He patted her hand and offered an encouraging smile. There was no denying Shelley was a trooper – everything she was doing tonight was way above and beyond what she’d originally signed up for.
‘I won’t let you fall,’ he assured her gently.
The gesture wasn’t lost on some paparazzi posted on the steps outside the Vessel and they started to hoot and howl, shouting in Ward’s direction.
‘Hey, McKenzie, who’s your date tonight?’ … ‘Ward, introduce us to your girlfriend!’ … ‘How’d a five like you land a ten like her?’ … ‘Is this your mystery lady in the park? Introduce us to the girl who finally tamed the wildcat …’
Shelley looked at him wide-eyed, wavering just for a moment but he jutted his chin out, nudging her on.
‘Just ignore them and keep walking. Follow Hannah.’
He turned his attention to Hannah’s back as she purposefully navigated them through the melee out front and into the tent, then noticed her step falter ever so briefly. Trying to juggle what she was carrying, he saw her check her phone – and hesitate at whatever she saw there. It was barely noticeable, but something had grabbed her attention that Ward instinctively knew didn’t have anything to do with this event.
She pulled up the hem of her dress just a little as if she had got her foot stuck in the material and he put his other arm out to steady her.
‘Hey, you OK?’ he asked, concern evident in his voice. And when Hannah glanced up to register his hand on her arm, he saw that her face was ghostly white beneath her make-up and it wasn’t from the glare of the overhead spotlights. She looked spooked. But by what, he couldn’t tell.
She gave a quick nod and shook her head stiffly, unwilling to meet his gaze.
‘Yes, all fine. Just keep on this way,’ she intoned.
Ward furrowed his brow in concern and no small measure of curiosity about what seemed to have unsettled her like this especially when she was always the epitome of cool, calm and collected. He reluctantly withdrew his hand as she moved off, determined to move deeper into the crowd.
‘She OK?’ Shelley asked, her smile fading as she watched Hannah go, keeping track of where she was leading them.
He shook his head absently. ‘I actually don’t know … ’ He inhaled sharply and edged her on once again. ‘Let’s keep up.’
Shelley put her smile back in place and Ward did his best to appear relaxed as they moved through the reception area and the outside media chatter faded into the background.
Then Hannah stopped walking and turned to face them.
He noticed that some of the colour had returned to her face, even as her eyes danced nervously around, paying attention to the people that surrounded them it seemed.
Studying faces, he observed.
The crowd was still considerable, but in here it was just the red carpet players; sport stars, celebs and their respective dates with handlers and security close at hand. Hannah would give cues as to where to wait, when to step out onto the carpet, when to turn to face the cameras and media line, and which press member to talk to thereafter.
‘OK,’ she began. ‘So, just a few people in line up ahead. You guys ready?’
Ward noticed she was being deliberately perky, despite her obvious distraction and as they waited, kept throwing errant, concerned glances all around as if scanning the crowd for something.
Or someone.
But every time he attempted to track her gaze, she seemed to refocus on him and Shelley ensuring that they paid attention to what she was instructing.
He knew something bad was at play at that moment though; he just wasn’t sure what.
‘Seriously, Hannah … is everything … ?’
But she cut him off. ‘All right you two,’ she prompted, giving them a terse smile. ‘We’re up.’ Hannah then bent down to the small train at the back of Shelley’s dress, fanning it out for maximum impact. ‘You feeling OK? Nothing uncomfortable? Lipstick stillgood? Yes, I can see it is. Hold on, there’s a fleck of mascara just right here … ’
Shelley murmured her thanks, but Ward could tell that his companion was in her own little world just then too, steeling herself and mentally preparing for her moment in the spotlight.
Assured that his date was good to go, Hannah turned her attention back to him.
‘And you,’ she said, giving him a once over. ‘No doubt you’re fine,’ she added playfully, her face softening as she looked at him from head to toe. ‘Not your first rodeo, after all.’
While he did feel calm until now, Hannah’s voice was full of nerves which really unsettled him. He peered at her curiously.
