Under the Radar
With Miranda Kerr
Disclaimer: This story is 100% b.s. and not true. This is free, and I don't make money writing these.
---
Work has been so terribly boring lately it damn near hurts. All I had been doing was building the same paper day after day, and covering the same meetings day after day in my little corner of the world.
I had risen to the job of entertainment editor of a newspaper. Not a horrible job, but not exactly what I had seen as a goal for myself in highschool.
One of the biggest bonuses I had was getting to go to events for free since I was writing them for our entertainment section.
As I was setting up that section for the coming day, and pretty salty that I wasn't able to get a VIP tag for the biggest visiting name our town has had since I moved here for college.
Miranda Kerr, a girl I remember going to school with and being a total sweetheart, was in my town. I had grown up with her, and I had followed her modeling career probably closer than I should have.
So when I heard she was here for a clothing line reveal (she was technically one town over, but still) and I didn't get in, I was pissed. This also would be the biggest entertainment story we had ever had.
And then things really changed for me, because my office phone rang.
"Daily Westmore Tribune, this is Nick," I said into the receiver.
"Hi Nick. My name is Miranda, and I was wondering if anyone from the Tribune will be covering the clothing line reveal at Denton?" the soft-spoken voice on the other end asked.
"Hi Miranda, thanks for calling," I began. For some reason, my brain didn't register who I was talking to yet. "I tried to get in, but I wasn't able to secure a pass, so I'm afraid we'll have to run whatever the AP has on it, or if the Denton Sentinel gets anything on it."
"I can talk to Ms. Kerr, and I'm sure we can find an extra pass. Who knows, maybe she'll need some good ideas on what to do around here. The Sentinel doesn't have an entertainment section," the lady said in an Aussie accent.
"If you can, I would owe you a huge one," I said with a chuckle. "I'd love to cover it myself."
"Sounds good. Be there at 4 p.m., and someone will find you," she said.
"Sounds good to me," I agreed.
"Excellent. It'll be good to see you again, Nick," she said before the line went dead.
I was more than confused as to why she knew me, but I had to focus. I would be getting pictures of Miranda Kerr, and doing the biggest coverage of my life tomorrow.
---
The next day came too soon after I had fallen asleep. I couldn't lay around and wish my alarm was farther away; I had to make sure I was sharper today than ever.
Cold brew, an omlet, workout, and a shower. After that morning's routine, I had a message waiting with the clerk, telling me I had a call already waiting for me. It was Miranda.
I called the number left, and after four rings, the woman picked up, but this time my stomach did an entire plummet.
"Hello, this is Miranda," the Aussie said.
My tongue felt huge in my mouth, which had become as dry as a desert. "Hi, Miranda," I tried my best to stay professional.
"Oh, hi! This is Nick, right?" she asked, sounding wide awake at 9:36 a.m.
"Yes it is. What can I do for you?" I asked, nervously clicking a pen over and over.
"I was wondering if you'd be interested in setting up an interview before the event this afternoon? Could you meet me for lunch?" If it wasn't before, the gig was up now.
"Oh, uh, yeah, of course," I agreed, nodding even though she couldn't see me.
"Great, I was reading one of your restaurant reviews, and I thought the Delmoré sounded pretty good."
"The Delmoré has some of the best chicken options in town, and has a solid vegan menu," I said, giving my opinions as my answer.
"Great. I'll see you at noon, and the reservation is under Miranda." Just like that, she hung up.
In under three hours, I was having an intimate interview over lunch in one of the nicer places in the area. No pressure.
---
I arrived at the Delmoré three minutes late, making sure not to show up for her reservation before Miranda did.
The hostess led me deep into the dining area and brought me to a table near the kitchen.
There she was, already waiting for me. The 5'9 Australian supermodel was smiling, her pearly white teeth showing just a little but not quite grinning.
Miranda looked stunning in a sleek, black velvet dress with dipping cleavage. I was already speechless and didn't get to start my interview yet.
"I feel terribly underdressed," I chuckled.
"Nonsense, Nick. You look absolutely dashing," she insisted with a close-lipped smile. "The no-no sense reporter that doesn't overdress but still cares," she said, giving me her thoughts on my simple black slacks and red dress shirt.
"Well thank you," I said as I sat down. I looked at her, but my eyes on hers. I wanted to compliment her, but I didn't want to be unprofessional or creepy.
"You seem tense, Nick. Are you alright?" she asked, her head to the side, her hair pinned up perfectly.
"Yeah, it's just... you're kind of a huge deal."
"Nick, did you forget we were schoolmates?" she giggled.
Again, I was speechless, and it wasn't her looks.
"You remembered?" I asked, my jaw dropped.
"Of course. I had a huge crush on you, Nick. You were an honors student, senior editor of the year book, and captain of the wrestling team. You were the perfect combination of jock and brilliant, and you pulled off leather jackets even when we were kids," she said.
"I can't believe you still remembered that. I was all of those things maybe, but you were still out of our town's league, Miri," I said, using her old highschool nickname.
"Oh stop," she laughed. "Well, when I found out I was heading to Denton, I knew I had to do some research to see if you were in the area. Here you are, entertainment editor of our old newspaper. I knew I wanted you to have the best scoop."
"I appreciate it so much, Miri. It's great to see you again, and having you give me this lead is just... thank you," I said again, not knowing what to say.
"You know, Nick, I'm in town for the weekend, and I haven't been here in years. Perhaps you could find some time to spend with me, show me around what's changed?"
I just stared and blinked. "Miri, I can get the time, I'm sure, but you must have more important things to do than hang out with me," I laughed.
"Not particularly," she replied, playing with the edge of her napkin. "I'm taking a bit of time off. I'm tired of having too much to do. I'm sure you can understand. If you don't want to visit with me, you can just say so."
"If you're sure you want to stoop so low for company," I joked, "I can make myself available."
"Oh good. Now, let's have lunch and do this interview, shall we?"
---
After the most relaxing interview of my career so far, and one of the most pleasant lunches of my life, I saw Miranda Kerr to the sidewalk and waited with her while her car came to get her.
She gave me a smile, thanked me for a "lovely time," kissed my cheek, and gave me a gorgeous smile as she stepped into her car.
"I'll see you in a few hours, Nick? I'll make sure the event staff know who you are," she said, and was gone.
So after a perfect two hours with Miranda, I went back to the office and transcribed our conversation. It took longer than my average interviews, because Miranda made it as much of an interview as she did a lunch between old mates.
It was time for me to head out, and I took off super early hoping to have a good place in line for photos.
When I got there, I was funneled through an event barrier to a gate, where a smart-dressed lady told me all press where to be, but I told her I had been promised a pass. I gave her my name, and she stared at me for some time.
"That checks out, Ms. Kerr did mention you to one of her people," I was told. "I'm Linda. Stick with me, and don't go anywhere I do not tell you to go."
"Understood," I said, nodding.
We stayed at Linda's post for a while, and I stayed out of the way until she told me to follow her.
I did as expected, and I was led to the drive-in area where the important people would be. I knew a few names on the list, like Candice Swanepole, Pia Miller, and the Hadids.
When Miranda arrived with her people, I was one of the first to receive eye contact and a beautiful smile.
"Do you like my outfit?" the drop-dead gorgeous model asked as she stopped for the photographers. She looked right at me, and gave me the perfect shot.
"Are you kidding? Words don't describe," I said honestly, taking in the long velvet black dress with deep plunging cleavage, teasingly showing the side swells of her ample chest.
I obviously couldn't tell her how much I would have liked to watch her take off that dress with the same smile on her face that she graced me with now.