Plain Return (The Plain Fame Series Book 4) by Price Sarah

Author:Price, Sarah [Price, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-10-20T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The old man stood just inside the doorway of the backstage greenroom. His black hat, tilted just a touch toward the back of his head, did not cover his deeply wrinkled forehead and receding gray hairline. His suit hung from his frame, despite the arms being just an inch too short, and the hems of the pants were frayed at the heel, but pride was etched into his eyes. Regardless of his appearance, he was clearly a man of dignity.

At his side stood a small child. The little girl was wearing a dress that, although perfectly ironed and clean, was two sizes too big. The scuff marks on her black shoes indicated that they, too, were hand-me-downs. Her skin, slightly olive in color, shone just above her cheekbones; she looked like she’d been scrubbed clean for her excursion with the older gentleman. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face into a single ponytail with a large pink bow attached at the base. But it was her eyes that caught Amanda’s attention, for they were large and blue and stared in fright at everything around her.

Amanda was standing by Alejandro while he spoke with a reporter in Spanish. She put the cap on the bottle of water in her hand and watched the little girl for a while. She looked to be about four, maybe five, years old. People moved around the pair, ignoring their presence, a fact that piqued Amanda’s curiosity. Most people who came to the greenroom before the shows were part of the tour or reporters with special press passes. Occasionally, other celebrities might also be there, visiting with Alejandro, but not tonight, at the second show in Rio de Janeiro.

When Alejandro finished conversing with the reporter, Geoffrey approached him and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Alejandro’s reaction was subtle, just a slight stiffening of his back and a muscle twitching in his neck. He nodded, just once, and took a deep breath before the next reporter approached, while a photographer took a few pictures.

The man and the child never moved from their spot.

Amanda remained at Alejandro’s side, holding her shoulders back and stretched down to maintain good posture as Stedman had taught her. She tried to remain focused on the reporter as she had been instructed, but her eyes kept drifting toward the little girl. Once, Amanda thought she saw the child glance at her, just a quick flickering of her eyes to where Alejandro and Amanda stood.

Although Amanda smiled when the photographer aimed the camera in her direction, she could still sense Alejandro’s change in demeanor. His normal pose—his arm around her waist, his fingers gently pressed against her dress as he held her—seemed tense.

“What’s wrong, Alejandro?” she managed to ask when they had a moment alone.

“Nada, mi querida,” he replied with a forced smile on his face, sounding terse. “But you must excuse me. There is someone that I must see regarding some papers. Sit and relax. I should only be a few minutes.

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