As the conversation ebbed and flowed, the news that this was Fin’s last night in town came up, and the group peppered them both with questions. What was he doing next? When would he be back? Was Alex joining him in Los Angeles? They answered with what they knew and redirected when they could.
Someone asked Fin to substitute and he headed to the courts. Alex ordered them something to eat, then made her way to the ladies’ room. As she washed her hands, Miranda Cole sauntered in.
“So, you’re McAlister’s new love interest. How are you finding the Hollywood lifestyle so far?”
Alex took her time drying her hands, then flicked her gaze at the women in the mirror before turning to face her. “I don’t know anything about the Hollywood lifestyle. The unexpected media attention has been a surprise though.”
Miranda’s eyes widened then narrowed, as if the direct answer surprised her and she didn’t quite trust the honesty of it.
“You guys have been rather tight these two weeks. Did you know each other previously?”
“Are you interviewing me, Ms. Cole?” Alex asked, politely waiting for a response.
Again, the woman hesitated. “I suppose I am. He’s very popular, you know. Despite his habit of hiding from the press and not sharing his life with his fans.”
Alex pondered the statement before asking, “And you believe he should be an open book with them?”
“They made him what he is. He owes them.”
“But if he’s popular without sharing, doesn’t that prove his fans don’t require him to do so?” Alex continued before Miranda could respond. “Forgive me for my ignorance. This is my first experience with a celebrity and how the whole fame situation works.” She smiled to take the edge off.
Thinking to gain some insight into the reporter, Alex decided to answer her original question. “We met on the plane. He was flying to Houston and I was coming back from a business trip. We sat next to each other. Quite an engaging conversation, as you can imagine.”
“What in the world did you talk about? You have nothing in common.” She sounded genuinely interested.
Alex laughed. “You’d be surprised. We talked about the things normal strangers on a plane talk about… Business or pleasure? Where are you from? Those kinds of things.”
“I can’t imagine. He’s usually stiff and cold.”
“Ah, but then I was some random stranger on a plane who he never thought to see again versus someone trying to get a story on him, right? I bet anyone would be wary facing someone digging into their private life.”
Miranda narrowed her eyes again at Alex. “You don’t seem to be wary.”
“Because we’re just two women talking in the ladies’ room.” Alex shrugged. “There was a moment last week when I had cameras flashing in my face, people shouting at me, and one guy even ripped my dress!” Alex sighed. “I loved that dress and it’s ruined now. Anyway, in that situation, I was shocked and a bit terrified. I wasn’t sure what was going on.”
“So are you two a couple? By the way, you’re good at avoiding the question. Like a pro, in fact.” Miranda smiled, and Alex realized how attractive she was. The smile failed to remove the predatory glint in her eye, but emphasized her high cheekbones and flawless skin.
“Wow, you should… Oh my god, I almost said ‘you should smile more.’ How sexist does that sound?” Alex laughed at herself and waved her hand in the air. “Let me rephrase. You have a wonderful smile. Your whole face lights up. I’d guess female reporters have it tough, right? Having to be a hard-ass to be taken seriously because if you’re too feminine or soft, people blow you off?” Alex rolled her eyes. “Just like everywhere else.”
Miranda blinked at her. “I am a hard-ass.”
“Well, sure. Any woman who’s spent any time in a field ruled by men is not only a hard-ass but also a badass. But that doesn’t mean we want toalwaysbe that way. Sometimes, we want to be the softie.”
Before Miranda could respond, two women walked in laughing and Alex excused herself. “It was nice to meet you, Miranda. Try the burgers here if you’re hungry. They’re pretty good. But maybe avoid the hot dogs.”
Alex walked back to her friends thinking about the interaction she’d just had. Fin talked about the Cole woman as if she were the devil incarnate. She had been civil to Alex, not precisely nice, but not unbearable.
Alex had done some research after hearing his story from the past and agreed with his assessment that Miranda Cole had targeted him through the years. Tonight, she’d witnessed the woman’s ambition firsthand, but wondered what drove the personal attention to Fin. Perhaps guilt from the resulting crash of that first encounter? Or maybe that event had caused a career setback and she had some score to settle?
“Alex, settle this argument, will you?”
Alex shrugged off the encounter with the reporter and joined her friends’ latest light-hearted debate.
Miranda wasn’t easily surprised,but the woman whom Finley McAlister was dating had left her speechless. Alex Tanner possessed the composure of a Hollywood veteran. The empathy she displayed for Miranda’s position as a woman in an industry of men moved her in a way she hadn’t expected. Miranda shook her head and walked back to her seat at the bar to observe the couple.
As the evening progressed, Finley’s comfort level among this group of people—and theirs with him—became evident. In fact, everyone at this place seemed happy and at ease. No one trolled him for pictures or autographs. Indeed, this man seemed like a complete contrast to the one she usually dealt with.
Miranda considered the story she’d been piecing together on Finley McAlister. When she’d learned he would be at the Houston press junket, she had jumped at her chance to get close to him again and felt a moment of triumph when she’d secured a spot on his roster. Of course, everything had gone awry when he’d walked out of the interview, but the desertion had fueled her need to respond with an exposé. After tracking him these last two weeks and now speaking with Alex Tanner, she had an overwhelming suspicion that her reporter’s instinct might have been off on this one.
