Page 137 of Desperate Pucker
I’m standing next to her behind a table at the far end of the space. Behind her is a huge banner with her name and a still photo of her mid-spin, holding her leg behind her head, while she wears a sparkly red figure skating costume.
About ten feet away, close to a hundred people are lined up behind a red rope to take photos with her and get her autograph. There are a dozen other tables set up throughout the space where other athletes are set up, ready to sign autographs and take photos with the hundreds of fans that are here today.
I take in the bewildered expression on Maddy’s face. Her eyes are big, like she can’t quite believe there’s a long line of people waiting to meet her. I can tell by the way the top of her chest flushes. She does that when she’s nervous or overwhelmed.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Maddy says softly. Worry flashes in her big eyes.
“Hey.” I say softly, gently grabbing her hand in mine.
She blinks at me, her eyebrows furrowed.
I nod at the crowd lined up in front of us. “See those two girls standing there?”
Maddy looks over at the girls, who look like they’re about thirteen years old, staring down at their phones.
“Look at the shirts they’re wearing,” I say.
When Maddy sees their homemadeI <3 Madeline Macershirts, she smiles.
“That’s really sweet,” she says softly.
“And did you see that little girl off to the side?”
Maddy’s face lights up when she notices the elementary school-aged girl dressed in a costume that looks exactly like the one she’s wearing in the banner behind her. When the little girl sees her, she gasps and her eyes go wide. She waves excitedly at Maddy, who smiles and waves back.
“They’re all excited to see you, Maddy. They’re happy you’re here. I am too.”
She gives my hand a squeeze, and the worry fades from her face. She looks a little less nervous now.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
I turn and grab a small bag of chocolate chip cookies out of my jacket pocket that’s hanging over the chair next to me. “Here. Eat this.”
“You baked my favorite cookies?”
I nod. “I thought you might like something sweet before you get started today.”
She smiles before helping herself to another cookie, then sips the ice Americano with cinnamon I brought her this morning.
She takes a breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”
She sits down, and I take the chair next to her. A university employee gestures for the line to move up closer to Maddy.
A trio of teenage girls comes up to her, beaming.
“Oh my god, we love you so much!”
“Yeah! You’re my idol!”
“I bought my prom dress because it looked like the costume you wore at the Olympics.”
Maddy’s smile widens as she signs the posters they lay out on the table for her. “You are so sweet. Thank you so much for showing up to see me.”
“We’ve been lined up since six a.m. this morning!” one of them says.
“Yeah, we were so freaking excited to meet you.”
“We wanted to be the first ones in line.”
