“I’m sure Mr. Smith will be here any minute,” Mrs. Fitzpatrick told the impatient photographer who had been pacing in the lobby. “Everyone else is here, see? We’ll be ready to go before you know it.”
London edged a little closer to the conversation. She couldn’t help it—if there was some kind of trouble involving Kade, she wanted to know every juicy detail.
“I was told that everyone involved with the pageant would be here at nine sharp and that I’d be able to get my pictures before ten,” the man told her. “If I don’t get these pictures turned in, they won’t run. And if they don’t run, that throws your publicity schedule off. I don’t think that will make you very happy.”
“It’s very inconvenient, I know,” Mrs. Fitzpatrick said. “Let me have the hotel ring his room. Perhaps he overslept. I did see him in the lobby quite late last night.”
London stepped back a little so she wouldn’t be noticed as Mrs. Fitzpatrick bustled across the lobby to the front desk. The concierge placed a call and waited on the line, then shook his head and hung up.
Hmm. This was very interesting. Where was Kade? Doing something she could tease him about mercilessly later?
He finally pushed through the front doors of the hotel, looking a little out of breath. “Sorry I’m late,” he said to Mrs. Fitzpatrick when she descended on him like a dive bomber. “I had an emergency.”
She put one hand on her hip. “You do realize that you’re twenty minutes late, Mr. Smith. That sort of thing might be all right for famous football players, but we don’t have that kind of luxury around here.”
“It’s actually not all right for football players, Mrs. Fitzpatrick. I’d be running laps around the field right now if I pulled this on my coach.” Kade chuckled, obviously trying to lighten the mood, but Mrs. Fitzpatrick didn’t look like she wanted to be lightened. London was glad that glare wasn’t focused on her.
“I’ll have you running laps around this hotel if you’re not careful,” the woman hissed. “Now get over there and look pleasant.”
Kade glanced over, saw London, and shrugged. She fell into step behind him as he walked over to the rest of the group.
“An emergency, huh? I hope everything’s all right,” she said, forcing herself to sound civil.
He shook his head. “It’s crazy. I bought an old house thinking that I’d restore it, got in a little over my head, asked my buddy Dillon to help me, and he called at dawn to tell me that the water main broke. His guys are over there right now pumping it out and fixing things, but it was an unbelievable mess.”
“You bought an old house? With all your money?” London raised an eyebrow. “I saw the news when you signed—you make a pretty penny. Why not get a new place?”
Kade shook his head. “I wish they hadn’t publicized that. Yes, I bought an old house. It’s one of Atlanta’s gems, and I figure, I’m lucky enough to get to play here where I was raised, so I should give something back to the community and save this awesome property.”
Hmm. London hadn’t expected such a deep answer. She’d pictured him living in some super-posh condo somewhere, surrounded by artsy stuff that cost a gob of money and was really ugly to look at.
She was interrupted in her thoughts by the photographer, who asked everyone to pose, but they had to squish in so they’d all fit in the group shot. She found herself plastered to Kade’s side as another girl pushed her way into the photo from the left.
“I’m not sure we know each other well enough for this,” Kade whispered to her, his tone mocking.
“I’m sorry, but this really wasn’t my idea,” she replied.
“I remember how you used to flirt with all the football players. Are you sure this isn’t just London 2.0?”
London turned and smiled for the camera, then went back to glaring at him. “I was not flirting with the football players. I was being friendly because that’s what human beings do.”
“So you’re admitting that you’re human?”
“What are you talking about? Of course I’m human.” She turned and smiled again, glad she could hear the photographer over the blood pounding through her ears. Kade knew how to push all her buttons.
“Where’s my phone? I should be recording this.” He made a show of patting his pockets.
“Now I need a picture of each contestant with the judges,” the photographer went on. “Let’s go in alphabetical order.”
London stepped off to the side, watching with a smirk as each girl went up and took her place with the judges. Every one of them without exception giggled as they walked up to Kade. London rolled her eyes. Yes, he was a gorgeous football player. But if they knew the real him, they wouldn’t be so flirty and giggly.
When Chelsea was done, she bounded over to London’s side. “I touched Kade’s arm, and it’s rock hard. That man is pure muscle.”
“Could you be any more twitterpated?”
“I don’t know.” Chelsea glanced back over to where the judges were standing, smiling for the camera. “Hey, I know this is really crazy of me to ask, but would you introduce me to him?”
“Uh, didn’t you just meet him? And touch his arm?”
“Yes, but that was totally different. That was for the picture. He’s not going to remember me out of all these girls.”
London shook her head. “You realize that I’m not his favorite person, right? If I’m the one who introduces you, he might decide to hate you too. That’s not the best way to start a relationship.”
“But it’s better than what I have now. Please, London? Please?”
She was giving her puppy-dog look, and London knew she was sunk. “Okay. I’ll introduce you. But this is entirely against my principles. I usually try to keep my friends away from horrible people—not put them together in the same room.”
“I promise that I’ll be very careful, and if he’s still horrible, I’ll run far away. I just think that it’s been a long time since high school, and people can change.”
“Four years isn’t long enough for a total personality overhaul.”
Chelsea grinned. “I can hope.”
When it was London’s turn, she did not giggle as she took her place. She had no reason to, and she refused anyway. “Are you dating anyone?” she asked Kade out of the corner of her mouth.
“Are you asking me out?”
“No, never! But I have a friend who’d like to meet you. She’s one of the contestants here.”
“Okay. Can you point her out to me?”
“Yeah. She’s standing right over there.” London nodded that direction.
“Excuse me! No talking,” the photographer called out, and London tried a little harder to behave herself.
“Have her meet me here at five,” Kade said as London walked away to make room for the next contestant. She waved at him over her shoulder to indicate that she’d heard.
“Meet him right here at five,” she told Chelsea, who bounced a little up and down. Why did the girl have to be so excited about the prospect of being thrown into a lions’ den?
She didn’t have long to think about it, though, because next it was time for the interviews they’d be having with the media.
A long buffet table of snacks had been set up on the side of one of the conference rooms, and everyone was invited to go in and eat while waiting their turn. They were going alphabetically again, so London had plenty of time to help herself.
“I see you still like chocolate,” Lacey Johnson said as she used a pair of tongs to choose out some melon. “It’s a wonder you fit in your gowns.”
“I see you still eat like an impoverished rabbit,” London replied, glancing down at the three items on Lacey’s plate. “You know, the body does need calories in order to function.”
“Mother says that with my metabolism, I can’t be too careful.” Lacey grabbed a couple of grapes, then stepped away from the table. “I only have one more year to compete, and I intend to make the very most of it.”
“This is my last year, and I’m doing the same,” London replied. Next to Lacey’s plate, hers looked like she was trying to feed the entire cast of Cats. She refused to feel guilty about that, though. She’d be surprised if Lacey didn’t pass out from low blood sugar before the day was over.
“Well, I wish you luck. Who knows—maybe one of these young upstarts will take it away from all of us.” Lacey nodded toward a small cluster of girls London had never seen before. They looked fresh out of high school, idealistic. It was hard to believe that she’d ever been that way, but she knew she had been.
“I didn’t see them at the mix and mingle last night,” London said.
“That’s because you only had eyes for Kade Smith,” Lacey retorted with a smirk.
London’s face immediately grew hot. “I don’t have eyes for Kade Smith. We knew each other as teenagers and were talking—that’s all.”
“That’s not what it looked like to me, and several of the other girls feel the same way.”
London gripped the edge of her plate a little tighter. “You went around and asked them?”
“Oh, of course not. I’m just telling you what I happened to overhear.” Lacey nodded toward the other contestants. “I can’t help it if the girls are gossiping. You know how girls are.”
“Yes, I do. And thank you for the warning.” London worked her way to the side of the room and took a seat, her hands trembling with rage. Who did Lacey think she was? And why did she think she had to be so . . . so . . . mean and hateful to get a crown?
Chelsea came and sat down next to her. “One thing I hate about my last name being Baker—I’m near the start of every line,” she said. “At least I didn’t pass out or trip or anything like that.”
“So it went all right, then?” London asked. She needed to pull her focus off Lacey or she’d just drive herself crazy.
“I think so. They asked pretty easy questions about where I grew up and why I’m competing here, stuff like that. We’ll see how it comes out in print.”
“I bet it’ll sound great.” London nodded toward the food table. “Do you want something to eat?”
“Now that I’m finished, yes. My stomach’s been in knots all morning and I haven’t been able to eat a thing.”
Chelsea moved off to the food table, and London picked at what was on her plate. Now it was her stomach in knots. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, Lacey had gotten to her, and that frustrated her. They were all in their early twenties now, but acting like teenagers. It was like a time warp, and she was more than ready to move on.
When it was finally her turn, London grabbed her compact out of her bag and made sure she didn’t have anything between her teeth, then entered the side room where the interviews were taking place. The three judges were there too, as they’d been told they would be, and London decided it would be best to ignore Kade altogether. She took her seat at the front of the room and smiled at the newspaper reporters who were there with their notebooks and tape recorders at the ready.
“Miss Russell, what brings you to the Sweet Georgia Peach competition this year?” one of the female reporters asked.
“It’s an opportunity to show pride in my community and to give back to a place that has given me so much,” she replied, hoping her answer didn’t sound memorized. But then she tacked on, “In addition, I’m competing in the hopes of winning a scholarship so I can attend law school, which will also help me serve the fine people of Atlanta.”
“Law school?” one of the men asked. “How did you arrive at that decision?”
“My sister, Amber, is a lawyer, and she’s always been a great inspiration to me. When I saw how much she was able to help people, I realized that I’d like to be able to do the same.”
“That’s quite a departure from other things you’ve done in your life,” the man continued. He looked down at a sheet of paper, and London realized that the reporters had a dossier on each of them. “I see that when you started college, you were majoring in fashion design.”
“That’s right. I’ve always been fascinated by that industry.”
“But now you’re not pursuing it?”
“Oh, I’ll always be sketching and making my own clothes. I enjoy it too much. But the law is where my heart is leading me.”
“And you won’t be changing your mind?” the man persisted.
“Good grief, Dean,” one of the other men interrupted. “The girl’s not on trial. This is an entertainment piece, not a criminal investigation.”
“Don’t you think our readers deserve a little depth in these fluff pieces?” Dean shook his head. “It’s not all about dresses and dental work, you know.”
London took a deep breath. “I’ll answer whatever you’d like me to,” she said, glancing over at the judges. She noticed that Mayor Morgan sat up a little straighter, as though he was finally paying attention.
Dean lifted an eyebrow. “Very well, Miss Russell. Is it true that your father was killed in a drunk-driving accident that he caused by his own reckless behavior?”
“Yes, that’s completely true,” she responded levelly.
“And that he was abusive before then?”
“I was two when he died, so I have very few memories of him. But yes, I do remember that he had a violent temper, and my sister has told me some stories as well.”
Dean nodded, seeming pleased, and scribbled notes in his book.
“I would also like to say that even though my background is less than stellar, I still have the ability to shape my life however I want,” she continued. “In fact, I’d say that my past makes me more empathetic toward others and will enable me to be an even better representative for our community and this program. It’s all about overcoming, ascending, and transcending, isn’t it?” She glanced at Mrs. Fitzpatrick, who nodded.
“Well, I think we’ve had enough heavy questions for this contestant,” one of the female reporters broke in. “London, do you have any quirky habits or phobias we should know about?”
London laughed and told them that she didn’t like her food to touch, and the whole tone of the interview changed—thank goodness.
The judges stood as she passed their table on her way out, and Kade reached out and caught her elbow. “Hey, that was rough, but you handled it well,” he said in a low voice. “I didn’t know they were going to bait anyone like that.”
“It’s okay,” she replied, shrugging, not wanting him to see that she was, in fact, a little bit rattled. “I don’t have anything to hide.” She just wanted to hide her emotions.
“Hey, can we get some coffee later or something?”
She blinked. “I don’t think that’s such a great idea, Kade. I mean, you’re already meeting Chelsea later, and apparently, there are some rumors starting to circulate about us, and I think we should just focus on the pageant, all right?” She took a step back, away from his hand on her elbow. “I’ll see you later at the next event.”
“All right,” he said as she walked away. Maybe she imagined it, but she thought she heard a note of regret in his voice.