he got on his motorcycle to catch Kate Hudson’s character on that bridge at the end of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. And what he said was passionate and kinda profane, but it ended with a kiss and a slow camera pan-out, so I think it worked out okay for him.
I walk into the lobby, the sliding doors whooshing shut behind me, and realize I don’t even have a plan for finding Drew. What am I going to do, wander the halls calling his name?
“Annie?”
I turn to see Tarah, standing up from one of the lobby’s stylish sofas, next to a few decorative palm fronds that are trying but failing to convince us we’re not in Ohio in the middle of winter.
“Oh! Um, hey. How’s it going?” I stall, trying to come up with a reason I’m in the lobby of Drew’s hotel.
But she sees right through me. “You’re here for Drew?”
“Yes,” I say, the sound of his name filling me with hope.
She frowns, which on her still looks beautiful. “He left for the airport about an hour ago.”
“He . . . he did?” I try to form more words, but everything is crumbling. This was it—my chance to tell Drew how I really felt, my big speech. And now . . . it’s nothing.
“He seemed upset,” Tarah says. “Not that it’s any of my business, but . . . did something happen?”
“Uh, yeah,” I say. “Something happened.”
Tarah sits back down, and I sit down beside her, and that’s how I end up spilling my entire sad life story to a famous movie star right there in the lobby of a hotel.
“Wow.” Tarah leans back. “That’s a lot, but you know what? This is fixable.”
“How?” I ask. “He left.”
She shakes her head and pulls out her phone. “Drew and I were supposed to be on the same flight, but I switched to a later flight because . . .” She looks around, then whispers, “My husband came into town to surprise me, so we’re staying an extra night.”
As if on cue, the lobby doors swoosh open and a man who bears more than a passing resemblance to John Cho walks through the doors holding two bags of food. My breath is temporarily taken away.
“I couldn’t decide between burgers and Thai,” he says, holding up the bags. “So I got both.”
Tarah looks at me and smiles. “I know, I know. A cute guy who brings me multiple food options. I got lucky.”
She introduces us, and he heads up to their room. I assume she’s going to follow him, but then she holds out her phone. “This is his flight number.”
I glance at the phone screen, then at her face. “Okay?”
She raises her eyebrows. “Do with this information what you will. His flight leaves in forty-five minutes, so . . .”
It dawns on me what she’s saying. “I can go talk to him before his flight leaves.”
She shrugs. “I mean, I didn’t say it. But listen. I’ve acted with a lot of guys, and they’ve run the gamut from perfectly nice and bland to jerks with huge egos. Drew is one of the kindest men I’ve run into, and he’s crazy about you. And if I’ve learned anything from working on a Tommy Crisante romantic comedy, it’s that you shouldn’t give up on love.”
“You’re right,” I say as adrenaline starts to flow through me.
She leans in to give me a surprisingly warm hug, and then I run out the door and down the sidewalk.
* * *
• • •
“I have to get to the airport!”
The bell hasn’t even finished jingling before the words are out of my mouth. Everyone in Nick’s looks at me—not just Chloe, Don, and Tyler sitting at my usual table, but Nick and Tobin, and Gary, and a few other regular customers.
“All right!” Gary claps, then pulls on his coat. “Let’s do this.”
“Oh, I don’t think you need to come, Gary,” I say. “No offense.”
He pulls his coat back off. “None taken.”
“Feeling pretty dramatic today, huh?” Nick asks, leaning against the counter.
“Drew is there,” I say to Chloe, still breathless from my run over here. “His flight leaves in”—I check the clock on the wall—“like thirty-five minutes, so I have to get there now.”
Chloe stands up so fast she knocks her chair over. “Nick, I gotta go. Second family emergency of the day.”
“What an urgent day you’re having,” Nick says drily.