Chapter 143 Race to the Theater
The plane landed, and Case hurried off to get into the waiting limo. He’d changed into his suit on the plane and done his best to wash away the motor oil and gasoline smell that seemed to linger after the race. The stewardess assured him he smelled just fine, but he could still smell the racetrack when he took a deep breath. Maybe it was just ingrained in his blood.
The car took off, and at first, Case thought they might actually make it to the theater before the show started. Traffic seemed light, and they were making good time. But the closer they got to the venue, the more cars there were. The limo’s progress stilled to a crawl. Case swore under his breath. He knew how important this was to Andrea, and he hated the idea of the show starting without him.
He watched as the clock ticked over to 6:00. It was time for the show to begin, and he was still a few miles away. Case contemplated getting out and running. But he was wearing a tux, and he knew he’d really smell bad after running a few miles dressed that way. No, he’d have to be patient and pray that the traffic got lighter. While he was pretty sure Andrea’s award came toward the early part of the show, he knew it wasn’t first. He hoped he still had time.
Minutes passed. He considered sending her a text to apologize, to update her, but he didn’t want to bother her. His luck would be she’d accidentally left her phone off of silent, and it would ring loudly at the wrong time. No, he’d just have to be patient. He knew she’d understand. He just hated feeling like he was letting her down.
Eventually, they got to the street where the theater was located. He saw a Tweet come across that he was tagged in. It was Sarah, posting that Stewart had just arrived, saying it was too bad he hadn’t gotten there yet. Whether she was trying to be nice or not, it stung. He noticed she looked a little off in her picture, like maybe her makeup hadn’t been done right the first time and thought it served her right.
A few blocks more, and Case would be there. He had to forget about getting out and making a run for it. The sidewalks were lined with people who’d come out to see the stars. Cameras were still going off, even though the show had been underway for almost a half hour. He wondered if that meant he wasn’t the only one who’d be late to the show.
Turning his attention back to the awards show on his phone, he noticed they said the award Andrea was up for, Best Supporting Actress, would be coming up next, right after this commercial break. Would he have time to make it there before they read the winner? He hoped so. He knew they only seated people during commercials, too. Would they at least let him watch from the back of the theater?
The car pulled up in front of the red carpet and stopped. Case took a deep breath, hoping no one tried to stop him as he hurried out of the car, past the man who was supposed to open the door for him, and rushed past all of the reporters with their mics out. He was sure he was breaking some sort of red carpet etiquette rules, but he couldn’t care at the moment. He needed to get in there, needed to be there when Andrea won. And if she didn’t… no he wouldn’t let himself think about that.
“Can I help you?” a gentleman asked as Case flew into the building.
“Yes. I’m Case Meyer. I’m Andrea Sparks’s date. Can I please be seated quickly? They’re about to announce the award she’s up for.”
The gentlemen quickly led him over to the doors, telling him which seat she was in, but as he pulled the doors open, the commercial break was over. “Please,” Case said, “let me go. I’ll be sneaky. I promise. No one will see me.”
With an arched eyebrow, the man considered the possibility and then made his decision. Case took a deep breath and did as the man said.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
