“Mr. Romeo? Lee Thompson is at the gate.”
“Thanks, Jeff. Ask him if he brought any new tunes for the party.”
“Mr. Thompson, any fresh melodies for tonight?”
“Only if Paul promises not to sing along this time!”
“He’s brought harsh truths, Mr. Romeo.”
“Ouch. We better let him in, Jeff. And tell him my singing’s improved!”
Paul turned from the intercom, still chuckling, and pulled me close.
“Now, remember,” he urged softly, “You’re just meeting my friends. There’s no need to be nervous, they’re very nice and they’ll adore you.”
“I’ll try. It’s just that all your friends are major celebrities.”
He smiled and tucked a few stray hairs behind my ear.
“They’re also just people. There’s nothing to worry about. We’re going to have fun.”
I nodded and kissed him, trying to ignore the way my heart felt ready to leap out of my chest. I wasn’t even sure what I worried about the most, the fact that these people were famous, or that they were Paul’s closest friends. What would they think of him being with someone like me?
Lee Thompson exuded the same intensity he brought to his music. He’d composed some of the most memorable scores of the last two decades, including the original Llama Man theme tune and the new version for the animated series. He moved gracefully, like a dancer, and his handshake was surprisingly gentle. I thanked him for more or less writing the soundtrack to my entire childhood, realising only too late what I was implying, but he was delighted and didn’t seem to notice.
I’d barely recovered from my embarrassment before Jeff announced the next arrivals, and Lee sauntered off to open the champagne.
I clung to Paul’s arm as Sierra Moss and her husband, Dave Richardson, entered. Somehow, I even managed to mumble a polite greeting.
Dave’s smile was warm and welcoming. “It’s good to meet you. Paul has told us so much about you.”
Sierra laughed. “In fact, he never shuts up about you.”
Meeting Sierra Moss felt surreal. I had seen all of her movies, I even had a poster of her in Cop & Llama on my walls at home. Well, Dave was technically on the poster as well, but the llama costume meant that he wasn’t as instantly recognisable as Sierra, especially since he’d stayed on the other side of the cameras since the series ended. Sierra, on the other hand, had starred in dozens of movies and was a household name.
I straightened my back and desperately hoped that I looked like someone who was both a proper adult and perfectly chill about the fact that my childhood idol was standing in front of me and teasing my boyfriend about thinking he could keep me a secret for long.
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