“O-of course I’m interested,” I stutter and stand, then curse a million times in my head as the blood rushes back into my lower extremities. “I’d love to see the paperwork.”
“Great. We’d like to film the week after next.”
“That fast?” I ask and glance over to see Adam staring at me, unabashedly eavesdropping. I just shrug and put one finger up to say, just a minute.
“It’s a last-minute addition because one of the other locations fell through. We’re very excited to work with you.”
“Thank you.” I give him my email address, then hang up and simply stare at the top of the bar.
“Who was that?” Adam asks.
“A guy named Ray from the Travel Channel. They want to film in here and spotlight us on Ins and Outs.”
“I love that show,” he says with a grin.
“This is crazy.” My hands are shaking.
“No, it’s awesome. You worked hard and it’s paying off. This will be excellent for business.”
“We worked hard,” I say absently and then smile and jump up and down. “The Travel Channel!”
“Okay, maybe it’s a little crazy,” he says with a laugh.
“It’s a little crazy that I’ll take,” I reply and pour us each a shot. “Cheers!”
Chapter Eleven
Declan
She fucking blows me away. I’m sitting in The Odyssey two weeks later, watching as she sits for her interview with the Travel Channel crew. She’s already given them a tour of the roof, and now she’s giving them the history of the place. This is the part that I know is hardest for her, but you’d never know it. She’s cool as a cucumber in her black skirt and white button-down, and she’s wearing the grey heels I picked out for her. The blond hair that I can’t seem to stop touching is piled on top of her head in a lazy knot and her lips are red.
She’s pulled off the classy rocker-chick effortlessly. I know she was probably just going for classy, but she always has that edge to her, no matter what she wears.
And I fucking love it.
She’s speaking of her father without blinking an eye, but she does fist her hand once, which tells me that she’s not happy with this line of questions.
The fact that the freaking Travel Channel is filming in her place is amazing. Not that she hasn’t earned it. Everything about the place has changed, not just because of the renovations, but because of the woman who runs the show.
And the producer is a smart man for recognizing that. The segment on the show will only be a little over ten minutes, but they’ve shot at least an hour's worth of coverage to make sure that they have enough footage to pull from. I’ll be performing in about an hour, and they’ll get more filming in then.
“She’s doing great,” Adam murmurs as he walks up beside my table. I purposely sat where I can keep an eye on my girl. Just in case.
“That she is,” I agree with a nod. “Not that I thought she’d do otherwise.”
“She’s a pro,” Adam says. “She deserves this.”
“You both do.” He shrugs, but I don’t let it go. “You both worked your asses off, and continue to, Adam. She knows that, and so do you.”
“It’s her place,” he insists, then pats my shoulder and returns to the bar, where he winks at a redhead and asks what he can get her.
Finally, Callie stands and shakes hands with the camera crew, waits patiently to have the mics taken off her clothes, and walks straight to me.
Good girl.
“You did so great,” I say as I fold her into my arms and hug her tight. God, I love the way she fits just perfectly.
“I was so nervous,” she admits with a sigh. “But my part is done.”
“You were great,” I repeat and tip her head up, my finger under her chin, to see her eyes. “You nailed it.”
She smiles and squares her shoulders, claiming her power back, and I can’t help but smile.
“What?” she asks with a grin.
“I love the way you shrug into your badass,” I reply before kissing her forehead. “And I love that I’m the only one who gets to see you when you take it off.”
“I—” She bites her lip and looks down, then just shakes her head. “Have a great set tonight.”