For the next couple minutes, Jasmine and Will made their way around the suite to give hugs or half-hug-half-back-slaps of greeting to everyone. They were the last to arrive, which the others had orchestrated so they could greet Katie as she walked in.
“And who’s responsible for all of this?” Jasmine asked, waving around the suite.
There were pink and black balloons and streamers everywhere. A “Happy Birthday, Katie!” banner with The Void’s logo on either side hung along one wall. A two-tiered pink ombre birthday cake held a place of honor on its own table. The cake was covered in edible confetti and decorations shaped like The Void’s logo, Katie’s name, and the number six. A spread of food lined the wall beneath the banner, and a bar with a bartender stood in the opposite corner.
Everyone exchanged looks, shaking their heads and shrugging.
“I have no idea,” Cole said when Will looked at him. “I did mention it was Katie’s birthday when I talked to my contact, but I never said anything about decorations.”
“I should have thought of it myself,” Will said, pulling out his phone to start taking some photos. “It’s pretty epic.”
A couple minutes later, Jasmine turned at the sound of the suite’s door opening. Since she was closest to the door, she watched with raised eyebrows as a large, serious-looking black man in a sharp, pinstriped suit stepped inside and scanned the suite. She was sure he was in the wrong place. When he nodded briskly and stepped aside as though taking position against the wall, she wondered if the suite came with security for some reason.
Then she saw who the guard was protecting.
“Thanks, Trey,” Lily Montgomery said as she emerged through the door. Her violet gaze moved around the suite as she entered. “Oh, good. It looks just like I’d hoped.”
Jasmine hadn’t ever been starstruck before but seeing Lily only a few feet away after having recently watched her and her husband on House of Archer, she suddenly forgot how to use her tongue.
Oddly, the first thought that entered her mind was that she hadn’t known Lily was so pregnant. The sizable swell of her belly beneath her black Void T-shirt indicated she was about as far along as Everly.
She looked way more down-to-Earth than what the show portrayed too. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she wore simple ripped denim leggings and black half-boots with her T-shirt. If Jasmine hadn’t known she was a celebrity, she would have pegged her as a fellow Void fan-girl.
“You’re who I have to thank for this?” Will asked.
He had paused with his phone still held up from picture-taking when he saw who had walked into the suite. He had a look on his face that Jasmine imagined mirrored hers.
Lily smiled. “Are you Katie Campbell’s dad?”
“I am.” He finally lowered his phone and held out a hand. “Will Campbell. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Montgomery.”
“Lily’s fine. It’s nice to meet you too, Will. I wanted to make sure everything had gotten set up for Katie before I headed to my own suite.”
“It’s perfect. Thanks so much for thinking of her.” He looked over toward the seats where Makayla was still talking Katie’s ears off. “Katie’s over there. She’d love to meet you.”
“Why don’t we let her enjoy this time with her friend?” Lily suggested. “The band and I will all meet her after the concert.”
“Thanks. We’re looking forward to it.”
Cole and Evan both approached Lily with their greetings. Jasmine gathered from their conversation that the two ballplayers had participated in a celebrity softball game the previous fall that had been organized by Lily’s sister and involved the band. All of this effort for Katie must have been a kind of “returning the favor” type of deal even though Will hadn’t participated in the game due to his injury.
“No cameras today?” Cole asked, referencing the House of Archer crew that usually followed Lily and the band everywhere.
“Not in here. I didn’t want to distract from Katie’s celebration.” She looked beside Cole. “Are you Everly and Sierra? I remember your names from my sister’s conversations about the softball game.”
The introductions continued. Sierra gave Lily a hug, of course. Lily and Everly exchanged a few pregnancy-related tidbits that revealed they were due a couple weeks apart in September. As the other guests also advanced, Lily shook each of their hands and chatted with them for a minute, graciously accepting their thanks for the VIP