Adopting the strut of a woman who knew what she wanted,Poppy made her way out onto the pool deck and nearly tripped over her aunt, who was sitting behind the camera crew, watching through one of the monitors.
“What are you doing here?” Poppy asked, concern in her voice.
“No need to worry, I’m fine. I just came to see how the universe is bringing together this magical night.”
“Magical night?” Poppy asked, and that warning flag in her belly gave a single wave. Not enough to ask questions, but enough to give her pause.
“You look lovely.” She traded a conspiratorial look with Kiki. “Doesn’t she?”
“Like a queen.” Kiki snapped her fingers as if they were at a beatnik poetry reading.
“What’s going on with you two?” Poppy asked. “And why do I feel as if you are conspiring against me?”
Opal smiled. “Never against you, darling. Always for you.”
“Well, I can handle myself just fine.” Chin up, Poppy whipped her hair over her shoulder and walked across the pool deck where she came to a sudden and abrupt halt. All that confidence sank to the toes of her mile-high—completely inappropriate—stilettos.
Because sitting a few feet away on the Kellerman’s Twilight extendable table and lounge set was Decker—in a pair of cargo pants and soft-looking T-shirt like he’d just stepped off the job site. While she was dressed for an Oscar party.
Decker was looking down at a notebook, his lips moving as if trying to memorize the words. Maybe it was an apology or a declaration of his feelings. Why else would he look so nervous and be reading from a scripted paper?
Feeling like an idiot, she decided to rush upstairs and change, but before she could even make it a step he looked up and froze. She watched his lungs expel their entire capacity ofoxygen and his jaw was so far on the floor she was surprised it didn’t dislocate.
“Wow,” was all he said. But that single word brought back every ounce of hard-won confidence.
“It seems once again you’re underdressed,” she told him.
“I wasn’t given a dress code, or I would have arrived in a tuxedo, since that is what that dress deserves. But since it’s a barbeque I assumed it was casual.”
She shot the Troublesome Twins a deadly glare. Opal just wiggled her fingers, and Kiki began her beatnik snapping again. That warning flag gave a second flap.
“I must have missed that memo. Give me a sec and I’ll go change.”
“No,” he said and stood so fast he knocked over his chair. “Let me go change.”
“Neither one of you have time to change. The golden hour begins in eight minutes and I’m not missing that glorious light,” Jack said. “Just sit in your places while the crew prepares for the shot.”
“Decker, I wanted to?—”
“Can we get them mic-ed?” Jack said.
“Just looking for a charged battery pack,” Wasim said. “Give me a minute.”
Decker looked back at the notebook and started mouthing the words again, and her heart fluttered uncontrollably. Was this it? Had he changed his mind and was about to tell her that he’d chosen her? In front of America?
“What’s that?” she asked, unable to play it cool a second longer.
“Didn’t you get one?” He slid it across the table and those flutters died a horrible death, souring in her stomach. It wasn’t a declaration or a romantic gesture, it was prompts on what they were supposed to talk about during the shoot.
“You can use mine. I’ve pretty much memorized it.”
“This?” she whispered. “This is what you were studying?”
Confusion furrowed his brow. “What did you think it was?”
“Not that!”
“What’s going on?” he whispered.
