Page 71 of Worth the Wait

ADDISON

When we landed back in New York, my whole body felt heavy from the inside out. All the love I’d been consumed with in Sugar Mountain felt like it was melting away with each passing moment. I truly did not belong here. No matter how much I’d learned, how many people I’d met, or how many incredible offers I’d received, this wasn’t my home, and it never would be.

“You okay?” Sarina’s voice broke through my internal thoughts as we made our way through the massive airport, our luggage in tow.

“Just a little homesick already,” I admitted, and she reached for my hand and held it as we continued walking toward the exit.

“Want to know something?” she asked, and I wasn’t sure that I did, so I just looked at her instead of answering. “I know the answer to your dilemma.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked with a smile that I didn’t mean.

“Yep,” she announced, popping thePwith flair as someone stopped her.

“Are you Sarina Whitman?” a teenage girl asked, her voice shaking. It was adorable.

“I am. What’s your name?”

“Oh my gosh! It’s really you,” she said as a couple, who I assumed were her parents, stood off to the side and watched the interaction. “My name’s Raley. I can’t believe it’s you. My friends are going to be so jealous.”

I’d almost forgotten that Sarina was as well known in New York as any local celebrity was. Maybe even more so, depending on the person’s age.

“What a cool name. Do you want to take a picture together?” Sarina asked with a smile. “Make your friends even more jealous?”

“Yes, please,” Raley said as she started looking around, and I stepped in.

“I can take it,” I offered, and the girl practically dropped her phone into my hand.

I took a ton of photos, from multiple angles, knowing that if Raley was anything like Sarina, then she would need around fifty pictures to find one she deemed acceptable.

“Thank you so much,” Raley said as she retrieved her phone. “Oh, you’re the sister, right? The chef?”

“I am,” I said, laughing to myself. I’d forgotten that Sarina’s fans memorized everything she ever posted.

“This is so cool. Can I get a selfie with you too?”

“If you want?” I shrugged, but happily obliged.

After a few selfies, Raley ran toward the waiting couple, who gave us both a wave as they headed off, all three heads peering down at Raley’s phone as they walked.

“Oh, I’ve missed that,” Sarina cooed.

“Being recognized?” I clarified.

“Yes. I absolutely love it,” she said before spinning around with her arms spread wide.

“It does suit you,” I agreed.

My little sister handled her fame effortlessly.

She did another little twirl, her hair flying around her shoulders. “It does, doesn’t it? God, I love it here!”

Sarina was in her element. The second we stepped out of the airport doors and into the East Coast air, Sarina lit up like a Christmas tree, and I did the exact opposite, most likely looking like someone who’d just lost their dog.

It was surreal how downright opposite Sarina and I could be.

“There’s the car.” She pointed at a black town car idling in front and the handsome driver holding a sign that had her name on it.

We sped up our pace before being stopped once more for another photo. I offered to take it again, and I thought the teenage girl might pass out on the spot. She was shaking so hard, standing next to my sister, and the more Sarina tried to make her feel at ease, the more the girl shook. It was surreal to witness her reaction. And entirely sweet.

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