22. Sarah
They all went to the wishing tree the next morning after breakfast. Alexis had pulled out all the stops, cooking bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and toast. Sarah felt bad about her initial reaction to the camping trip. It hadn’t been as bad as she’d expected.
Even the walk to the wishing tree wasn’t so bad. She gripped Theo’s hand tight to cross that damned suspension bridge, but it felt like a real accomplishment when she got to the other side. To other people, it might be nothing special, but to Sarah, she had overcome her fear. Thinking about everything Theo had overcome to be successful in his career, and everything she had already overcome in her life so far, gave her confidence that she could win against a little suspension bridge… but there was no fucking way she was going near the tree top walk. That was one step too far.
‘This is amazing,’ she said when they were standing in front of the enormous tree.
Sarah didn’t know what kind of tree it was, but it was moss covered and hollow, meaning the track went through the bottom of the trunk.
‘Apparently you are supposed to run around it seven times before you make a wish,’ Alexis said.
‘Yeah, nah,’ Sarah replied with a laugh. ‘I won’t be doing that.’
Theo tangled his fingers with hers, and she leaned against him.
‘Are you going to make a wish?’
‘Are you?’ She looked up at him, waiting for his reply, but he was looking at the tree.
‘Do you believe in things like that?’
‘I’m on the fence,’ Sarah admitted, following his gaze back to the tree. ‘I have a mother who sometimes predicts the future, so I can’t discount it completely.’
‘In Korean culture, there are deities called Sansin, or Mountain Gods. This tree makes me think of them.’
‘So, does that mean you are going to make a wish?’
‘I will if you will.’
Sarah smiled. ‘It can’t hurt, can it?’
‘So, are we doing this?’ Alexis asked.
Levi rolled his eyes. ‘If I have to.’
Alexis elbowed him. ‘It’s just a bit of fun.’
‘Fine.’
‘What are you going to wish for?’ Sarah asked Theo.
He turned to look down at her, his eyes soft. ‘If I tell you, it won’t come true.’
She gazed back at him. The night before had been rocky. So many things had happened that Sarah hadn’t been ready for, but here they were, on the other side, and it felt like they were closer than ever.
‘I know what my wish is,’ she said, not looking away from him.
‘Yeah? Are you going to tell me?’
‘Of course not,’ she replied with a grin. ‘You said it won’t come true if I do.’
He smirked back at her. ‘Fair enough.’
They both turned to face the tree, and Sarah closed her eyes. She didn’t know how many wishes the tree would grant, and she had so many. There were the usual business goals, of course. And another top priority was to get rid of her stalker once and for all. And then there was Theo. She wanted so much with Theo, but she was scared. How could someone like her be with someone like him? They lived in two different worlds. Could a tree somehow mesh their worlds together? Or was that asking too much?
‘Oh my God! You’re Theo Park, aren’t you?’
Sarah’s eyes flew open. A man and a woman were standing in front of them. They looked to be in their forties. The man seemed bored, but the woman’s eyes were lit with a scary obsession.
‘Um…’ Theo looked at Sarah.
‘Who’s Theo Park?’ Sarah asked, looking between Theo and the woman.
She wasn’t convinced. ‘I would know you anywhere. Look.’ She shoved her phone in Theo’s face. The lock screen was… well… it was Theo’s face. ‘I am such a fan! I’m part of the local Moonlighters group. They are just going to die when I tell them you’re in town. Let me get a photo real quick.’
She elbowed Sarah out of the way and snuggled in beside Theo, handing her phone to the guy, who looked a bit put out now.
‘Take a photo of us, honey. This is Theo. You know Theo.’
The man dutifully took the photo, but he looked at Theo suspiciously.
‘Let me check,’ the woman said, snatching the phone back and scrolling through the photos. ‘No. Take them again. He’s not even smiling.’
Sarah watched on helplessly. She knew fan relations were important to Theo, but how far was too far? This woman was seriously starting to piss Sarah off, but she couldn’t do anything to offend her because it would reflect badly on Theo.
‘What’s going on?’ Levi asked, stepping up between Theo and the man wielding the phone.
‘Get out of the way. Can’t you see we’re trying to take a photo?’
‘I think you’ve taken enough photos for now. If you want to take anymore, you will need to pay an appearance fee,’ Alexis said, standing beside Levi and folding her arms.
‘An appearance fee?’ the woman scoffed. ‘Who are you? His manager?’
‘His lawyer, actually,’ she replied, and Sarah bit back a smile at the woman’s shocked face. ‘Now, Theo has been kind enough to give you a couple of photos. How about you let us go now so we can get back to work?’
‘Work?’
‘Do you think we came here just for the scenery? We’re scouting the location.’ Alexis leaned in close to the woman. ‘But it must remain top secret, okay? Nobody can know.’
The woman almost hyperventilated with the information. ‘He’s going to be working here?’
Alexis mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key before winking at the woman.
‘Then who is she?’ Sarah was the recipient of some serious side-eye from the fan.
‘I’m his stylist,’ Sarah said. No way would she say she was his girlfriend, not with the predatory gleam in that woman’s eye.
‘Of course,’ the woman said with a nod. ‘Come on, honey, let’s leave them to it.’ She grabbed her husband—Sarah assumed they were husband and wife—and dragged him away.
‘Does that happen often?’ Levi asked, watching the couple walk away.
‘Every now and then,’ Theo admitted.
His voice sounded strange, and Sarah looked at him. Was he upset that she’d said she was his stylist and not his girlfriend? He understood what a mess it would have been if she’d said that, right?
‘Are you okay?’ Alexis asked, watching Theo carefully.
It took a minute, but Theo changed right before their very eyes. He shrugged off the weirdness and smiled his trademark cocky smile.
‘How can I not be okay when I get so much love from my fans? You do know I’m famous, right?’
He didn’t fool any of them, but they played along.
‘Careful, Theo. Your ego is showing,’ Levi muttered.
‘You do know we’re going to have to leave now, right?’ Sarah said.
‘What? Why?’ Alexis asked. ‘We have another night booked.’
‘Do you seriously think that woman is going to keep quiet about Theo being here? Ten bucks says she’s already posted those pictures to her social media account. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be mobbed before we get out of the car park.’
‘Shit,’ Levi said.
‘Is Sarah telling the truth, or is she just trying to puff up your ego a little more?’ Alexis demanded of Theo.
‘Unfortunately, my stylist is correct.’
Sarah shot him a warning look. Was he seriously pissed about that? For fuck’s sake, they couldn’t announce their relationship to a random stranger in the middle of nowhere. She thought they’d already agreed on that.
‘Your stylist and your girlfriend recommend we leave immediately,’ Sarah said, staring him down. ‘Unless you really intend on getting your manager and your lawyer involved.’
Who was his manager, anyway? In all the times she’d seen Theo, he’d never had a manager in tow. Sarah thought that’s how celebrities got around… trailed by their entourage.
Theo looked at her for a long minute before he sighed, and something shifted in his expression. ‘You’re right. We need to go. I’ll call Dan on the way.’
‘Dan?’
‘My manager.’
Okay, so he did have a manager. That was good to know.
‘Maybe he can get you a gig down here off the speculation,’ Alexis said as they headed back up the trail.
‘Have you ever considered getting into entertainment law?’ Theo asked.
‘Not really. I don’t think I could put up with all those arrogant celebrities.’
‘Hey! I resemble that remark.’
Alexis laughed, and Sarah was relieved that Theo was making jokes. That meant he was over the other thing, right? Or was this just him putting a wall up again?
Gah! This whole experience was exhausting. Why was having a secret relationship more taxing than having a normal one? She thought they were both on the same page. Theo having a public relationship wouldn’t just be bad for Sarah; it would be bad for Theo too. Sarah knew how these fandoms worked. They wanted to keep the ‘boyfriend’ fantasy alive. They couldn’t do that if their ‘boyfriend’ was part of a couple.
Theo took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Are you?’
He smiled, and it was a genuine one this time. ‘Yeah.’
Sarah exhaled a sigh of relief. Okay, maybe she was getting all bent out of shape for nothing. But seriously, shouldn’t dating be easier than this?