Page 20 of The American

She sucked in a breath. “Thad, what is this?” She smiled, but a tight nervousness grew. Already the huge crowd had turned to face them, curious about why they were standing in a roped off section of Times Square. She wished she could tell them.

“Relax, you look like a rabbit in the middle of the road.” Thad winked. “Trust me.”

In the center of their space was a microphone and several huge speakers. Thad waved toward something off to their right and music started to play, softly. The crowd quieted and people from farther away, gathered closer. Sage started to feel like they were at a concert, only she was onstage, something she had never done nor imagined doing. The sea of people blended together.

Thad held out his hand for hers and then led them to the microphone. “We’d like to thank you for being here with us for this special moment.”

Sage nodded like she was grateful for each one.

“Before we start, I just wanted to take a moment and apologize to Sage for treating her trust in me so callously.” He turned to her. “And this is my very public way of proving myself to you. We don’t know each other very well yet, but I want to see where this takes us. I’m. All. In.” He subtly winked then turned to the crowd. “And I’m asking you to do the same. So, Sage Parker, I dedicate this first song to you.”

Then the music to “Stand By Me” began, and Sage’s smile could have broken her face. She loved this song. It was a classic, overplayed, over sung, but she never tired of it, and the crowd’s cheers drowned out Thad for a moment. And then they sang along, a huge, swaying crowd of strangers joined in, multiple different accents obvious. He pulled her close and held the mic between them. For a moment she panicked. Mostly tone deaf, she avoided moments like this very one. People never asked her to sing twice. But the crowd was swaying in place, singing terribly, Thad was belting out the words, she felt a speck of courage and grabbed on tight. As her first notes sounded through the speakers, a few people cringed, but she kept at it with a big smile and then the crowd cheered louder. She laughed.

Phones were out. The whole square was singing “Stand By Me” together. And Thad had created all of this. He was a marketing genius. And an unforgettable date.

She knew it was all pretend, but her heart fluttered anyway. How would she ever resist falling completely in love with this man?

His arm was draped across her shoulder and they swayed to the closing notes of the song. The crowd cheered and shouted, chanting, “Encore! Encore!”

Then he pulled her close and whispered, “That’s all I’ve got. Now what?”

She sucked in her breath. “What?”

“Ha! Just kidding.”

The next song started, “Lean On Me.” And Sage died laughing. “You’ve brought all the classics.”

He put the mic away and gestured for the crowd to sing. Then he pulled her into his arms and they danced.

At first she felt stiff, self-conscious with an audience, but his soft whispers and big smiles soon made her forget everyone but him and then the crowd faded and she stared into his eyes and hoped for many more nights looking into those same eyes.

They danced through a whole playlist and then Thad stood back at the mic. “Thank you for this! We will never forget you!”

She waved with him and then they worked their way through the crowd to the car that waited to pick them up.

“How did you arrange such a thing? Thad, you are remarkable.”

“It’s easier than you think. Times Square is all about marketing.”

She nodded and sat back against him. “I’ll never forget this night.” She sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder.

The pause and silence in the car felt thick with something awkward.

He cleared his throat. “They seem to be buying the fairytale we’re throwing out there.”

Ah, was he uncomfortable, thinking she was falling for it all? She was, but she was supposed to pretend otherwise.

“Totally! And you had every woman there full of stars in her eyes. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard of. Thad, we are living a romance novel.”

He relaxed. “I hoped it would do the trick. I want to make sure you come off respected and valued through this.”

Her heart warmed even more toward him. She was a goner. “Thank you. After tonight you can be sure of one thing. Everyone thinks you are a rock star date and I’m the luckiest person in New York.” She laughed. “Which is just fine for now. I’ll find a way to make some gesture of my own.”

“I don’t think you’ll need to do a thing from a marketing perspective. But I do remember a certain challenge you issued. About me not willing to try new things?” He paused, eyebrows raised.

“That’s right! I completely forgot.” Her mind started whipping through ideas. “Okay, I’ll plan the next date. And prepare yourself.”

“I already said, I can take whatever you throw at me.” His over confident grin challenged the competitive side of her nature. She would raise his Times Square duet and play something of her own.

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