"I'm feeling a little outclassed," I confessed.
I explained what I'd been thinking while he nodded silently.
"Everyone who's going to be there is so…" I trailed off, not able to find the words to explain what I was thinking. "And I'm just…"
"You're notjustanything," Nathan said firmly. "You're Becca Miller, and you're special and unique in your own right."
"Because I've got a busted heart."
"Because you've been dealt a shit hand in life and you've managed to rise above it all and live the life you want. You're amazing. You're a wonder. I'm in awe of how strong you are, Becca."
Warmth spread through my cheeks at his words. Nathan really did think the world of me.
"We're here," he announced as he pulled into a parking lot.
I'd spent so much of the car ride worrying, I hadn't even noticed us arriving.
Nerves hit me right in the gut. My fingers went cold.
Nathan took my hand and squeezed.
"It'll be okay," he said.
I wobbled a bit on my heels as I exited the car. Nathan let me cling to his arm while I got used to walking in them. I probably should have worn flats.
A well-built security guard stood in front of the entrance's glass double doors. He held them open for us to walk through with a nod of his head.
The art gallery was one vast room with pure white walls, dotted with large black and white photo prints. Servers were going around with platters of drinks and hors d'oeuvres in their hands. The place was full of people milling around. Nathan had been right. Some women were wearing designer dresses and dripping with expensive jewels, while others were wearing paint-splattered jeans and sneakers. I relaxed a bit, feeling better about my wardrobe choice.
A dark-haired man in an exquisitely-tailored black suit and skinny tie parted through the crowd with a blond girl on his arm. They were coming toward us with a wave of their hands.
Nathan nodded his chin at them in greeting.
"That's the bassist of Feral Silence and his girlfriend," Nathan murmured to me. "Ren and Ivy."
My eyes went wide. "Ivy Derrick, the concert cellist?"
"That's the one."
Nathan seemed amused I was more impressed by a classical musician than a rock star. But I'd hung around Nathan enough to realize rock stars were normal people. A world-renowned concert cellist, though… that was pretty high-class and fancy.
But the young woman approaching us didn't look snobby or stuck up in the slightest. She had a sweet smile on her face and a simple but elegant cocktail dress with a flared skirt.
"Hey Ren, Ivy." Nathan slapped Ren on the back and gave Ivy a grin and a nod. "Good to see you. Are you here just to support Cassie's art or are you going to put on a show for us?"
Ivy nodded. "Cassie asked Ren and I to play a duet later on as some entertainment."
"And what are you doing at a sophisticated event like this?" the guy, Ren, asked Nathan in a friendly, teasing tone. "Isn't this kind of thing a little too cultured for your tastes?"
"Can't just have the girlfriends always coming to gigs," Nathan said. "Sometimes you need to put on a nice suit and support them in return."
My heart jumped at the wordgirlfriend. He hadn't meant us, surely. He was talking about the others, his rock star friends who had girlfriends.
Still, hearing the word on his lips sent a flutter through my stomach.
"You're here with Nathan?" Ivy asked me politely.
"Yes, I'm Becca Miller." I held out a hand to shake Ivy's. "Nice to meet you."
