whip out her phone and tap it to life as she headed straight toward us. Every nerve in my body went on high alert as she neared. I caught a whiff of her expensive perfume and a snippet of her conversation as she strolled past.
“I’m at the bar,” Miranda said into her phone. “Do you want your usual?”
I strained to listen to more of her conversation, but she chose a seat in a booth—too far away to eavesdrop.
“Now’s your chance to meet her before she’s swamped with fans,” Sloane said, elbowing me.
“What about you?” I asked Sloane. “This was your idea.”
Sloane shook her head. “I don’t want to lose my job for harassing a guest,” she said. “I’ve done all I can do.”
“I don’t think I can do it,” I said. “I’m too nervous. And it sounded like she was meeting a date,” I babbled. “I couldn’t interrupt Miranda Lockhart on a date! There would be something incredibly wrong about that. It would be… sacrilegious.”
“I know,” Sloane said. “But try to remember that Miranda Lockhart is just a regular person. She’s just like us.”
I laughed. “She’s hardly like us. Just look at her hair.”
“We both have dates tonight. We aren’t total losers. We’re just fans. And I want to know where she got that top. It’s gorgeous.” Sloane pushed me until I eased off the stool. “Go. Don’t let fear stop you.”
“You sound like Kennedy.” Our yoga guru friend was always spouting affirmations. “My fear is definitely stopping me.”
Sloane picked up my copy ofHeaven on Earthand handed it to me. “Don’t forget your book.”
My hands trembled as I took the book. “I can just wait until Sunday.”
“When she’s surrounded by other fans?” Sloane gave me a friendly shove. “Now’s your chance.”
I stumbled forward. Sloane was right. I would regret missing the chance to speak to Miranda one-on-one.
“What am I supposed to say?”
“We’ve been sitting here for three hours. You didn’t come up with anything yet?”
“No.”
