Halfway down the steps, I hesitated. “Cassidy, I—”
“Consider it our first anniversary gift.”
“Our first?” I asked, placing my hand on the railing so I wouldn’t fall. “But we’ve only—”
“Been dating a few weeks. I know. But we’ve been friends for longer, so let’s celebrate that.”
Breathing a little easier now, I gave her a nod before realizing she couldn’t see me. “Okay, but I get to pay the next time we go out to dinner.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
After a nerve-wracking flight with my sister rambling the entire way, we finally reached Cassidy’s hotel. Large white pillars stood before us, making the hotel look like a museum more than anything else. The front doors opened once we got close, the hotel opening up with a tall ceiling and a pair of spiral staircases positioned to either side of the reception desk.
“Man. How much do you think it costs per night to stay here,” Bridget asked, her eyes fixed on the beautiful chandelier hanging several floors above our heads.
“More than I make in a month, probably.” Reaching the desk, I was about to ask the receptionist to announce our arrival when a familiar face caught my eye.
“Evie?” His voice wasn’t nearly as deep as I’d expected from his photo, but Joel’s smile was more than enough reassurance for me to step away from the desk.
“Joel,” I said with a smile, joining him along with my sister on the far side of the lobby. “I recognize you from the photo.”
My voice wasn’t as cheerful as I’d hoped.
“Nice to see I’m not the only one who’s upset with this mess. My boyfriend’s been an absolute wreck! Cassidy too.
You can’t begin to understand what this is doing to her. She was up first thing this morning and has been working nonstop trying to fix it.”
“Let me guess, they won’t take back what they said because of the whole freedom of speech,” Bridget said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Pretty much. The way Cassidy sees it is this. In order to rectify the damage the media has done, you’ll need to go up on stage with her.”
“Me?” I asked, the word barely leaving my lips. “But she
—”
“Doesn’t want something like this to happen ever again.
Come on. She’s waiting for you both upstairs.”
My excitement to see Cassidy only lasted a few minutes. As soon as she mentioned having me onstage, my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. Her lips continued to move but hell if I heard any of it. It felt as though I’d gone far enough into the mountains for my ears to pop, only I hadn’t done it yet.
Taking a breath, I concentrated on whatever she was or wasn’t saying, releasing a sigh of relief once I finally heard her voice.
“It’ll be fine,” she said, placing her hands on my shoulders.
“I’ll be with you the entire time.”
“It’s not the audience I’m worried about,” I squeaked, taking a shaky breath when she tilted her head to the side.
The announcement she wanted to make was one I didn’t expect to happen for months, or possibly years from now.
It wasn’t a proposal, but considering our options, it was pretty close.
“David,” she said with a nod, offering me a small smile before walking me over to one of the sofas. “This isn’t his decision.”
“Are you talking about the announcement or about us?”
Because right then, it sounded like a little bit of both.