Chapter 45

By the time we got back to our waiting area, J.T. looked almost punch-drunk. “Was that really Ellen DeGeneres?”

“She’s done a lot for local charity,” I said, passing him a cold bottle of Coke from the ice bucket. I’d stopped at the bar for a whiskey sour for myself. Now that the big event loomed near, I felt the need for a little liquid courage.

“I can’t believe you just walked up to all those superstars like that. I was too scared to open my mouth.”

“I noticed.” I clapped a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “They’re just people, like Ted. Being in the movies is a job. It doesn’t make you any better than anyone else, just because everybody recognizes you.”

Luis downed half of his Coke at one go. “You’ll get used to seeing the celebs,” he told J.T. “Armand’s right, though. They aren’t any different from us, except they don’t usually have sex onstage.”