‘So should I …’
‘If you’re worried about anything, just let Hannah handle it. That’s what she’s there for.’
But his words made him wince inwardly.
He pictured Hannah feeding some fabricated story about him and Shelley to the press – and realized he didn’t want that either.The whole thing could run away far beyond tonight and turn into something he couldn’t row back on, could no longer control. That wasn’t fair on Shelley either.
Damn, this was all such a mess...
‘Hey, I’m sorry. I know this is a big deal for you. And I know I’m probably not saying the things I should because I have done this shit before. It will all be OK, though. Likely, the attention won’t even be on us, they’ll mostly be focused on the winners and we can just breeze through and go upstairs and take our seats,’ he told her, trying to sound more reassuring. ‘The night will be over before we know it and then we can figure out how to … um … break up.’
Shelley nodded, feeling happier. ‘Right. Yes. It will be over before we know it.’
‘Yeah. And you can always rely on some idiot to show up and start showboating on the red carpet – there’s always some rookie desperate to attract the cameras and take the focus off everyone else. That’s what we want. Or someone with some hot pop star on their arm, and no one is going to care about us.’
Shelley smiled, looking appeased, but maybe also a little disappointed, Ward noted. ‘So, fingers crossed for a showboater, then?’
‘Yeah. Someone whowantsto be the centre of attention. Trust me. On nights like this, there’s always one.’
A little later, the limo driver cleared his throat and called from the front seat, ‘Mr McKenzie? We’ve arrived.’
The car pulled up at the edge of Hudson Yards Plaza and Ward turned his attention to the outside.
There was a bustle of activity beneath the iconic heart-shaped Vessel copper sculpture in front of the main building. Production people hurrying around, professional handlers shuttling clients towhere they needed to be and photographers hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrity attendees before they headed into the holding tent that would lead them through the media area and then upstairs for the ceremony.
Ward had visited the residential part of this development when it first opened, checking out one of the impressive condos on sale at the time. The real estate agent had taken him to the tallest building and the Edge viewing sky deck, which offered the obligatory panoramic one-hundred-storey views over Manhattan, and a glass ‘floor’ directly over the skyscrapers beneath, which the tourists went crazy for and Ward had to admit was pretty cool.
Tonight’s award ceremony would be held in the same building’s Peak restaurant event space on the 101st floor, allowing sparkling night-time views of the city.
Now in the plaza, onlookers and autograph hunters waving shirts and phones, crammed in for a spot by the velvet rope line. It was organised chaos.
‘OK, deep breath,’ Ward said to himself as much as Shelley. ‘We only have to walk a few yards into that tent right there.’ He pointed. ‘Hannah’s waiting for us in there. The red carpet stuff will be happening inside the building before we head up to Peak for the event. Then everything will be more controlled.’
While he normally hated this stuff, he couldn’t deny that he was incredibly fortunate to be a part of all this, and Shelley’s nervousness had also reminded him that this life of his was nothing to take for granted.
Despite all the confusion he was feeling about Hannah, he had plenty of reasons to be grateful; a healed knee, his professional future assured, and tonight, a beautiful woman by his side.
He and Shelley had become unlikely friends over the last while.She’d been a fantastic support to him, giving the occasional kick in the ass when he needed it, and she deserved a night to remember. So Ward resolved to forget about his stupid personal bullshit and just concentrate on making sure she got one.
His gorgeous companion nodded, gulping a little. ‘OK, cool, just a few yards to the tent. And then … Hannah and control.’
‘Exactly.’ He grinned, still amused at this side of her. ‘You ready then?’
Another high-pitched laugh. ‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’
Ward put a comforting hand on Shelley’s and reached for the door handle. ‘All right then. Showtime.’
Chapter 59
HANNAH
Standing just inside the reception tent erected beneath the foot of the Vessel – the copper beehive structure beautifully illuminated by night – Hannah watched limo after limo and town car after town car pull up outside the plaza by the river; celebrities and sports glitterati emerging from within.
This was her first time working an event at this particular location, and while she hadn’t yet been up to the skyscraper, she was already impressed by the venue, likely chosen to ensure that the very coolest of the great and good would show up. Then again, she knew from experience that when it came to limelight-seeking celebs, it wasn’t a tall order to get them to show – for anything – when press or cameras were involved.
Ward McKenzie being about the only exception to that rule. It was almost endearing.
Even if it had made her job a whole lot harder.
