Were they visiting the city for the weekend? She was doing it again, focusing her attention on things that didn’t matter to take away her nervousness. What the other passengers were doing in Chicago was irrelevant. She needed to focus on meeting Blythe—soon. The thought made her stomach lurch.
Perhaps she should find a restroom before meeting Blythe, even though she didn’t need to use it. Instead, she pushed on toward the tunnel leading to the Great Hall. Many of her fellow passengers had splintered off toward other parts of the station, so the crowd had thinned.
Part of her was relieved she wasn’t caught in the pack, but a larger part of her felt exposed. The enormous room, not quite as long as a football field but wider, left her nowhere to hide. Being summer, the sun hadn’t set, so the Great Hall was flooded with light from the massive glass ceiling.
It only made her feel more exposed as she stepped into thespotlight.It was a weird thought, but upon hearing her name called, she had no time to dwell on it.
Her heart raced as people stopped and gaped. Blythe stood with her familiar tousled hair pushed up into a spike, sporting her trademark grin, but that wasn’t what had caught everyone’s eye.
Blythe held up a large poster board:
Welcome to Chicago
Abby the Librarian
@Shhh&ShakeIt
Abby stopped in her tracks, and her gaze darted around the massive area. She hadn’t advanced far into the hall, so she could turn and flee down the tunnel. She stood frozen as Blythe walked toward her. Abby’s eyes were likely bigger than a Florida kid seeing snow for the first time.
Too embarrassed to make eye contact with Blythe, Abby gazed at the woman walking behind Blythe. She held up a cellphone pointed toward Abby.Ricki?Her hair was styled much like Blythe’s, with the front spiked, but her hair was a striking lavender tinted with gray. Her features were softer, giving her a diffident vibe next to Blythe’s outgoing persona.
“Cut.” Blythe waved her arms as she neared Abby. “Cut. We need to do this again.”
“Hi.” Ricki lowered her cellphone and gave Abby a shy smile. She reached out her hand toward Abby. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ricki.”
As Abby grasped Ricki’s hand, she looked between the two women, trying to make sense of everything.
“We need to do that again,” Blythe said.
Ricki released Abby’s hand and elbowed Blythe. Under her breath, she said, “Aren’t you going to say hi to Abby?”
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” Blythe gave Abby her signature smile, and Abby’s knees went weak. “Come here and give me a hug.” Blythe opened her arms wide.
Abby walked into the hug, but with her nerves so raw, she tensed at the touch. Luckily, Blythe didn’t seem to notice as she continued to talk. Amidst the chaos swirling in her mind, Abby only caught portions of what Blythe said, picking up smatterings of a greeting and apology.
When Blythe let her go, Ricki put her hand on Abby’s arm. “I’m sure this is a lot for you. Just take your time and get acclimated.”
“Yeah, yeah. Definitely,” Blythe parroted. “We can reshoot the video whenever you’re ready.
Reshoot?Then Abby remembered Ricki had been holding up her cellphone when she approached. Naturally, Blythe wanted it recorded.
“How about we have a seat first?” Ricki put her hand on the back of Abby’s elbow. “Right over there.”
Ricki guided Abby to a bench, while Blythe followed behind still carrying her gigantic sign, which was still attracting attention from the other travelers.
Once Abby was seated, Ricki stepped back. “Blythe, why don’t you fill Abby in on what you’re doing?”
Abby thought she detected a look of irritation cross Ricki’s face, but she couldn’t be sure since she’d just met her. As Blythe moved past Ricki, Abby heard Ricki say,I thought you already had.
Blythe slid onto the bench next to Abby and took her hand. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to surprise you. But I’m taking it, you’re not one for surprises.”
Abby shook her head. “At least not public ones.”Oh, god.Did that make Blythe feel bad? “I mean…the thought was sweet and all. It just wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“Understood.” Blythe squeezed her hand. “I doubt we’ve got much footage we can use, but you never know.” She pointed up at Ricki. “She’s a master at capturing moments. We’ll have tolook at it later. But it’s smart to shoot a few more takes, so we’re sure we get something postable.” Blythe waved her hand around the space. “It’d be a shame to waste such an amazing backdrop.”
“No, we wouldn’t want to waste it,” Abby echoed, not understanding why it mattered.
“That’s my girl.” Blythe smiled and winked at her.
