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I swallow hard and will the tears away.
I will not ruin this makeup masterpiece.
But I’m pretty sure I just finished falling head over heels in love with this man.
Once in the limo, I glance at Sid and Harry and then at Hunter.
“You can say anything,” Hunter assures me. “They’ve signed NDAs.”
“I’m just curious. I meant to say something on the plane but was distracted.” I grin. “If I’m the first woman you’ve brought to something like this, aren’t you worried about what the press will say?”
“Do I seem like the kind of man who worries about the press?”
“No.” I laugh but then shrug. “But they’ll ask questions. What will you say when they ask you who I am?”
He takes my hand and kisses my fingers. “I’ll tell them the truth. That you’re someone who means a lot to me, and that I’m grateful you agreed to accompany me this evening. That’s all they need to know, Maeve. What happens between you and me is our business. Now, we’re almost there. We’ll walk the red carpet. Don’t worry, I’ll coach you through it.”
“Oh, no big deal. Just the red carpet.”
Sid’s lips twitch with humor.
“All you have to do is smile. I’ll be with you the whole time, of course.”
“So, you’re nominated tonight,” I say, needing to talk to keep my nerves somewhat calm. “What else are you doing? Are you presenting?”
“I’m presenting the Kobe Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award,” he says. “So, I spent some time while you were getting ready going over the speech. And I thought I should put together some words just in case I win something.”
“It surprises me that you’re nominated, given you’re retired.”
“I’ve only been retired for about four months,” he says. “So, I was still eligible for this year’s nominations.”
“You’ll win.” I squeeze his hand. “Now that you are retired, are you going to miss all of this?”
“More than you’ll ever know.” He glances out the window of the limo.
“Then why retire?”
“That’s a conversation for another time.” He kisses my hand once more as the car comes to a stop. Sid and Harry climb out first, and it’s just a sea of flashing bulbs and lights and so many people.
Hunter exits the car, much to the crowd’s delight. He nods, then turns back for me, extending his hand as he helps me up.
We pause and wait as flashbulbs go off and people gather around to take our photo, and then we’re ushered onto the red carpet to make way for the next limo.
“We just stop on the black marks,” Hunter whispers in my ear.
The red carpet looks so glamorous on TV. But it’s just a long stretch of carpet with ropes along the front so the photographers and interviewers can’t get too close. We stop every twenty feet or so to pose, smile, and answer a couple of questions.
When we get to an ESPN reporter that I recognize, Hunter leads me to him and smiles at the other man.
“Hey, man,” Hunter says and shakes his hand. “It’s good to see you.”
“You’re looking dapper as always,” the other guy says. I can’t remember his name. Alan? Kevin? “And who is this?”
“This is my date, Maeve O’Callaghan,” Hunter says, introducing me. “Maeve, this is Stephen A. Smith.”
“Nice to meet you,” I reply and suddenly have a microphone in my face.
What in the hell do I do now?
“Maeve O’Callaghan,” Stephen A. says with a grin. “I do believe you’re the first date I’ve seen with this guy.”
I simply smile back at him.
“How do you know each other?”
I glance at Hunter who just grins down at me.
“I sold him a house,” I say simply. “It’s not a terribly exciting story.”
We’re being cued to move on, so Stephen A. says his goodbyes, and then we’re ushered into an auditorium.
We’re seated in the front row.
Next to Vanessa Bryant.
Kobe’s widow is absolutely stunning in a white dress and diamonds that sparkle almost as brightly as the bulbs that flashed on the carpet.
She’s seated on the other side of Hunter, and they say hello to each other before she smiles at me. She’s so welcoming; I’m taken off guard.
“Just flag me down if you need help,” she assures me. “For the most part, it’s boring. But I’ll be here when Hunter has to go do his thing.”
“Thank you so much,” I say with a smile.
“I have to go say hello to someone,” Hunter says and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
“O’Callaghan. I love that name,” Vanessa continues. “You’re not, by any chance, related to Kane O’Callaghan, are you?”
“He’s my brother,” I confirm with a proud smile.
“Oh, that’s so great. I have several of his pieces in my home. What do you do, Maeve?”
“I sell real estate and help out in our family-owned pub. It’s not terribly glamorous, but it’s a lot of fun.”
