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A deep voice over my shoulder startled me. “Some shit never changes.”
Hudson. “Jesus. You scared me. Didn’t you learn your lesson about sneaking up on people? I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Rode up with the food. By the way, be thankful she ordered and didn’t try to cook today.”
“I’m sure she’s not a bad cook.”
“Last Christmas she made two trays of shrimp parmesan. We all got a big crunch when we bit in.”
“She overcooked the shrimp?”
He shook his head. “She followed a recipe that called for shelled shrimp. She thought shelled meant to leave the shell on.”
I laughed. “Ohhhhhh...”
He nodded his chin toward the photo in my hand. “I still feel like doing that at least once a week.”
“Why were you covering her mouth?”
“Because she thought everyone’s birthday cakes were for her and blew out the candles. My parents thought it was cute and let her do it. But that year, I’d made a wish I really wanted to come true, and I wasn’t taking any chances.”
I laughed. “What was your wish?”
“I wanted a sheepdog.”
“Did you get one?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Well, it’s an adorable picture.”
“My mom had it framed on her nightstand. She said it summed up our relationship perfectly, and she wasn’t wrong. My sister must’ve taken it when we cleaned out my parents’ things.”
Mason walked over and handed me a glass of wine. He passed Hudson a beer. Raising his own bottle, he tilted it to us. “Good luck today, you two.”
Hudson clinked his beer, so I followed his lead. “Thank you.”
The rest of the guests piled in shortly thereafter, and Hudson and I were pulled in opposite directions. I saw a couple of people on the marketing team who I knew had worked on things for us, but I hadn’t gotten to spend much time with them. So I made sure to seek them out and say thank you for everything they’d done.
A few times, while Hudson and I were both talking to different people, my eyes caught with his. His lip would twitch and his eyes sparkled, but neither of us made any attempt to talk again. A few minutes before three o’clock, Olivia pointed the remote at the TV above the fireplace and then used it to clink against her glass.
“Alright, everyone. It’s just about time! This is so much more exciting than a dumb Superbowl party, isn’t it? Who needs a refill before kickoff?”
I was really damn nervous, so I headed to the kitchen to take her up on the offer before I had to see my face on her giant TV. Mason was standing near the wine and lifted the merlot when he saw me coming.
“You look like I felt when they started playing ‘Here Comes the Bride’.”
I opened and closed my hands. “Did your fingertips go numb from nerves?”
Mason filled my glass to the brim and handed it back to me with a smile. “Head-to-toe numb. Pretty sure that’s why the person who gives away the bride lifts the veil, and the best man holds the ring. The groom’s hands are too shaky to do anything.”
I sipped my wine. “Well, I hope I can fake it as good as you did. Because you looked cool as a cucumber.”
An arm hooked through mine. “Come on,” Olivia said. “I want to sit next to you!”
I guzzled as much wine as I could as we settled into the couch together. Immediately after we sat, the music at the beginning of the show started, and the host, Robyn, strolled out, waving to a live studio audience. It was pretty funny to watch, because I had been there when she’d done that walk, and the only people in the audience were Hudson and his friend Jack. Yet now the camera panned to a clapping crowd.
Olivia laced her fingers with mine and squeezed. “Here we go!”
She turned up the volume, and the noise in the room settled down. Robyn did her usual introduction from the side of the stage, and then walked over to the counter where she always stood. Signature Scent boxes and samples were piled all over. It felt completely surreal. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, leaving me a little lightheaded.
For the next few minutes, Robyn did her best Vanna White impression, lifting the boxes and waving her manicured hands around, which I now knew was to keep the viewers’ eyes on the product rather than the host. When she began to introduce her guest co-host for the day, I held my breath.
It was absolutely crazy to see myself on television, standing next to such a well-known personality. Robyn Quinn was a pretty big celebrity. During the taping, the director had made me do that walk out onto the stage while waving almost a dozen times. As I watched, I smiled directly into the camera and waved like my personal fan club was in the audience.
