She's the Star: Too Famous Book 2 by Britt Belle

Author:Britt Belle [Belle, Britt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

AMBER

We leave for San Francisco early on Wednesday morning. Somehow the paparazzi catch wind of my travel plans, so we’re mobbed when we get to the airport. As is often the case, a crowd of fans appear seemingly out of nowhere. I stop to greet them and sign autographs while Nolan and part of my security team sneak Maddy through the crowd and onto the private charter.

The flight is insanely short. We’ve barely taken off before we’ve landed again. We run into larger crowds in San Francisco than we left in Los Angeles. Once again, Nolan keeps Maddy out of the spotlight while I distract the fans. There are little girls, teenage girls, grown women, and a handful of men who want selfies or autographs or simply to say hi. Their adulation feeds me and exhausts me at the same time. Not that I’d ever complain about the latter.

“Everything okay?” I ask Nolan when I finally climb into the SUV to find Maddy asleep in her car seat.

“We’re good,” Nolan says, studying me carefully. “You signed a lot of autographs and posed for a ton of selfies. Are you okay?”

For a second, I don’t have an answer. It’s rare for anyone to ask me how I am. They see the image I’ve created, and they don’t question it. In truth, I don’t even usually ask myself how I’m doing. “Of course. I’m great.”

His brow quirks. “Are the crowds going to be the same at the hotel?”

“Probably. There’s a good chance someone at the label is leaking my location to drum up publicity. Unless I specifically tell them not to, they can’t seem to help themselves.”

He turns his gaze out the window. “Seems exhausting.”

“It’s part of the job. I know how much I can take,” I reassure him.

His attention shifts back to me. “You make it seem effortless.”

“Oh. Well. It isn’t. And it is.” I pause and consider how to explain. “I’m not Amber Hope without the fans, so I try to pay them back for what they’ve given me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s work, but it isn’t a burden.”

“I guess I didn’t fully grasp it until now but the Amber Hope you show the world is the real you. I didn’t know that was possible. My father and his friends, they’re…not fake, but they’re false somehow.” He shakes his head. “That sounded judgmental. Of them and of you.” He smiles sheepishly. “I meant it as a compliment. I’m impressed by your dedication and your authenticity.”

I link my hands together in my lap and let myself enjoy the praise. “Thank you. I’m lucky because I never had to pretend to be something else. The world likes me for who I already am. I love my life. The performing. The creating. I even appreciate the fame. So…that part is one hundred percent real.”

“But?” he asks as if he suspects there’s more.

“I don’t let them see when I’m struggling. Or when I’m sad. Or worried. And yes…sometimes even though I love it, it’s exhausting.

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