The next morning, Miley took a relaxing soak in the hot tub on the deck. After all the dancing at Adriano’s party, she was a little stiff. She needed to be ready to perform as Hannah Montana in two days. Miley was sipping a breakfast smoothie and deciding between shopping for a present for Lilly or going straight to the beach when her dad appeared. He looked stressed.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?” Miley asked. “Did Jackson spill something on the white sofa?”
“No, bud,” Mr. Stewart replied. “Scheduling mix-up.”
“What kind?” Miley asked. This didn’t sound good.
“Well, not exactly a mix-up,” her dad said. “More like I forgot to tell you I booked Hannah Montana to make an appearance today.”
“What? When exactly?” Miley asked, looking down at her swimsuit. She would need to pick a Hannah Montana outfit to change into, pronto.
“A local charity is having a benefit on the beach. It’s to raise money to help protect the Brazilian rain forest. Just a meet and greet. It’s a really good cause,” explained Mr. Stewart.
A meet and greet meant that instead of lying on the beach she would be sitting at a table signing autographs as Hannah Montana. A little rough on her right hand, but no big deal. Despite the short notice, Miley was happy to do it, especially for a good cause.
“When?” she asked.
“In an hour.”
One hour? This was really short notice! Miley thought as she hopped out of the hot tub.
“The hair and makeup people are already here,” Mr. Stewart said, handing her a towel.
Miley gulped down the rest of her smoothie. Then she ran inside to get ready.
Fifty-five minutes later, Miley, her dad, and Roxy pulled up to the benefit in a limousine. Miley was dressed as Hannah Montana, and her dad was disguised as her manager.
Booths were set up on a section of the beach. Most of them had items for sale on display to raise funds for the charity. There were booths of clothes, accessories, jewelry, and even sports equipment. A banner hung across one of the larger booths. In orange letters it read: WELCOME, HANNAH MONTANA! Below, in smaller green letters, it read: THANKS TO BRAZIL’S NATIONAL BEACH FÚTBOL TEAM FOR THEIR SUPPORT.
Beach fútbol team? That probably meant Adriano was here, Miley realized. This must be the team event he’d mentioned at the party. I hope Amber’s not with him, Miley thought.
The limousine came to a stop. Miley stepped out onto the pavement and waved to a group of people who were waiting for her.
“Hannah! Hannah!” the crowd chanted. Miley grinned. She never tired of meeting Hannah’s fans, and it was a thrill to do it all over the world. Some of the fans cheered, and others tried to hand things to Miley.
“Here’s a mango from my grandmother’s garden!” a girl called.
“I picked these orchids for you, Ms. Montana!” said another fan.
How sweet! Miley thought.
Then she heard a piercing voice. It was less sweet and a lot more demanding. “Hannah! Hannah Montana! You have to do something for me. It’s really important.”
Miley turned around. It was Amber.
Before Miley could answer, Roxy guided her through the crowd toward the booth. “Let us through! Thank you!” Roxy shouted.
Miley had only a moment to wonder what Amber could possibly need from Hannah Montana. Then she forgot all about Amber as she began greeting more fans.
For the next few hours, Miley sat at a table under an umbrella signing autographs. She loved meeting her Brazilian fans. A lot of them were coming to her concert the following night. Their excitement about the show made Miley even more eager to perform.
By midafternoon, Miley had greeted most of Hannah Montana’s fans and signed a huge stack of photographs. Soon Adriano and his teammates were going to play an exhibition game. The benefit organizers brought up the last few fans. Finally, Hannah’s portion of the event was finished for the day.
Miley was surprised that Amber hadn’t come up to the booth. She looked down the beach and saw her talking to Adriano. Just then, Amber started walking down the beach toward Hannah’s booth. Miley was curious to find out what Amber wanted, but she didn’t get the chance.
“Time to go!” Roxy said. “Whew, I could use an ice-cold agua de coco.” She guided Miley and Mr. Stewart toward the limousine.
Normally, Miley would be happy to avoid Amber, but she hated to disappoint any of Hannah’s fans. Plus, she was curious. What could Amber want from Hannah Montana so badly?
Maybe she’d find out tomorrow, when she went with Amber and Adriano to Tijuca National Park.