Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
When I get back to the table, my stepsisters save me from having to come up with my own excuse to disappear for a few minutes. Gisele waves me down with an exasperated expression as I return with their water bottles as if she's not the one who asked me to go fill them.
"Where did you disappear to?" Gisele frowns.
Bea examines her fingernails for a moment in an attempt to hide her smirk from the readers gathered around their table.
"Just refilling your waters!" I announce cheerfully through gritted teeth.
"Oh, we were hoping for a couple glasses of wine." Gisele flips her hair over her shoulder. "We'll take Merlot. And apparently the bar in the restaurant on the other side of the lobby has more options than the bar sat up in here. So, go there."
I glance down at my phone to check the time...
Not even noon. I'm surprised they even have the bar open in here yet.
"I'd be happy to go all the way to the other side of the lobby to get wine for you." I set their waters down on the table and try to hide my pleasure. Crossing the lobby to wait for wine is a great excuse to buy me enough time to go by Sara Fox's table.
Bea narrows her eyes. "Is that sarcasm?"
"Not at all," I answer honestly. "I'll be back as soon as possible."
I turn on my heel and rush off before they can change their minds. I wait until I reach the end of the aisle and turn out of view before I pause to retrieve my event map from my purse.
Sara's table is two aisles away from my stepsisters. Perfect.
Nerves hit me when I catch my first peek at Sara Fox through the crowd. I'm not usually the kind of person to get completely awestruck by a celebrity, but she's my favorite author. The woman who wrote the book that gets me through all of my most anxious moments.
The only thing that would make me more excited for this moment would be if I could approach her holding my beloved copy of Electric Love.
Alas, the universe has decided to gift my well-loved copy to some other lucky reader.
(At least that's what I hope happened because I refuse to believe it's in a dumpster somewhere headed to a landfill.)
As expected, Sara's line seems to have died down as some readers head for the model meet-and-greet. There's no sign of Rob anywhere as I find my place in her short line.
I tug at the hem of my dress and smooth my hair as I wait my turn. Feeling this anxious seems silly, but I can't shake the feeling that the moment I meet Sara Fox is going to turn out to be life-altering.
So silly of me.
The last person ahead of me in line walks away with a bright smile and arms full of books. I take a deep breath and step up to the table.
"Hi, there!" Sara says. "Have you read any of my books before?"
"Yes," I answer breathlessly. Most of them, actually.
"What's your favorite?" Her voice and smile are so warm, and she makes eye contact with me without looking past me. All the things I wish my stepsisters were capable of with their readers.
"My favorite is Electric Love. That's why I came over, actually. I'm here as an assistant, but I lost my favorite copy last night after the ball. I'd like to buy a new one, please." I extract a twenty-dollar bill from my purse and wave it a little too excitedly.
Good thing I took my ADHD meds this morning or the word vomit would be way worse
Sara leans in and stage whispers, "Don't tell the other books, but that one is one of my favorites, too."
"Really?"
"For sure. Most people don't know this, but I actually based the main character off my best friend from high school, and the love interest is based on her husband." She beams as she picks up a book.
"Wow, they must be really special to inspire such a good book." I feel like I could walk on water right now if someone chased me into the hotel pool area. I'm having the most casual conversation with Sara Fox about my favorite book and getting insider info.
Someone pinch me. I'm dreaming or dead.
"They're two of the most special people I know.
As much as I love romance in books, there's nothing quite like seeing the sweetest romance play out in real life.
" Sara gives a happy little wiggle, clearly thrilled for her friend.
She glances past me and seems to remember she has a line waiting. "Do you want your book personalized?"
I nod, then remember there's one thing I didn't consider.
"What's your name?" Her eyes flicker to my name badge, but it's flipped so that only the side that says "Assistant" shows.
I can't tell her my name.
How close is she to her– frequently used –cover model? What are the odds that Rob might have mentioned me to her?
I escaped last night unharmed and with minimal embarrassment. I'm hopeful that I can return from this trip relatively unscathed and without revealing the depths of my chaos to a handsome stranger.
I'm not taking any chances.
"Could you actually personalize it with my favorite quote?" I ask instead, quoting, " You deserve a hero who sees every sharp edge and doesn't flinch. "
Instead of signing, she sets the pen down and her smile seems to grow. "That sounds like the kind of quote a woman would underline with a pink pen."
That's... oddly specific.
My heart leaps into my throat.
Sara looks to her left and waves someone over.
Reluctantly, I follow her gaze in time to see a determined Rob moving through the crowd like he owns the place.
In a way, he does. Everyone turns to watch him as he passes, tall and dressed in dark jeans and a fitted black shirt that hugs muscles in a way I shouldn't instantly notice but absolutely do.
His hair is mussed like he's run his hands through it a few times, and his jaw is set in a grumpy line.
The grumpy expression fades when he spots Sara trying to get his attention. His whole face softens in a way that gives me a tummy ache. There's familiarity between them. Something more than a work relationship.
Rob reaches us too quickly for my feet to get the memo from my brain that we should leave .
"Sis." He lifts his chin in greeting, then leans over to rustle her hair fondly.
Sara Fox is his sister? Looking at them side-by-side now, the familial resemblance is obvious. Same startlingly bright eyes and dark hair. They even share the same dimple when they smile.
Well, how about that for a plot twist?
Sara laughs and rolls her eyes at him as she runs her fingers through her hair to try to tame the dark brown waves he's ruffled. "Play nice, Rob. There's a reader I think you should meet."
There's no mask to cover my tomato face this time.
"Want me to sign your book?" he asks in a resigned voice before he actually turns to look at me. He reaches for a pen on the table as I stand in shocked silence. Too frozen to retreat or respond.
Rob's eyes finally land on me.
And then he smiles.
"Daisy?" he says, and hearing my name in his voice feels like a secret being uncovered.
Sara's eyes light up and she slaps her hands down on the table. "I knew it was her! And my brother is such a sucker for redheads." She elbows him teasingly.
"I can't believe it's really you," he murmurs. To his sister, he asks, "How did you know?"
There are plenty of other redheads here.
Sara smirks at Rob. "I noticed that copy of Electric Love you've been clinging to like Cinderella's glass slipper had one page that was particularly worn from re-reading.
I asked what her favorite quote was, and recognized it as the same line highlighted on that worn page.
I figured there can't be that many redheads who lost a book and love that specific quote. "
My brain has gone completely offline.
They both look expectantly at me, and I draw a blank.
We seem past the point of me being able to believably deny my identity. I would only make myself look like a total psycho by trying.
"You would write great detective novels," I blurt out. Without Sara's powers of deduction, I would have gotten my book signed and been halfway to pick up the wine my stepsisters wanted before Rob made it back to the table.
She doesn't seem the least bit put off by my strange outburst. "I've considered it; I can't imagine myself ever getting tired of writing romance, though." She nudges Rob. "Aren't you going to give Daisy her book back? I don't know if you noticed but... I sort of have a line waiting."
"Right. Yeah." He swallows hard, looking as lost as I feel about what happens next.
Sara doesn't miss a beat. She opens the new copy of Electric Love and jots down a quick inscription before signing her name with a flourish. I don't get a chance to read what else she's written before she swivels to greet the next reader in line.
Rob points his thumb behind him. "I have your book back here for safekeeping."
"I looked everywhere this morning." I raise my eyebrows. He knew I would go back for that book.
He nods slowly. "I went back for it last night. You ran out on me so fast. And since I didn't know enough about you to try to track you down, I figured taking your book would ensure you were the one finding me."
After my abrupt exit, I can't believe he wanted to track me down.
Rob takes a canvas bag off the plastic shelving behind Sara's table that looks to be weighted down with a good number of preorders that haven't been picked up yet.
Gisele and Bea always have people that show up later, too.
Sometimes that's the way to avoid the worst of the lines during the early rush.
The bag seems to be the same pink tote bag that Sara is handing out to people who preordered. I tilt my head and study him with heaps of confusion as he comes back and holds the bag out to me.
"I got a special favor since I know the author pretty well." Rob winks.
I manage not to swoon. (I think.)
As soon as he passes the bag to me, I know it's too heavy to only be carrying my missing book. I peek down in the bag to see a ton of swag and the edge of a lime green cover. I don't remember Sara Fox having any books with that color cover.
Rob grabs my wrist and tugs me closer so he can whisper close to my ear, "Sara's next book. She brought a few early release copies for some VIP reviewers that are here today."
"Thank you," I manage to croak out, looking from Rob to Sara as she moves another reader through her line. The green book looks pretty hefty. It's also the only book in the bag. "But where's my book?" I twist my lips as my confused gaze stops on Rob.
He reaches under the table. "Right here."
My heart soars as he pulls out my beloved book in all its glory, looking just as haggard as I remember. I was crazy to think a new copy would ever compare, even one signed by the author.
Just not the same, really.
"I'll give you your book back as soon as you explain why you ran out on me." He crosses his arms protectively over the book so there's no hope of me snatching it from his grasp.
I freeze again. I feel too exposed now. Too seen.
A reader mercifully interrupts. "Will you sign my book?" She bats her eyelashes up at Rob. She's a really pretty woman, her dirty blonde hair pulled back in two cute braids. He barely seems to register her presence.
"Later," he brushes her off easily.
"Rob!" Sara hisses, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "Don't scare off my readers."
"Sorry." He shrugs, not looking that sorry at all.
I have to give Rob some kind of answer to give my book back. Since I already revealed something about myself to his sister, there's not much harm in telling him myself. Otherwise, she'll probably just share with him later.
"I'm here for work as an author assistant.
The author table I'm working gets really crazy, and I actually need to get back there now.
My break wasn't supposed to be this long.
" There, just enough truth for me to not feel bad about myself.
And not enough truth to track me down without a bit of work on his part.
I'm hoping now that some of the mystery is gone, and he's seen my face, that he'll move on with his weekend. Fingers crossed.
"Guess I won't keep you here any longer, then." His lips twitch in the corners as he hands over my book, looking amused by a joke that I'm not in on.
Well, he can keep his secrets because I'm not in the business of mystery.
I snatch my book back with more force than necessary. Our hands make contact for a beat too long to pretend I'm unaffected by his warm touch. The heat of my cheeks engulfs my whole body in flames as embarrassment makes a home in my pores.
"Thank you," I mumble, before repeating a more heartfelt, "and thank you," to Sara. The interaction with Rob feels incredibly awkward, but I got a pretty cool interaction with my favorite author out of it, so there's a silver lining.
"If you keep running away, Daisy, I'm going to start calling you Cinderella," Rob jokes as I back away slowly. Preparing to bolt.
I laugh uncomfortably. "Uh, yeah... don't. Don't do that."
I wish a hole would open up in the event hall floor and swallow me whole. In fact, I would even accept one of those cartoon trap door scenarios where there's a fire-breathing dragon or snake pit waiting for me below.
"You don't want to be my princess? I promise not to attempt any rescues unless you ask." His dimple flashes, taunting me. Distracting me.
I swallow the desire to flirt back. To ask if he has a white horse ready or if his royal castle has enough room for two.
He's so tempting. Funny and handsome. Good relationship with his sister.
Why did I even run in the first place? An interesting man who's interested in me is the perfect set-up for the Chapter One I've been waiting for.
My brain has totally left the plane of reality and entered ADHD-fantasy-land. This is exactly why I ran away in the first place.
What am I thinking?
Abort. ABORT!! Gotta get out of here for everyone's emotional safety, obviously.
I cling to my old book and my two new ones and flee into the crowd.
New plan: survive the rest of the book signing so that I can leave something of my dignity intact until I make it home. Then, live in hiding until I forget the mortifying moment where I ran away from an attractive man... twice.
So, probably for forever.