Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
M allory froze at the sight of Dylan. Was she seeing things now? Well, if she had to have a thirst-induced hallucination, a hot rock star was the way to go.
Oliver and his assistant joined Dylan, forming a trio. Hmm, she’d never had a daydream about a corporate attorney or an assistant. Dylan must actually be here. He’d come to her signing? Her heart thumped hard enough to rival the bass line in his last hit.
A fan wearing a purple jumpsuit, an important franchise color, blocked Mallory’s view. “Sign it to Jun, please.”
Mallory bent over the title page and wrote out well-wishes. But her mind wasn’t on perfecting her signature.
Dylan was actually here to see her? She dated the entry and took a quick peek up.
No Dylan.
If he was here, it was because of meetings with Texk. Why would she assume otherwise? He was making her crazy. “Thanks for coming,” Mallory said.
The fan grinned big, showing off her thick braces, and moved on.
Mallory snuck another glance toward the hallway. Dylan was gone, but Oliver and Francois were headed her way. They both wore navy suits with a narrow cut. The look seemed more Paris than Seoul, where she’d seen more loose-fitting clothes.
Of the three men, she would’ve preferred Dylan stop by, but it wasn’t like Dylan could really come over and say hello. Her fans would have deserted the signing to mob him.
Oliver shuffled to Mallory’s side. He signaled for the person next in line to wait. “More books up here would be a good idea, Francois.”
Francoise complied. The stack got high enough to wobble and block her view of the right half of the room, but she wasn’t doing the lifting so she didn’t protest.
Mallory discreetly shook out her signing hand. “Thanks.”
Oliver bent toward her to speak with a low voice. “My secretary could have prepped some of these in advance, then you could write less.”
Mallory hoped he was joking. “The fans stood in line for hours.” The least these diehards deserved was a real autograph, not one done by an office worker with a stamp. Nice of Oliver to stop by and check in though. “I’ll order an icepack from room service later.”
Oliver stepped back and the line continued. An hour later, the final fan placed the last book in front of her, open to the title page. Mallory recognized the fan as her realtor.
“Hey, Sunny.” Mallory smiled easily. “You didn’t have to wait in line. You could have called me.”
She and the other woman had really clicked over lunch, so it was sweet of her to come and show her support. Mallory signed her name and added a note of thanks for Sunny’s help with the house-hunting.
“A little bird asked me to assist you at next week’s signing, so I call this research.” Sunny winked. “I’m glad I came. The fan costumes are spectacular and they’re so sweet.”
True. Mallory nodded. “Most book lovers are.”
“I have to agree.” Sunny picked up her freshly signed book. “I’m really excited to read this.” She looked toward the fans who were leaving, chatting in small groups as they exited out the front. “Really, so many cuties. At the next signing, I’ll bring a good camera and get some fan shots.”
“I’ll email you model waivers,” Oliver said. “Bring a stack with you.”
All these suggestions were awesome. Having an assistant and an official photographer for the next go-around? Fun. Mallory nodded. “I’d love that, thanks.”
She’d posed for enough photos today to want eyedrops but was looking forward to seeing the photos fans posted online. She’d spend the evening commenting on their posts. At the next signing, with an assistant there to help, she could have water and eyedrops. Mallory grinned at Oliver. “Thanks for thinking of Sunny.”
Oliver nodded. “Texk supports all of our stars. How’s the house search going?”
Sunny wiggled her phone with the screen toward them. “I have loads of rentals lined up for Mallory to tour. We’ll get started tomorrow. I didn’t want her to be pressured before today’s event.”
Before Oliver could reply, the table made a creaking sound.
One of the table legs caved in, and the remaining stacks of books slid down the table and right into Mallory. The corners of several books caught her right in the ribs. Oomph.
“Oh no.” Sunny dove forward to assist, shoving the books back onto the far end of the wonky table.
And Dylan was there too, holding up the table. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Fine.” She blinked up at him. “When did you arrive?”
Dylan looked at her with an intense gaze that changed to friendly in a blink. “I had some meetings, but it looks like you could have used me here.”
The image startled a laugh out of her. She’d hoped for a hello. His helping would be crazy. Her female readers were loyal, but their attention would shift to him in a heartbeat. “Please don’t.”
His heart-shaped lips quirked. His eyes warmed and tracked the movement of her hand. She realized she was still rubbing her side and stopped. Dylan tracked the movement.
Oliver motioned for Francois to take control of the table. “That could have buried her,” Oliver said to his assistant. “Get photos to record the damage.”
Dylan knelt and twisted the table leg. “The leg’s loose. Someone should have secured them before Mallory sat down.”
Francois nodded. “It’s a bad table, modern, sleek, and weak. We should have gone with solid French oak.”
Sunny wrinkled her nose at him. “I’m sure the table is fine. It simply wasn’t set up properly.”
“I’m really okay.” Mallory waved off their concern. “Today went well. The weight of a stack of books is something all booklovers have experienced.”
“You’re too forgiving.” Oliver patted her shoulder. “We’ll get another table.”
Dylan’s eyes tracked the motion of Oliver’s hand, but he said nothing.
A week later, Mallory still hadn’t found the right rental, but not once had Sunny indicated she was growing impatient. In fact, Sunny didn’t seem to mind house-hunting at all. The more Mallory dithered, the happier Sunny seemed to be.
That was a relief, though the lack of pressure did make her curious. They left an almost-right apartment. “How are you not ready to kill me?”
Sunny waved her hand. “My bargain with my husband is that I’ll only take on one real estate client at a time. Otherwise, he would be inconvenienced. But I love being out of the house and looking at places. Take as long as you like.” Sunny pointed to the left. “I know the cutest boutique one block up that will sell you on this neighborhood.”
Sunny didn’t only show her real estate; she showed her around the neighborhoods and shops, helping her find her favorites and knock out others from consideration. Sunny pressed the crosswalk button at the intersection. “We could grab snacks after.” The realtor looked really happy at the thought of extending her day out.
The longer Mallory took to make up her mind, the longer Sunny could be out doing what she loved. This realization made Mallory feel less guilty about taking so much of her time.
The next book signing was outside the Texk office in the city center, by an enormous silver statue. The day was crisp and bright, and made way more fun by the promise of having Sunny to assist.
Plus, Mallory had the added bonus of Dylan’s sister Jenny coming to join them. Jenny had volunteered as assistant number two. With the company of both women, Mallory had two allies at her side.
Jenny and Sunny greeted each other with friendly hellos. Sunny wore a pale orange business suit, and Jenny wore jeans and a t-shirt, with a costume cape of scalloped dragon scales over the top.
Despite their age and style differences, they had an easy familiarity. So much so that Mallory got the impression this wasn’t their first meeting. “How do you two know each other?”
“Oh, we…” Jenny said.
Sunny looked at the line of fans and pinched her fingers together, indicating Jenny should keep her voice low.
Jenny draped her cape over her arm and shielded her face like Dracula. In that concealed pose, she bent to whisper to Mallory. “From Tempo Rain concerts. Sunny is Rain’s older sister.”
Mallory’s heart jolted at the connection to Dylan, though she shoved down any visible reactions. “Oh.” She flicked a surprised gaze Sunny’s way. She hadn’t said.
Rain was the band’s choreographer and backup singer. Sunny and Rain. She resisted teasing Sunny about the obvious weather connection between her and her brother, certain she’d heard it all before.
Sunny nodded. “After much begging, whining, and guilt-tripping, my brother got me a part-time job at Texk.”
“Nepotism for the win.” Jenny held up her hand for Sunny to slap.
Texk was lucky to get Sunny. Mallory already knew how competent Sunny was from her real estate showings. That extended over to today’s setup.
“Actually, the idea for me and Sunny to both be here was Dylan’s.” Jenny whispered her brother’s name. The name, plus what Jenny had just conveyed, gave Mallory’s insides a bigger jolt. She’d thought Oliver had sent Sunny to help. Instead, Dylan deserved her thanks. “That was sweet of him.”
This kind of support was definitely what she’d look for in a partner. No more putting off telling men about her career. If they ran, they ran. On date one, she’d talk about her books. If the guy didn’t support her, there would be no second date.
Enough about the future. Focus on today .
Sunny stacked three rows of books on her table and placed a bottle of water and a cup of coffee to her left.
Nice.
Security opened the double ropes, and a line of chatting, costume-wearing fans started forward in an even bigger turnout than the last signing. Most fans wore purple t-shirts, the same deep color as Mallory’s dress, while others went full cosplay by wearing capes and dragon costumes.
“Here we go.” Sunny pointed to the front of the line. “You keep them patient, Jenny. I’ll keep the ones at the table moving.”
Mallory signed, smiled, and answered questions without revealing any series secrets.
Sunny handed the fans their signed copies and graciously moved them along so no one was kept waiting too long.
She needed to hire these two and bring them to every event. They were a great combo of Jenny in her relatable fan cape, and Sunny in a business suit that gave her an approachable authority.
Sunny ensured each fan had their moment to ask what they wanted to ask and get what they wanted from the event. Jenny helped them take pictures, squealed over the symbolism of their costumes, and made each person feel special. This was going better than any fan signing event she’d ever hosted.
One of her first good reviews always came back to her in happy moments like these. A few short lines about how a reader had laughed out loud to the point where her husband asked what she was reading. That reviewer’s words, sincere and encouraging, had bolstered her in a way they’d never know.
And now here she was.
Midway through the signing, Sunny had allotted her a fifteen-minute break. Mallory went inside the Texk lobby to use the facilities, and then walked toward the coffee bar. She’d have enough time to pick up one for herself, Sunny, and Jenny.
A sharp hiss came from her left. Mallory looked over but only saw a masculine hand with a crooked finger inviting her to head that way.