Page 37

14
Shannon
“I have a surprise for you,” Ryker told me Thursday night. He showed up at Toppings right as I was helping to close up the shop for the night. So far we’d been checking the news for the story about the cheating, but strangely we hadn’t seen anything about it.
“What’s the surprise?” I asked.
“I just got off the phone with Mr. Christopher. He feels terrible about how targeted you’ve been by the paparazzi. Especially since he was the one who encouraged me to tell you how I felt about you.”
“He was?” I would have to thank the guy someday. If I ever got the chance to meet him again.
“So he decided to fly the two of us out to California. There’s a charity ball he wants me to attend with him and Gabi. He’s arranged for a hotel suite for us and everything.”
“That sounds nice,” I said. “I’ll just have to make sure my mom’s okay with that.”
“I already asked her, and she said yes.”
I gaped at him. “When do we leave?”
“That’s the thing. You’re going to need to find someone to cover your shifts here at Toppings. We leave tomorrow after school.”
“I can cover her shifts,” Jessica piped up. I hadn’t even realized she’d been eavesdropping. “I’m trying to pick up some extra cash anyway.”
“Well, there you go,” I said.
“I can’t believe I finally get to go to California,” I said.
“I knew you really wanted to go, and I may or may not have mentioned it to Mr. Christopher,” I said with a wink.
I stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on Ryker’s lips. “You really are an incredible boyfriend.”
“Oh, so I’ve finally earned the boyfriend status?”
“Duh. You’ve had that status for a while now.”
“Glad to have that explained to me.”
“Cut the snark,” I said, elbowing Ryker.
I hurried home and threw together a weekend getaway bag. I’d never been on a weekend getaway on a plane before. We’d only ever driven to nearby campgrounds over the years. Once in a while, we would camp at the beach near the North Carolina coast. But this trip was an entirely new experience. I was giddy, and my expectations were sky-high.
When I opened my closet to find a dress for the charity event, I was a little stumped. My dress from junior prom had a tear in the hem from when I’d stepped on it in my heels and ripped it. There was no way I could show up to a Hollywood red carpet event in a torn dress. Especially with the vultures swarming, nitpicking everything I did. A month ago, I would have told someone that I didn’t care anything about what someone thought about my appearance. All I cared about was writing my fan fiction with Ryker. But now I realized how important appearances were for Ryker’s career. And now, as his girlfriend, I was a big part of his image.
I texted Ryker and asked him if he thought the blue dress would work for the charity ball. He responded with a cryptic text about how I didn’t need to worry about my dress because it was already taken care of.
* * *
My momand Ryker’s dad checked us out of school early so we could make it to the airport in Charlotte in time for our flight. When we got onto our flight, we were guided to seats in the front of the plane.
“Mr. Christopher said he spared no expense for this trip. He even got us first-class seats.”
“This is unreal,” I said when the flight attendant brought me a drink.
Ryker smiled. “Just wait. This is only the beginning.”
I settled in next to Ryker and burrowed against his shoulder. I didn’t wake until we landed in Los Angeles. I looked out the window and stared at California. I couldn’t believe I was finally there after so many years of dreaming about what it would be like.
After we got our bags, we were picked up by a limo Mr. Christopher had sent over for us. I’d never been inside a limo before. I snuggled next to Ryker in the back, gawking out the window as we drove through the streets lined with palm trees. The limo driver pulled up to a gorgeous hotel surrounded by tropical potted plants. My head spun at the opulence of everything around me. It seemed backwards that we were in Hollywood, the land of the paparazzi, and we hadn’t encountered a single member of that group. Sweet Mountain was such a tiny place compared to LA. With it so flooded with the media, it was almost impossible to catch a moment’s breath without them documenting it.