There’s the slightest furrow of his brow, and the even slighter curl of his lips, as he sets his glass on the counter. He catches her name over the din of stale chatter and television (there’s an intersection, he’s come to realize, between the best places to blend in and the worst places to hold a conversation — and New York City dive bars are right in the middle), and the light bulb that goes off is almost palpable. Recognition flickers as the questions nagging at the back of his mind finally quiet.
Why is she so familiar? Where do I know her from—?
And he doesn’t know her. Not really.
He’s heard her name dozens of times, seen the books a dozen more, but he doesn’t know her. He knows of her — all thanks to a certain Queen of Genovia. And if Mia knew that he’s meeting her favorite children’s book star in some dingy bar, she’d string together a very “impassioned speech” (the Queen doesn’t go on rants, Nicholas) about what is and isn’t fair, ask for all the details, and remind him that every single one of those books is a classic.
(She’d probably throw in another impassioned speech if she knew it took him well over fifteen minutes of conversation to figure out why the blonde looked so familiar.)
“—Amy? As in Amazing Amy?”