Maybe the message would help the two of them. Somehow—
Oh, what the hell was she thinking with that. Truthfully, she hadn’t been surprised when she’d arrived and he wasn’t waiting for her around back. No, the surprise had been when he’d appeared at just the right moment.
Saving her again.
“—next three days, a journey of self-discovery and affirmation! Give yourselves a round of applause!”
As applause erupted, Lyric felt compelled to get to her feet and clap as well. Meanwhile, a convention photographer swooped in on the side and took a number of pictures, most of them looking up from a wide angle so that he could capture Valentina Disserte and the adoring audience in the one-shot.
So now what, Lyric wondered.
Off to the side, on the wings of the great room, Marcia was waiting with the rest of the event staff, no doubt mining the convention and the larger national tour schedule for opportunities with her other clients. This was actually a good thing—made it less of a waste of time for her.
When the photographer backed off, Lyric leaned down to Dev,who’d remained in his chair. “Sorry about all this. I really did think it was going to be an in-and-out.”
He shrugged, his eyes still on the stage. “It’s okay. I’m here for the ride.”
Just before she went to straighten, he turned to her—and their mouths came close together. As her breath caught, she stammered, “Ah… thanks. For understanding.”
“S’all good—”
Jenny, the assistant, appeared by the table. “Come with me, you guys. We need to get you backstage before the crush after dismissal.”
“Oh, sure.” Lyric swept her hair over her shoulder. “Of course—”
Dev stood up, dropping his napkin next to the dessert plate he hadn’t touched. She hadn’t eaten anything that had been presented, either. But like they’d come here for the food?
“Let’s go,” Jenny said. “Quick, quick, quick.”
As Valentina stepped out of sight with a final wave to the crowd, Jenny hurried things along the lineup of packed tables and then around the corner, to a split in the waterfall of purple bunting that was guarded by uniformed cops. The two men nodded and let Jenny lead the way into a backstage area filled with sound boards, even more staffers, and all kinds of cords, lighting equipment, and extra chairs. There was so much activity, people buzzing around and—
Marcia jumped in front of Lyric. “Wasn’t shewonderful!” Then she looked at Dev. “Aren’tyouglad you decided to playsaviorin the middle of thestreet? Not everybodygetsthis kind ofaccess.”
With her pitchy voice and jazz hands, the woman helped Jenny herd them over to a build-out that had a purple door set in the center of a lot of black felted panels. The sign that hung front and center read “Valentina,” and another set of police officers were standing outside.
Jenny greeted the uniforms, and then the door was opening.
What wafted out was some kind of perfume with a grape-scented undertone. And then Lyric saw the woman herself across the gold and black reception room.
Okay… wow.
One thing that had become clear after a couple of years with the social media peddling set was that what you saw online wasn’t necessarily what you got in person. Filters, plastic surgery, camera angles, and lighting made a huge difference. Except Valentina was even more resplendent in person. There was just an aura around the woman that made it seem as if she were in a spotlight that followed her—and what do you know, Lyric wasn’t alone in the starstruck. A ring of adoring people surrounded Valentina, and the interesting thing was, she actually seemed to see them all. As opposed to most influencers, who tended to skate over others with their eyes and affect, R2E’s leader seemed to truly connect—
The crowd abruptly parted and the woman of the hour looked over.
It was the oddest thing. A sudden stillness overtook Valentina’s animation as she stared at Lyric and then Dev, her head slowly tilting to the side as she considered them—after which she seemed to snap out of whatever it was to come forward.
“Lyric, of Lyrically Dressed.” The smile was broad and welcoming. And now she looked at Dev. “And… you know, I could swear I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
“Oh, youhave,” Marcia chimed in. “From thenews. He saved her life in themiddleof Market Street the other night. Hi, I’mMarcia, Lyric’s rep.”
As the manager shoved out her hand, there was a perfunctory shake. Then again, the self-promotion was a little much.
Valentina smiled at Dev. “You saved her life. How noble of you.”
Lyric glanced over at him. He was staring at Valentina, rather like she was an exotic bird at a zoo. He probably thought she was insanely beautiful—because hello, she was—and didn’t that come with an unwarranted sting of jealousy.
“And you!” Valentina pivoted back to Lyric. “I am so sorry I couldn’t meet you beforehand. My schedule is not my own. Thank you for coming backstage now.”
