An Encore for Estelle (Melodies of Love Book 2) by Kimberly Rose Johnson

Author:Kimberly Rose Johnson [Johnson, Kimberly Rose]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sweet Rose Press
Published: 2017-05-29T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Estelle rose on tiptoe, hoping to see what had drawn the crowd’s attention. Was someone injured? She didn’t hear any sirens and no emergency responders were parked nearby. She turned to Blake. “Can you see what the problem is?”

A grim look covered his face. “Come on. We need to take the back exit.” He gripped her forearm and tugged her toward the kitchen.

If she didn’t trust Blake, there was no way she’d allow him to forcefully direct her like this. “What’s wrong?” Her pulse amped.

“Nick, Estelle needs to duck out the back way. Okay?”

“No problem.” Nick tugged off his apron and went in the direction they’d come.

She needed to take the back exit? She dug in her feet and refused to move. “Hold on. Why do I need to leave this way? What did you see out there?”

“I recognized a photographer. He’s rather aggressive, and I figured you’d prefer to avoid the paparazzi, but if I was wrong . . .” He removed his hand from her arm. “By all means, take the front exit.”

Estelle’s pulse thrummed in her ears. “How did you know he’s a paparazzo?” Did Blake tip him off that she was here working on his musical to drum up interest in his work? She crossed her arms and focused on his face.

He didn’t so much as blink. “Trinity and I were at one of Derek’s concerts years ago. There was one man in particular who was very aggressive. He got into a scuffle with one of the guys on Derek’s security team.”

“Oh.” She remembered that. Derek had been pretty upset, and it wasn’t long after that he took off for Italy and then settled here to be with his mom. “I’m sorry for thinking you had anything to do with him being here.”

But how did the media know she was here? Maybe he wasn’t here for her at all. Then again, maybe he had found out about the musical. Panic filled her. What should she do? It wasn’t like she could hide from him forever. If he knew about the musical, then he’d simply lie in wait at the community center. No, it was best to face this head on—even if he was an unpleasant person.

“What are you thinking?” Blake narrowed his eyes as he studied her.

“That some things, or rather people, need to be dealt with and not ignored. In this case Mr. Paparazzo. The sooner I give him the photo op and sound bite he wants, the sooner we can be rid of him.” She tugged on his arm.

He didn’t budge. “Are you sure about this?”

“No, but I’m going with it anyway. Come on. I want you with me.” The paparazzi scared her. Always had. They were a necessary evil once upon a time, but no more. She glanced over her shoulder as they exited the kitchen. “Stay close.”

“I’m here.”

As she pushed out the door, an unexpected calmness filled her. She squared her shoulders and plastered on her camera-ready smile.

The crowd parted and hushed.

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