Page 178 of The Perfect Spiral
“Sure thing. I’ll come wake you up and we can spend some time together before I leave. Just the two of us. Goodnight, sweetcheeks.” He kissed my forehead and I stood, shaking the sand off before heading back to the house.
I picked up my shoes from the deck and carried them up to my room. I needed some time to think. What did I really want? Maybe going to New York would help me clear my head. I need some time to myself.
Chapter 60
“The main focus of the event is for you to share your journey into the world of science and engineering. The goal is to inspire young girls to follow in your footsteps, to see you as a role model.
You should delve into your background, share the moment you knew you wanted to pursue this field... No personal questions about you, but I’d brace myself for a few...
You’ll be in a large auditorium, so it’s going to be a big crowd. Don’t let that intimidate you... If you’re uncomfortable answering a question, just say so, and they’ll move on.
There will be a swarm of photographers, so expect a lot of flashes during your talk. Try to stay focused. It’ll be more of a Q&A than anything...
Oh, and brace yourself for some tough, science-related questions. I can’t help you there, that’s not my area of expertise...
And please, whatever you do, don’t curse... it’s going to be live,” Knox’s agent briefed me as we sat in the private plane that People’s magazine had sent to fetch him.
The plane was luxurious, with soft white leather seats lining both sides—singles on one side, pairs on the other, some separated by sleek grey tables.
The walls had a black marbling effect that shimmered with cleanliness, and the grey carpet was so plush that I couldn’t resist taking off my shoes to feel the softness against my feet.
“Live?! Nobody said it was going to be live!” Panic surged through me, and I felt Knox’s hand rest on mine. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. Live? Well, shit!
“It’ll be alright, baby doll. I’ll be there if you need me,” he soothed, rubbing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.
“Alright? You know what I’m like in front of a crowd... Is it frowned upon to take shots before going on?” I asked his agent, who laughed and shook her head.
“You can have a maximum of two shots twenty minutes before you go on, but no cursing!” She gave me a pointed look over the rim of her wide-framed glasses.
I nodded, turning my gaze back to the window, sighing as I looked down at the clouds beneath us.
She flipped through the event criteria once more, gathering her thoughts. Then, she moved the sheets back into her briefcase and pulled out another stack of papers.
“Now, your turn,” she said, pointing her pen at Knox, who was leaning his head on his hand, staring back at her. His hand was still on mine.
“Are you going to tell me who your Instagram photo is of? Because thanks for the heads up, I was blindsided by this and got numerous calls from magazines asking for a comment...
So, fill me in next time and tell me who it is.”
“I want to keep her privacy,” he stated simply. She looked at him, pushing her glasses up her nose as she tried to read him.
Privacy? My privacy? That’s been gone for a while.
“I’m not going to comment, but I’m your agent, I should knowwho it is, Knox... I can keep her privacy intact,” she said, leaning forward on the grey table that divided us.
He sighed and looked at me, then reached over the seats next to him to pull his laptop from his sports bag. He entered his password, and the first thing that popped up was the photo of me, smiling down at him from his lap.
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Why was this open on his laptop? He spun it around to face his agent, leaning his lips on the top part of the laptop, looking straight at her.
“Does that answer your question?” he asked, placing his hand back on mine and sitting back with a raised eyebrow.
She smirked, her plump red lips curling up at the corners. “Loud and clear.”
With a salute, she lowered her eyes back to the papers in front of her, scanning the notes she’d written in the margins and on sticky notes.
“You have that interview with Gerry next month for ESPN. They’re going to come down to Savannah, and I’ll be there too. They’ve given me a lot of questions to read over.
A lot of them are about your dating life. Do you want to read them and tell me which ones you don’t want to be asked?”
