The next morning, I get up extra early to shower and get ready. I have to get Alex back to the hotel before anyone realizes he's not there. On top of that, he needs to shower and get ready himself before we have to meet the car to take us to the venue.

Calling a taxi, we both make it to the hotel in time without anyone noticing. While Alex takes a shower and gets dressed in his room, I go down to the complimentary breakfast to grab us both some coffee and food before we have to meet the car to take us to the venue.

In the car I have to multitask. In between bites of food and sips of coffee, I frantically flip through my planner to memorize today's schedule while trying not to spill anything. Thankfully, Alex grabs my cup when I'm not drinking from it, realizing my struggle and willing to help me out.

Getting out of the car and walking inside the venue, Alex and I immediately go to his dressing room to get him ready for the handful of interviews he has today.

"Whoa," Alex says as we step into his dressing room.

"Looks like you had fun last night." I chuckle, taking in Shay's appearance as she gets all of her products and supplies out at the vanity.

"Shut up," she blandly mumbles while glaring at us with her barely open eyes.

Alex takes a seat in her chair, ready to get his hair and light makeup done for the day. "Can you even see me?" he jokes, noticing her slits for eyes. "I mean, you look like a walking zomb—ow!"

"Yep. I can aim too," Shay says after hitting him in the back of the head.

"You're really mean when you're hungover," Alex mutters, rubbing the back of his head where she swatted him.

I just giggle and shake my head at their childlike behavior before taking a seat on the dressing room couch. I desperately need to check the emails that I didn't get to this morning.

"Joslyn," Alex says, turning around in his chair.

"Hmm?" I hum out, only glancing up at him for a moment, too consumed in skimming through my emails.

"Why aren't you sitting in your spot?" There's a slight frown on his face.

"Because I have to go through all of these emails, write in my planner, and attempt to book and schedule everything for next week."

"You can do all of that here." He pats the corner of the vanity where I usually sit when Shay gets him ready.

"Alex, there's not enough room for me to sit there and comfortably work."

"Sure there is," he says, standing up and walking over to me.

Before I know it, he's snatching my planner from the coffee table next to my laptop where I'm hunched over trying to read emails and write out a schedule at the same time.

"Hey!" I whine, watching him walk back to sit at the vanity with my planner. "Alex, give me my planner back," I say, holding my hand out, palm up.

"Uh-uh." He grins while shaking his head, patting the corner of the vanity again.

"Alex."

He only responds by patting the corner of the vanity once more with that stupid playful grin on his face.

With a huff, I stand up from the couch, grabbing my laptop. "You infuriate me sometimes, Walker." I hop up on the counter, trying to balance my laptop on my lap.

"It's my pleasure." He grins while handing me my planner.

I just roll my eyes and go back to my emails, but not before catching Shay smirk and send me a look. I furrow my brows at her but she just brushes me off by letting out a small chuckle, shaking her head.

"There, all pretty," Shay announces after she's done with Alex, playfully patting his cheek.

Closing my laptop, I hop off the counter and shove it, along with my planner, in my backpack. "Come on, pretty boy. We're going to be late." I sling my backpack over my shoulder, heading for the door to go to the interviews.

While Alex is doing interviews, I sit out in the hall, planner in hand, trying to schedule out everything for next week.

"Joslyn."

Looking up and to my right, Chris is at the end of the hall sticking his head out of a doorway. He jerks his head, signaling for me to meet him.

Looking at my watch, the interviewer still has an allotted time of fifteen minutes with Alex. Standing up, I brush off my pants and hug my planner to my chest, walking to the room Chris is in.

When I walk in he's standing in the doorway, ushering me inside. "Take a seat." He closes the door shut. "We need to talk."

Taking a seat on one of the chairs in the room, my heart rate picks up and I can feel my palms start to sweat. Why do we need to talk? Why—

He knows.

He knows about last night. I am so dead. This is the Joslyn, you're fired talk.

My chest starts to constrict and I can feel my body temperature rising. I knew I should have never went back for Alex. I should have even told him no when he asked if he could come over to use my kitchen.

"Joslyn, do you know what's in a little over a month?" Chris asks, taking a seat in the chair across from me.

My last pay check in the mail.

I just shake my head, not trusting how my voice will come out.

"September 21st is Alex's twenty-first birthday. I want to throw him a big party and invite some other celebrities, friends, and family to celebrate, and I'm thinking what better place to have it than Vegas. I need you to book a great venue for me and set everything up."

My chest deflates with a relived breath I didn't know I was holding in.

"Yeah," I say, throat still a little tight. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Ok, just be sure to get an awesome venue with an open bar, decorations, and entertainment. I'll email you a guest list so you can send out the invitations too. We need to start getting this ready now, it's only a little over a month away."

"Ok." I nod, standing to get back to the interviews.

This wouldn't be the first time he's told me to plan something last minute, making me a little bit angry—but, hey, at least I'm not getting fired. Things like this should be done months in advance. Hopefully, I can get lucky again and be able to book everything.

When booking everything last minute for the fashion event, I didn't really care if it was perfect. All we really needed was a place to stay. But this, this is Alex's twenty-first birthday party. It's going to be full of A list celebrities and posted all over social media. But, most importantly, I really do want Alex to have a fun birthday. I can't mess this up. You only turn twenty-one once.

"Oh and, Joslyn," Chris calls right as I'm about to leave, causing me to stop in the doorway to turn and look at him. "Don't mention this to Alex or anyone."

I just nod my head and walk down the hall to go back to the room where interviews are being held.

Taking a seat outside the door again, I waste no time in pulling out my laptop to research party venues in Vegas. While looking through some hotel rooftops, someone calls out my name.

"Hey, Joslyn." Derek walks down the hallway, his warm caramel eyes are lit up and he has a smile on his face.

"Hey," I greet him as he stands in front of me.

"You're from here, right? You must know some of the best places to go in Nashville." He grins, taking a seat next to me.

"I know a few places," I say with a shrug.

By now, I feel like I know Nashville like the back of my hand. I've been to almost every inch of this city with the boys when they were playing at any place that would let them.

"Care to show them to me tonight? I want to get lost in Nashville. Lost with you," he says with a flirty glint in his eye and smirk on his lips, leaning a little closer to me.

I feel an involuntary blush creep up my neck to my cheeks. "Uhh," is all I can manage to get out, seeming to make his smirk deepen.

"Come on, it'll be fun. We can go during the show. You don't have to sit and watch the show every single night, you know. And I know you must be sick of it by now." He chuckles.

I don't know why, but his statement angers me a little. He doesn't know anything. Truthfully, I love Alex's show. I love seeing him up on stage doing what he loves. I love how happy he is performing and how much work he puts into the show to make it perfect each night.

"Sorry, I can't."

"Oh come on, don't blow me off again." He pouts, dramatically jutting out his bottom lip.

It's true, I've blown him off every time he's asked me out for coffee or dinner, using the excuse that I had work to do. Most of the time I did. The times I didn't have work obligations, I just really didn't want to go out with him.

"Sorry," I apologize again, but it doesn't feel sincere. "A lot of my friends are coming to the show tonight and I'm meeting up with them."

It's another excuse, but a true excuse. When my friends heard that I was in town tonight they decided to come to the show, and Alex insisted on getting them all access passes so they can watch the show with me from the sound board and go backstage too.

Derek lets out a huff, running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "You're going to go out for coffee with me one day. Next week. It's happening," he demands, pointing a stern, yet playful, finger at me.

Still pointing at me, he stands up and walks backwards down the hall, eyes locked on mine. Before he turns around to fully walk away, he shoots me a playful wink, not even waiting for my answer.

I just stare in shock down the hall where he disappeared, rounding a corner.

What the hell?

The clearing of someone's throat pulls me out of my daze.

Looking in front of me, Alex is standing in the doorway, hands shoved deep in his pockets. "The last interview just finished up," he informs me, taking a few steps out of the door frame.

"Oh ok," I say, scrambling to close my laptop before he sees me browsing the internet for party spots in Vegas. I pack up my stuff, and he holds out his hand to help me up.

"What was that all about?" Alex asks as we walk down the hallway to go to the meet and greet.

"Huh?"

"That guy. Darren or something? What did he want?"

"Oh." I can't help but giggle at the name mix up. "Derek? Nothing, just... talking."

Alex only hums out a response, pursing his lips and nodding once.