Page 10 of Chance of Romance
A crowd was gathered at the end of the street near the large picture windows of the studio. All right then, that was how it was going to have to be.
~ ~ ~
Sabrina sat stiffly in the pale yellow cushioned guest chair near the ultra-perky hosts, Becky Simpson and Dell Rowan, sitting in matching chairs. The makeup lady blotted Sabrina’s face with some powder for the second time. No one ever died of stage fright, she reassured herself. The worst that could happen was she’d blurt out every single reason she was a fraud and run out of the place. Live on TV. Gah!No negative self-talk. Be your own cheerleader.
“Try not to sweat so much,” the makeup lady said before heading over to Becky and Dell.
Sabrina took in a shaky breath, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. The studio audience was filled and noisily excited to be here. A huge crowd outside waved and pointed, peering inside the large picture windows at them. Some people held signs that read I love Dell! There were a lot of signs that read Good Morning, Sunshine! That was the line they used to start every show.
Claire had prepped her last night by phone, but truthfully, it had made Sabrina even more nervous than before. Claire was adamant that Sabrina only answer questions she wanted to, but her suggested “no comment” wasn’t something Sabrina felt comfortable saying. A movie star could get away with that, but a relationship counselor had to come across as warm and open. She wished she were a better actress because then she could play the part she longed to be seen as—a confident, warm, open relationship counselor with a committed relationship and a normal family, who’d never been a jilted bride.
“Five minutes!” someone hollered offstage.
Sabrina gulped.
Becky and Dell hadn’t said anything beyond “good morning” to her and had been busy chatting with the crew and each other. Sabrina supposed she was just another guest to them, but she sure wished there were someone for her to chat with so she could get out of her own head and relax a little.
A woman walked over and checked Sabrina’s microphone clipped to her white cardigan. She wore her favorite purple A-line dress and black heels. She’d put the entire outfit on last night and texted a picture to Claire, who’d approved it both for its professionalism and pop of color. At least she knew she had that going for her.
A young woman wearing a headset put aSunshine Americamug filled with water on the end table next to Sabrina’s chair.
“Thank you,” Sabrina croaked. “I’m parched.”
The young woman took pity on her, leaned close, and whispered, “Most guests use the water when they need a moment before answering a question.”
“Smart. Thanks.”
“Good luck!”
Sabrina smiled tightly and took a small sip of water. Then she was alone again under the hot lights. A few minutes later, the audience quieted as the screen flashed the countdown to filming. Sabrina tucked her icy fingers under her legs.
Becky and Dell finally stopped talking to each other and gave her a warm smile.
She smiled back, her cheeks hurting with the false effort.Be genuine, be yourself.She took a slow deep breath.
The director did a silent countdown, the cameras aimed at them. She’d been instructed not to look at the camera, just to look at Becky and Dell. It was hard not to notice the three huge cameras aimed in their direction.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Becky exclaimed, looking into the camera.
“Good morning to all of our viewers,” Dell chimed in smoothly in his rich baritone voice. “We have a very special guest today. If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to find the love of your life, Sabrina Clarke might just be the answer.”
“Hi, Sabrina! Welcome!” Becky said with a huge smile.
“Hi, Becky and Dell. I’m happy to be here.” Her voice shook. Dammit.
“We loved your piece ‘Goodbye Commitment-Phobe, Hello Happiness!’” Becky looked off camera toward the crew. “Can we get a link up there? In case anyone missed it.”
A moment later, Becky smiled. “There it is! Thank you. Sabrina, what motivated you to write it? Was it personal experience or based on your clients?”
Sabrina’s heart pounded in her ears. If she said it was personal experience, there would be follow-up questions, and she didnotwant to share that on national television. If she said it was her clients, then that was a clear breach of patient confidentiality. And she was definitely not going to mention the real vengeful reason. “I don’t know” wasn’t going to cut it here.
“Neither,” she blurted.
“What was the impetus behind it?” Becky asked. “Had you recently found some happiness you were eager to share?”
Sabrina blinked, her mind blanking. This was a show about good news. She had to say something positive. Her eye caught on a sign someone was holding up outside the window. It read Shy Girl Rocks! She couldn’t help her huge smile. Only Logan would tease her like that. He was here. He knew what this meant to her, knew how nervous she was and, even though she told him she could handle it, he’d showed up to support her. He cared about her deeply. Her chest swelled with affection. If only she could see him. He was near the back of the crowd.
Becky turned toward the window and back to Sabrina. “Is there someone you know outside?”
