Chapter 12
CHAPTER
TWELVE
The huge conference room smells like coffee and sugar. Plates of pastries and fruit platters line a table against the wall, but my stomach is in too many knots to appreciate the spread. I clutch the strap of my tote bag like a life raft.
Rob's comforting hand on the small of my back is the only thing propelling me forward. I'm relieved to beat my sisters to the Goodbye Brunch, instead of finding them already lurking nearby. Gives me a second to orient myself before they arrive fashionably late as usual.
There are plenty of other people here. A mix of authors, readers, and volunteers from the event. Nina zips around the crowd, all sparkle and efficiency, wearing a headset and carrying a clipboard with all the seriousness of a general preparing for battle.
No wonder she put on such a great event this weekend. (My more difficult personal experiences with my stepsisters aside.)
"The evil villains have arrived," Rob mutters under his breath, his attention turning toward the doors.
My entire body tenses.
"Don't call them that," I whisper out of the side of my mouth. I know I've leaned into the Cinderella theme this weekend, but real people aren't as black and white as the fairy tales.
He slants a disagreeable look toward me. "Better than some of the other things I'd like to call them."
I elbow him again even as I have to stifle a laugh. I appreciate how protective he's being, gives me a pang to the chest when I imagine how hard it's going to be to part from him when it's time to head to the airport in only a few hours.
Gisele and Bea wander further into the party with their glossy hair swaying around their shoulders.
They aren't completely matching today, even though they're both wearing their trademark all-black.
Bea is in a skirt and frilly top, while Gisele is wearing a sharp pantsuit. She looks ready to do business...
Although, I notice as they walk through the party that most people seem eager to avoid them. More than one author quickly moves away upon their approach. Bea doesn't seem to notice, but Gisele's hawk-like gaze catches on quickly.
She scans the crowd until her eyes land on me.
Gisele's practiced smile falters for a moment before snapping back to a version too bright and sugary to be even remotely sincere.
"Daisy!" Gisele squeals excitedly as if the last time we saw each other wasn't minutes before she trapped me in a hotel bathroom.
Her voice is loud enough to draw everyone's eyes, which I'm sure is the point.
She beelines toward me with a confused Bea hot on her heels.
"There you are! We were just telling everyone how helpful you were this weekend. "
Startled, I lurch sideways into Rob's chest as Gisele tries to lean in to air-kiss by my cheek. So performative. I don't trust either of my stepsisters near me. Not anymore. Never again.
"Telling who?" I mutter since I saw them walk in, and they haven't spoken more than a greeting to anyone yet. Not with everyone seemingly so eager to stay out of their path.
Something is going on... I'm just not sure what. I feel entirely out of the loop.
"Everyone!" Bea chimes in with an unnaturally high-pitched tone of voice. "We sang your praises all last night, too. Right?" She glances at the crowd around us as if someone will vouch for these alleged compliments they've shared widely.
No one says a peep.
A few readers smile politely, but most only look around confused, as if they can sense the weirdness. Heat crawls up my neck. I don't like this kind of attention, and I'm suddenly acutely aware I forgot to take my medication this morning because of Sara rushing us.
My ADHD is free-balling this event.
Spectacular.
My knees bend slightly, preparing for the retreat I'm about to make. I don't know why Sara thought I needed to face this. I prefer my method of dealing with my stepsisters: total avoidance.
Before I can go anywhere, a voice slices clean through the room.
"Funny," Sara says with a sarcastic laugh, her voice echoing across the room as she approaches us with a wireless microphone in hand. "Because I have a different story."
Effortless confidence radiates off of her as she joins us near the center of the room. I will some of that confidence to waft my way and rub off on me. That's my only hope of surviving this escalation of embarrassment.
If we didn't have the entire room's attention before, we definitely do now.
Gisele's smile falters. Bea seems to shrink in on herself. They're used to being the loudest people in any room. The tides are turning, and I almost laugh at the absurdity of my favorite author being the one to finally make my stepsisters cower the way they've done to me for so long.
Sara turns a slow circle, waving to the crowd.
"Hi, everyone. I know everyone is eager to sit down to brunch and have a last chat with some of your favorite authors.
Before we do, I wanted to take a moment and say one last thank you to Nina, who has run one of the most wonderful book conventions I've ever had the pleasure of attending.
I'm proud to announce that I'll be one of the sponsors next year, so we hope to see everyone back!
Nina is one of the most wonderful and supportive people I've ever met in the book community. Her success really warms my heart."
"Thank you!" Nina calls out from one side of the room, where she stands flanked by two security personnel from the hotel.
I hope Sara isn't about to get kicked out for stealing the microphone.
"And now," Sara continues with a gesture toward the projection screen hanging along the far wall, "I have a special presentation.
Because, while people like Nina are giving us a platform to celebrate the wonderful parts of our community, where romance is love and joy, and hope.
.. There are others trying to profit off of our community without any respect for other authors, the readers, or even their own family. "
So many eyes cut my way that I know word must have spread about last night. That the stepsisters I referred to were the Temptation Sisters. No wonder they're getting the cold shoulder.
The big screen flickers to life, and my stomach drops.
Gisele and Bea sit with heads bowed close on an elegant couch, the lights of the city behind them.
This is from last night. The rooftop party.
And my stepsisters look absolutely wasted.
They clearly had too much to drink before this video was taken.
I stir uneasily, nervous about what might be coming.
I can only imagine what they might have said while drunk .
Sure enough, Bea's next words are, "Daisy is so stupid for trying to be so nice to all those readers. They'll buy whatever we tell them to, she doesn't have to try so hard."
On video, Gisele throws her head back to cackle. That's almost more startling than Bea's mean words since Gisele is usually the one that holds them together in public.
Gisele takes a swig from a wine glass and sets it back on the low table in front of them hard enough to slosh liquid over the side.
She picks up where Bea left off, "She's just like the rest of them.
So hopelessly clueless with all their book boyfriends and happily ever after .
Delusional. No wonder they're all single and pathetic. "
"They have no idea how cringe they all sound." Bea rolls her eyes and giggles. "Romance readers are the worst ."
A collective gasp is heard around the room as we all watch my stepsisters bury themselves exactly the way I always hoped–with their own freaking words. They won't be able to talk themselves out of this one. They finally messed up and let their masks slip enough in public to reveal themselves.
I sway where I stand until Rob wraps his arms around my waist, pulling my back snug against his chest protectively. Keeping me upright and safe.
Sara wears a sharp smile and cool expression as she faces my stepsisters again, both of whom have turned green in the face. Bea's mouth hangs wide open. Gisele's eyes cut in every direction, and I can practically hear the gears turning in her brain as she desperately seeks a way out of this.
"I was in line waiting for the bathroom around the corner when I heard the two of you talking.
Seemed like you both had a little too much to drink, and didn't realize you were getting progressively louder.
" Sara glances at Rob and me. "Lucky for me, I already had my phone out to check on my brother, since he had to leave the party early to rescue his date.
All I had to do was step around the corner and press record. "
Gisele recovers first. "Sasha, come on, we were obviously just joking. We knew you were eavesdropping, and we were just teasing around." She gives an airy laugh that doesn't quite land. "We love our readers. They know that."
Bea steps closer and takes the opposite approach, lowering her voice to avoid her words being picked up by the microphone. "We can fix this. How much? We'll pay you to delete this."
Sara barks out a laugh. "First of all, my name is Sara . Second of all, it's way too late for bribery. I posted this video online fifteen minutes ago. There's already a hundred thousand views and counting." She frees her phone from her pocket and turns the screen to face the sisters.
Gisele pales.
Bea's mouth gulps open and closed like a goldfish.
And me? I fumble for my phone in my messy tote, desperate to see the proof online with my own two eyes.
My fingers shake as I wake my screen and navigate to my favorite social media app.
Before I can even search for Sara's page, the video is there to greet me.
A suggested re-post from a reader I follow, someone I've never met in real life, but who has already written a supportive caption and tagged me.
There are other readers re-posting Sara's video, too. Flooding my account with notifications as they tag me with supportive captions. Tears well up in my eyes. I love this community far more than my stepsisters could ever loathe it.
With a surge of courage, I hit Share and add three simple words in my own caption:
Romance deserves respect.
Rob squeezes me around the middle. I twist to look back at him, and find him staring at me in awe like I've done something extraordinary. His expression is soft, but his eyes are intense. Proud.
"Good for you," he murmurs with sincere approval.
My chest squeezes as I answer with a watery smile. I don't feel amazing. I feel shaky and sweaty and exposed. But maybe that's what bravery really is–being scared and doing the damn thing anyway.
Nina strides forward, security hot on her heels, to insert herself in the drama that I now realize Sara must have approved with her beforehand. (Which makes a lot more sense than Sara stealing a microphone and commandeering a projector.)
"Please escort these two out. They're both officially banned from all future Lover's Lane events."
Gasps and scattered applause break out.
Gisele's face transforms into a look of pure horror. "You can't do that. We paid to be here!"
"The terms of service for an author paying for their spot at my event are very clear; you can be removed at my discretion for making a disturbance during any of our events or anywhere else within the hotel.
" Nina holds her clipboard to her chest and crosses her arms over it.
"I'm sure you skipped over that part since the two of you obviously aren't readers, but that's just not my problem. "
She nods to the security duo to lead them away.
I'm frozen in place as security walks my stepsisters out, both of them sputtering about lawyers and misunderstands all at the same time. Their united front is as broken as their reputations as authors. A wave of murmured judgements follows the two of them out of brunch.
Once they're gone, there's an air of uncertainty left behind.
No one seems sure of what to do at first. Then, slowly, a round of applause breaks out.
I'm not sure who everyone is clapping for.
Security? Nina? Sara? Me? I'm not sure the answer matters because I'm the one who started this.
I set this in motion with last night's video, and now I can be sure that I'm really free.
I'll still have to face Sherry at some point, but even she can't defend her daughters after I show her this video. She's an avid romance reader herself.
After the applause dies down, the room quickly begins to return to normal with Nina ushering everyone toward their assigned seats. Everyone signed up to sit with preferred authors, so Nina makes quick work of redistributing the readers who would have sat at The Tempted table.
No one seems upset about picking a new author to support.
"Let's sit over here." Rob pulls me away toward an extra, unused table that's been nudged aside. He guides me into my seat and then takes the one beside me.
I'm relieved to get a little distance from the gossip while still being close enough to feel the lingering buzz of Sara's big reveal.
"I can't believe your sister did that for me," I murmur.
Rob takes my hand under the table and squeezes. "She's a good friend to have in your corner."
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I look over at him with one quirked eyebrow. "Because insinuating your sister– my favorite author– might be my friend is enough to give me a heart attack."
He pretends to zip his lips closed, making me laugh as some of the tension eases away from my shoulders.
"Seriously, though..." He angles his body to face me more. "You and I need to talk."
My stomach flutters nervously. "About what?"
He exhales, keeping his gaze steady on mine.
"About what happens after this. After brunch.
After the whirlwind weekend together. I don't know if you're ready for someone like me to crash into your whole life, but.
.. I'm starting to think maybe 'happily ever after' isn't as cheesy as I used to believe. "
I stare at him, the words warm and terrifying and perfect all at once. My lips slowly curve into a small, hopeful smile. "Careful. That sounds dangerously romantic."
"Guess you're rubbing off on me." He smirks. "Maybe there's a leading love interest in me yet."
I've fallen in love with a book character countless times. Swooning along with the female main characters. Yearning. Fantasizing.
Surrounded by the hum of other romance readers, I finally start to fall for the very first time in my real life. I've always believed that happily ever after exists, and that it's out there just waiting for us to stumble headfirst into our very own stories.
And this love story right here?
It's all mine.