Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“Drink, madam?” a waiter with a tray of drinks asks.
“Is this alcoholic?” I ask, pointing to a champagne glass that looks like it’s holding orange juice.
“Yes. Or if you want something non-alcoholic, we have virgin mojitos over at the bar.”
“Mommy, can I have a mojito? Frankie said she had one when she went to Miami last year and they were the best.”
I swallow, wondering how much a virgin cocktail will set me back at Radio City Music Hall. Probably a week’s worth of groceries. “I think we’ll stick to water,” I say. “Mojitos are too much sugar on top of an already exciting evening.”
Riley shrugs. “Boring.”
“Water is available at the bar,” the waiter says.
I’m going to have to ask for tap water. They probably only have bottled. We head over to the bar and I ask for water, and as predicted, the bartender opens a fresh bottle and pours two glasses. I pull out my wallet, where I’ve stuffed my dollar bills. He slides two glasses over to us. He doesn’t ask for any money.
“How much is that?” I ask.
He grins at me. “It’s no charge, ma’am.”
“Oh,” I say, a little surprised. I pull out a couple of bills and set them on the bar. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” he says.
I pick up both glasses and hand one to Riley, before heading across the room to look at the auditorium.
“Is that the stage where she’ll be performing, Mom?” Riley asks.
“I think so,” I say. I wish we could just go to our seats. I feel awkward and uncomfortable. Like we’re hillbillies who’ve come up to the big city. New York has felt like home until right now.
“Shall we go and find our seats?” I say to Riley. “We can figure out where the restrooms are and get situated.”
We get directed down a corridor and through some more doors. “You’re Orchestra 4, Row CC,” the usher says to us as we arrive at another set of doors. “Best seats in the house,” he says with a grin.
“Thank you,” I say, as he directs us into the auditorium.
We find our seats eventually and I have to triple-check. The seats are three rows from the front and right in the middle. Riley’s going to have the time of her life.
“Mom, you have to take a picture of me!” she says.
There aren’t many people in the auditorium yet, and Riley poses in front of the stage and I take at least three hundred pictures.
We’re posing for a selfie when Riley says, “You think Fisher will be here?”
I almost lose my balance, I’m so distracted by her question, it’s like my brain can’t process which way is up. “No,” I reply. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, he works with her, doesn’t he? Why wouldn’t he be at her concert.”
Call me naïve, but I didn’t even contemplate Fisher being here. Maybe it’s because I associate him so strongly with Star Falls. “Lots of people work with her, honey. Fisher doesn’t go to all her concerts.”
She looks downcast. “I really thought we’d run into him. I didn’t realize how big New York was.” My stomach churns at her disappointment. I really didn’t realize how attached she’d gotten to him in such a short space of time. It was what I’d tried to avoid, and I thought I’d been successful.
I press a kiss on her head. “Yeah, it’s even bigger than I imagined too.”
“Fisher!” Riley screams, and pulls out of my arms.
I look up—and see the man whose name she’s screaming.
My heart soars in my chest and my body starts to shake. And my entire world grinds to a halt.
Fisher.
My Fisher.
All tousled hair and broad shoulders. He’s right here, coming toward me.
Riley jumps into his arms and he lifts her up, grinning. Pulling her into a hug. Then he looks up and our eyes lock. Even though I know it’s impossible, it feels like the ground is shaking. Like I’m going to topple over. I grab on to the back of the seat where I’m standing so I don’t fall.
I’ve missed him so much.
Did he know we’d be here? Did he ask Vivian to invite us? Maybe he’d been the one to offer the tickets. I don’t know how these things work.
“Hey, Juniper,” he says, in his easy-breezy British way as he comes closer. “I wasn’t expecting to see you guys tonight.”
“I just knew we’d run into you!” Riley says. “I’ve been telling her all day we’d see you.”
“You have,” I say. “And you were right. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to see you, either.”
“You got tickets?” he asks. “They’re pretty hard to come by.” He leans forward and places a kiss on my cheek. Maybe I’m imagining it, but he seems to linger a little longer than he needs to.
“Vivian sent them,” I explain.
“Oh,” he replies. “That makes sense. That’s nice of her.”