“And your name?” The bored barista asked.
I boggled. Really? She didn’t recognize him, or was she pretending?
Rome’s lips twitched. “Hendrix.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“That’ll be eight ninety-four.”
Rome pushed a hundred-dollar bill across the counter before turning and walking away. He headed toward a dark table in the back, and I followed.
“Did she seriously not recognize you?” I whispered as I sat down.
“I guess not. It does happen you know. Usually people just think I look familiar but don’t know why. I guess I have that everyman quality.”
Not really. Everyman implied a blandness—at least to me—and Rome was the furthest from bland as possible. But maybe I was in the minority, since no one in here seemed to care that a literal movie star was sitting only feet away.
Rome leaned close to me and brushed his hand over my hair. “What are you going to do about your social media? Do you want Jeff to look into it? If you give him your passwords, he can turn off comments and delete suspect DMs so you don’t have to see them.”
Everything inside of me baulked at the idea of handing over my passwords to someone else. It was a no-win situation really. “What would you do?”
Rome laughed softly. “I already told you. I’d delete every single app and never think about it again. But I’m not you.”
“Can I think about it?”
“Hendrix?” The barista at the end of the counter shouted. “I have a small americano and an iced peach green tea lemonade for Hendrix.”
Rome kissed the tip of my nose. “You can think about it as long as you promise me you won’t read another comment or DM. Don’t let those trolls have a second of your time. You are better than every single one of them.”
My whole body tingled at his words. And the intensity behind them. I wished I could see his eyes, but those silly sunglasses shielded them. I nodded. “I promise.”
“That’s my girl.” Rome pressed another quick peck on my cheek as the barista bellowed for Hendrix again.
Rome headed for the counter to snag our drinks. He exchanged a few words with the barista, who had been mechanically doing her job, but whatever Rome said to her had her staring at him in stupefied wonder. He smiled at her, but she still stood there motionless. He tipped his head at me from across the room, and I met him at the door.
“What was all that about?” I asked as we walked outside.
“Huh?”
“The barista? It looked like you put a spell on her or something.”
Rome shrugged. “No idea. I just thanked her for the drinks. She thanked me for the tip, so I mentioned that I had a new appreciation for all the work that baristas did. You guys work your asses off—you should be paid accordingly.”
I doubted she looked at him like that because he was a good tipper. No doubt she’d recognized him because of something he’d said. But still, he was sweet—for tipping like that and also what he’d said. I hid my smile in my cup.
He held my hand as we walked back to his SUV. Without a pack of paps surrounding us it was so easy to get lost in the fantasy of us being a real couple. We weren’t performing for anyone. No one was taking our picture. For all the world, we looked like just a regular couple out for a coffee run.
And I loved every second of it.
Right up until we hopped back into his Escalade and he turned to me before starting the engine. “I meant to tell you earlier, but I didn’t want anyone to overhear us. The funeral is tomorrow. It’s supposed to be lowkey and family only, but I still want you there.”
“Of course.” He didn’t mention photographers. I wondered if my attendance was about the ‘image’ of us as a couple or if he needed to lean on someone. I was tempted to ask, but it felt so probing of someone who was still essentially a stranger.
My heart ached at the thought of what tomorrow would be like. All that pomp and ceremony that poor little Zoe wouldn’t remember. Just like she’d never remember her mother. And King would have to grieve with the whole world watching. Questioning.
And then there was Rome. Because no matter how tough he acted, this whole thing was tearing him apart inside. Watching his brother suffer. Knowing what Zoe was too little to know.
Tomorrow was guaranteed to be a horrible day.