Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Blair
“Absolutely not. Forget it! Not a chance in hell!”
I was pretty sure my publisher had smoked something insanely strong before calling me, because she could not have suggested what I thought she was.
I heard a long sigh on the other end. “Blair, calm down and hear me out.”
I scoffed. “Calm down? Why don’t you calm down, Cara? I mean that respectfully, of course.”
Cara Wells had been my publisher for the past seven years, since the first book of my fantasy romance series had been released.
“Look, I know you’re upset. You two don’t have the greatest track record, and I get that, I really do. But I’m doing this as a favor. You’re a best-selling author now. It can only help your career, and it’s also good publicity for the bookstore.”
Saying we didn’t have the greatest track record was the understatement of the year. The first time I worked with Drea was a mess. It started out friendly and professional, but by the end I wanted to forget the whole thing. Every small request was like trying to run in quicksand.
She bought plain decorations that looked like they belonged behind a window of a second-hand store. I asked her for fresh baked goods and colorful flowers, but on the day of the book signing, it was a complete disaster.
The pastries looked as if they were baked by someone’s five-year-old, meant to be secretly thrown away after you praised the child for a great job. I was embarrassed and horrified.
When I confronted her, she accused me of being demanding and hard to please. Apparently, she had reviews from other authors praising her choice of vendors. Clearly, they were just trying to kiss her ass for a discount.
I reluctantly agreed to work with her a few more times after that, but after the last time, I vowed to never work with Drea Voss again.
She thought that just because she was British and had the legs of a Greek goddess, she could do whatever she wanted, and I wouldn’t stand for it.
“I don’t give a shit about what’s good for her store, and making me work with her is not doing me a favor!”
“Blair, I know it’s not ideal, but it’s business. She is willing to put her differences aside and start over.”
I scoffed at the absurdity. “Yeah, right. I’m sure she’s jumping up and down at the opportunity to work with me again.”
I’d done a few signings at Open Book, and it was a nightmare every time. The owner was unprofessional and incompetent.
She sighed. “Look, I’m going to level with you here.
I’m doing this to help the both of you. It’ll be good for the store, and you need to keep up the momentum.
If you want me to play hardball, just remember that you signed a contract, so I could’ve pulled rank here and made you do the signing without asking.
But I came to you as a friend first. I’m asking, as your friend, to please do this favor for me. ”
I groaned. “It sounds like I don’t have a choice either way, but you did ask nicely, so fine. I will do the signing. But I swear if it doesn’t work out, it’s the last time. I mean it, Cara!”
She squealed. “Thank you, Blair. Everything will be fine, don’t you worry. We are meeting with her tomorrow morning at nine a.m. before the store opens to go over the legality of everything. Just try and be nice, please.”
Be nice to Drea Voss? That was going to be a challenge. “We have a meeting tomorrow? That was quick. You didn’t happen to schedule this meeting assuming I would say yes, did you?” I scowled into my phone.
“I might have. You have a heart of gold… somewhere, and I knew you would see it my way one way or another. Listen, I have to go. See you tomorrow, doll.”
I hung up the phone and threw it across my couch. This was my living hell. The last time I worked with her, I swore to myself it would be the last. I might as well open my own bookstore if I want it done right.
Releasing a long sigh, I stood up and headed for a much-needed bubble bath. If I had to work with that woman again, I was going to get all of my ducks in a row and make sure I started off with a clear and calm head.
The next morning, I woke up before the crack of dawn for my regular yoga class. I did yoga every morning.
Normally, it would set my day up for success, but since I knew I had a meeting with Drea today, it didn’t help as much as I had hoped.
To say I was not looking forward to this meeting was an understatement. The last time I saw Drea was about a year ago at my last signing at her store. Her assistant was professional and friendly, nothing like her boss.
The one and only thing I had in common with the insufferable bookstore owner was the fact that we were terrible at hiding our emotions. I could always tell when she was pretending to be nice, which was anytime I interacted with the woman. The feelings were very much mutual.
I hoped she was dressed more professionally this time. She wore a low-cut brown halter top and white jean shorts the last time we had a meeting, and showing that much dark and creamy skin was inappropriate.
A car horn pulled me out of my thoughts, alerting me my ride had arrived, and when I got into the car, I texted Cara:
Me: Good morning. I’m on my way. Are you there yet?
Cara: Morning, doll! See you soon. Not yet, grabbing coffee from BA. Want anything?
Brewed Awakening was a cute coffee shop a few blocks down from the bookstore, with the best coffee and the sweetest barista.
Me: That sounds amazing. My usual please?
Cara: Of course! Chai latte with cinnamon. Some things never change!
Me: Why fix something that isn’t broken? It’s delicious! And thank you!
Cara: ??
When I made it to the bookstore, Cara was standing outside the door holding my drink with a grin on her face.
“Good morning. Here’s your latte!” She held out one of the two cups in her hand.
“Thanks, Cara. Take it out of my next book,” I teased as I took a tentative drink.
She laughed. “Don’t mention it. Are you ready?”
No, I wanted to say. I was not ready for this guaranteed disaster of a meeting.
Instead, I rolled my shoulders and took a sip of my latte. It was like Christmas in a cup, in the spring. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s just get this over with.” I put on my best professional smile.
“Just be nice, please. We are all professionals. Can you keep your personal feelings outside?”
I turned to her and widened my smile. “I can if she can.”
Groaning, she opened the door, motioning for me to go inside.