Chapter 5
FIVE
“This whole thing is screwy,” I complained to Brody outside the Nest Rooftop Lounge.
“You fake dating another author?” Brody challenged. “I completely agree.”
I made a face. “I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about this Preston Martin Charles III guy.”
“Yes, he sounds screwy,” Brody readily agreed. “Bree called two hours ago and went on a rampage about the story Bella told her. She thinks the guy is dangerous.”
“Bree thinks everybody is dangerous.”
“Actually, she doesn’t.” He shook his head. “She tends to believe the best in people, no matter what she says. This guy has her going a little nutty, though.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I didn’t know Bella well, but the idea of anything bad happening to her gave me a severe case of indigestion. “Does Bree think he’ll hurt Bella?”
Brody hesitated then shrugged. “She said she asked Bella, and she said no.”
“That wasn’t really an answer.”
“Bree is suspicious.” Brody held out his hands. “I think it’s worth keeping an eye on the situation. Bella is completely on her own, I guess. She has no family here or friends.”
“It sounds like she has friends.”
Brody laughed. “Yeah. Bree has gone all mama bear on her. Bella isn’t that much younger than her, so it’s hard for me to figure out why she feels so mercenary about the entire thing.”
I knew why. “She’s tiny, like just over five feet. She makes you want to be protective of her just for that reason alone.”
Brody lifted a speculative eyebrow. “Is that why you volunteered to be her fake boyfriend?”
“I just didn’t like the way that guy was looking at her.”
“Because you want to look at her the same way, and there’s only room for one of you in that particular mix?”
I gave him a dead-eyed look. “No. Don’t be ridiculous. You know I don’t go in for stuff like that. I’m not in the market for a relationship.”
“But?”
“There’s no but. She’s a nice woman trying to make a change in her life. The fact that this guy can’t take the hint that she wants to move on from him is not her fault. It’s his.”
“It sounds like he was a righteous jerk, that there were a lot of red flags right from the beginning.”
“Don’t shame the victim.” I gave him a dirty glare. “That’s just wrong.”
“I was not shaming the victim.”
“You were too.”
“I was not.” Brody pinned me with a “don’t even go there” look. “I don’t want anything to happen to this woman either. I’m just saying that it sounds like there was something wrong with this guy from the beginning.
“Bree says that Bella was young, in her senior year of college, when he moved in and wowed her with stories of his father and all the money he grew up with,” he continued. “Of course she fell for it. Her mother didn’t make anywhere near that sort of money.”
“I’m pretty sure everything this guy did was purposeful,” I agreed. “It’s not going to hurt me to pretend to be her boyfriend for a few weeks. Even if it’s all summer, I’ll be fine. I don’t want that guy to win.”
“And there’s nothing between the two of you, right?”
“Definitely not.” I was firm on that. Sure, she was adorable, and there was a sweetness to her that touched something inside of me I couldn’t put a name to.
But I was not interested in a relationship.
I could be a helpful fake boyfriend, but nothing else.
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “We’ll chase this guy away, and I’ll be right back to my womanizing ways. ”
“Good. I wouldn’t know how to deal with you any other way.”
WE’D ARRANGED A DINNER FOR FIVE before the event got going. Bella loved the ambiance of the rooftop bar, and when she saw the half-blue, half-pink drink being delivered to somebody else, she clapped.
“I want that,” she said to the server, pointing.
She was so excitable that it gave me a little thrill. I had no idea why. Maybe it was because she had an infectious, joyful nature that I’d never seen before. I liked it, though.
“The Dragon Berry Mojito,” the server said. “It’s one of our most popular drinks.”
“I want that too,” Hayley supplied.
Bree was already nodding. “Make that three.”
“Sure.” The server was smiley, but her energy turned flirty with Brody and me. “How about you guys?”
I winked at her then noticed Bella giving me an odd look and straightened. Why did I care what she thought? “I’ll have the Don Juan.”
Bree snorted, and I gave her a dirty look.
“I’ll have the Velvet Paloma,” Brody said. “Also, we’re part of the author event later. I think we’re ready to order so we can have time to eat before it starts.”
The server brightened even further, her eyes wandering over everybody’s faces, probably trying to decide if she’d ever heard of us. “Absolutely. What will it be?”
The women ordered first, as was polite.
“I’ll have the steak tacos,” Bree started.
“Me too,” Hayley said.
Bella was a little shyer when ordering. “Um… the lobster mac and cheese sounds great.”
I went with the same, and Brody went with a burger and fries. Once it was just the five us, I fixed my attention on Bella for the first time. “So, are you nervous about tonight? Have you done one of these before?”
“I’ve been to two cons,” she replied. “I’m pretty sure the atmosphere here is different, though.”
“Oh, most definitely,” I agreed, bobbing my head. “These are as casual as you want them to be. It’s best to pick a spot and let the readers come to you.”
Her face went momentarily blank. “What if the readers don’t want to talk to me?” She looked genuinely fearful.
“It’s okay,” Bree assured her. “I assumed it would be that way for me, too, the first time I did one of these. Even if a reader doesn’t come specifically for you, people will find their way to you.
Don’t be worried if nobody approaches in the first five minutes, though.
Sometimes it takes them time to work up to their approach. ”
“That makes sense.” Bella rubbed the back of her neck. “You guys are a lot more established than me, though. Very few people know who I am.”
“Trust me,” I replied. “People will be interested in talking to you. What you need to be prepared for is the wannabe authors who come to these events. They think you have a magic ticket for them to punch to get their stuff published.”
Bree nodded in agreement. “I’m always polite and answer what questions I can.
Don’t go into a lot of detail, though. No two authors have the exact same trip to publishing, and if you tell them about your trip and it doesn’t happen for them in the exact same way, they will hunt you down and take it out on you later. ”
“No two authors make the same amount of money either,” Hayley added. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t get drunk.”
“Definitely not,” Bree agreed. “Have your cocktail here then start with water for the event. About an hour in, get another cocktail. Let that be your limit, though. There are some readers who will circle like sharks if they smell blood in the water.”
“Wow.” Bella seemed at a loss for words.
“I’m not trying to frighten you or anything,” Bree assured her. “Once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder why you were ever nervous.”
Bella didn’t look convinced, and her fear was suddenly a motivator for me. “If you need help, come to me. I’ll walk you through it,” I volunteered. I hadn’t realized I was going to make the offer.
She managed a tepid smile. “Okay. Thanks.”
“I am your boyfriend, after all.” I gave her a hearty wink, to which she let loose a nervous chuckle.
“Right.” She nodded twice. “My fake boyfriend, the horror author.” She looked momentarily perplexed. “You don’t have any weird fetishes I should know about, do you?”
“Not right now. I’ll let you know if I develop any.”
“Good plan.”
ONCE DINNER WAS OVER, I PICKED up the tab. Bella tried to stop me, but I assured her it was fine. The women disappeared into the bathroom to get ready, leaving Brody and me at the bar to wait for the event to start.
“You’re not going to stick to two drinks, are you?” Brody asked. “I mean, I will if that’s the theme, but I was thinking of having another one now.”
“Oh, that’s just for the chicks.” I shook my head. “I’m totally getting another cocktail.”
We placed our orders and watched as the workers sectioned off most of the rooftop bar. The space was nice, and I liked that it was outside. I was calm and collected, right up until Preston Martin Charles III made his appearance.
“Oh, geez,” I muttered under my breath.
Brody looked in the direction I was facing and frowned. “That’s the guy.”
“I was kind of hoping he wouldn’t come,” I admitted. “I thought he was just involved with the writer’s retreat at the campground. I still don’t know how I let them rope me into that, by the way.”
“It’s because they were less than forthcoming with the details,” Brody replied glumly.
“They said it was going to be just like last year but with a few tweaks. They didn’t tell us until we’d already signed the contract that those tweaks included an actual writer’s retreat in which readers would be invited to participate. ”
“Yeah, that does feel sneaky.” I nodded. “I can’t help but feel it’s this guy’s influence that made it go that way.” I inclined my chin toward Preston.
“It’s weird, right?” Brody was the intellectual sort, and he appeared to be puzzling things out. “If he was cheating on Bella—and I have no reason to question her version of events—then why would he go to extreme means like this to get her back?”
“Do you think that’s what he’s doing?”
“What else could it be?”
“I think maybe he just wants to torture her.” I had no idea how dark that would sound coming out of my mouth. Once the words were out there, however, there was no dragging them back.
Brody’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think this is just him being on a power trip?”
“I really do.” My stomach threatened to revolt when Preston’s eyes landed on me. “And here he comes,” I said, smiling at the bartender as he handed me my cocktail. “I guess we can test him. Whatever I say, don’t question it.”