question, then grabbed a nearby comb and said, “Scrunch down.”
I bent down and asked, “Is that a dog comb?”
“Not as far as you know.” He quickly combed my hair back before announcing, “You look perfect.”
I gave him a hug and said, “You’re a good friend, Kel. I’ll see you soon.”
Just then, Pepe started barking in the backyard, and Kel called, “Good luck,” before hurrying to see what the chihuahua was up to.
When I rushed out the front door, Loco followed me. “No,” I said, “you need to go inside. I’ll be back soon, I promise.” She ran toward the curb instead, so I slammed the door and ran after her. Fortunately, she waited for me beside the minivan instead of taking off down the street, and I sighed and muttered, “Fine. You can come.”
Audrey smiled at me when I climbed into the passenger seat with Loco. “The chicken wins as the best black tie accessory ever,” she said, as she pulled away from the curb.
“She insisted on coming along, and I didn’t have time to argue with her.”
While I sent Kel a text so he wouldn’t worry about where Loco had gone, my driver said, “Oh, I get that. I’m the mom of a teenager.”
Fortunately, Audrey was an L.A. native and knew plenty of shortcuts to dodge the worst of the traffic. As she sped us to our destination, she glanced at me and asked, “Why do you look so nervous? Going to surprise your boyfriend on his birthday should be a happy occasion.”
“I’ve always felt like an outsider in Hollywood, for obvious reasons. Nothing triggers my insecurity like a bunch of rich, gorgeous A-listers, and I’m about to fling myself right into the heart of their territory. On top of that, I’m planning to confess my true feelings to Harper, so it’s a miracle I haven’t chickened out yet.” Loco cocked her head and looked up at me, and I told her, “No offense.”
“I get it,” Audrey said, “and I’m proud of you for stepping outside your comfort zone. Now don’t you dare let any of those snooty movie stars intimidate you. Just march in there and remember, you’re every bit as good as they are.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Any time.”
Eventually, we pulled onto the street where the theater was located and ground to a halt. The road ahead was clogged with limos and town cars delivering celebrities to the red carpet, and my driver said, “Maybe you should hop out here. It’s going to take forever to get you to the front of this line.”
I gave her a hug and said, “Thanks for everything, Audrey. You’ve been great, and your teenager is damn lucky to have such a cool mom.”
She flashed me a big smile. “Yeah, she is. Now go get your man.”
I hopped out of the van with Loco in my arms and jogged right down the middle of the street, since traffic wasn’t moving anyway. The sidewalks were crowded with onlookers, and the entrance to the long courtyard that led up to the theater was blocked off by temporary barricades and a lot of security guards.
When I reached the security checkpoint, I stopped in my tracks and realized I’d forgotten one important detail—I didn’t actually have a pass that would allow me to get inside. Normally, assistants were handed one when they arrived with their employer.
As I stood there trying to come up with a solution, a very familiar voice asked, “What happened to Nashville?”
I turned to look at my twin, who was dressed just like I was, and said, “It’s lacking something extremely important.”
“Harper Royce?”
“Exactly. I’ve come here to sweep him off his feet, but I don’t think I’ll be allowed past security.”
“That’s not a problem.” He linked arms with me and marched us up to the podium. “Dallas Jaymes,” he announced, “and this is my date. He’s my clone. Don’t judge me.”
The humorless guard stared at us for a moment before pointing at Loco and saying, “I don’t think I can let that bird in here.”
“Sure you can,” my brother insisted. “That’s his emotional support chicken.” The man stared at us for a few more seconds, then found Dallas’s name on the list and waved us in.
“You’re good,” I said, as we stepped into the crowded courtyard. “You’ve only been in L.A. a matter of days, and you’re already getting invited to red carpet events.”
“It’s all about who you know.” He craned his neck, then said, “I just spotted the friends I’m meeting, so