Chapter 6
As promised, and promptly at three o’clock, Katie walks through the door.
I can’t help but be envious of her professional look and her youthful glow.
Looking completely out of place in her heels and suit, she commands the space around her. She’s in charge, and I don’t think there is a soul that wouldn’t let her take charge of any situation.
Just as she was yesterday, when she stepped out of the car, her phone is pressed to her ear. She walks to the counter answering the person on the other end of the call with, “Yes. Okay. Done. Thank you.”
With a strong breath out and a smile now taking over her lips, she pulls off her sunglasses and smiles in my direction. “Who doesn’t love event planning?”
It’s not so much a question as it is a statement. She loves her job and all the little pieces and parts.
Katie sets an enormous canvas bag on the counter, as well as her commuter bag. She then proceeds to pull out a large three ring binder. “Are we okay to look at this right here?” She looks around the store. “I assume you get busier in an hour or so?”
“I’ll have a few people wander in before dinner rush in town.”
“Perfect,” she says, opening up the notebook. “The next few weeks are going to be glorious chaos. But everything is planned. This is where we get to tweak it so it fits your store and the town.”
The door behind me rattles, creaks, and then opens with enough force to have Katie jumping back.
Noah wrinkles his nose as he steps out. “Sorry,” he says looking back at the door.
“Old buildings, huh?” Katie says.
“My handyman is going to fix it tonight,” I say, looking in Noah’s direction.
His eyes go wide, and that’s when I notice Katie’s expression matches his. Did that come across as intimate? Did I cross a line?
“He said he’d fix the door,” I say and Katie smiles that same quirky smile she had when he’d arrived unannounced.
“Impressive,” she says.
Noah shrugs. “Least I can do.” He eyes her notebook. “Do you mind if I listen in to your meeting?”
Katie opens her notebook. “I don’t mind at all. Same as usual, and you’ve done enough of these to know the drill,” she says.
“Sure have,” he says, and I wonder if that’s why he wants in at this stage.
Is he usually present two weeks in advance? Does he work on location before these kinds of events or is this a special circumstance?
Katie takes a beat before she dives into the specifics of the planning.
Each section of the notebook is dedicated to either one of the locations where an event will take place, or to the author who will be there. I’d like to think my organization skills are good—well, good enough—but Katie Stevens puts my skills to shame.
“There will be five different signings here,” she says and then points toward Noah’s poster on the counter. “I assume he’s outselling the others?”
I notice Noah’s body stiffen next to me, but the truth is, she’s right. “At least five to one,” I say.
Katie turns her smile in Noah’s direction. “You never disappoint,” she says and I watch as those circles under his eyes darken and he swallows hard.
“There will be a day,” he promises. “I think I’m going to go next door and get some coffee … maybe from the back of the store.”
To that I snort out a laugh, but of course, Katie doesn’t understand the joke.
“Can I get either of you something?”
I shake my head, but Katie pulls her wallet from her commuter bag. “Iced latte, large,” she says handing him a ten dollar bill.
“I’ll get it,” Noah offers.
Katie shakes her head. “I’d rather pay. And thank you for offering.”
Noah puts the bill in his front pocket, picks up his plate, and heads toward Mrs. Packer’s.
Katie watches him disappear. “He’s not bothering you, is he?”
I can only imagine my expression shows the surprise I am feeling by her question. “No. No, not at all.”
She turns a page in the binder. “He’s a moody one. I’m used to that. Authors are introverts by nature in a career that puts them on display. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But him …”
She lets it hang there. “Why is he so moody?” I have to ask. I mean I’m sharing space with the man for the next few weeks.
Katie looks back toward the doorway to Mrs. Packer’s. “He always was, I hear. It’s not that he’s unkind, just comes across as grumpy, abrasive?”
Oh, I’ve seen the unkind side. Well, via email. I can’t say I’ve seen that in the man that’s been hanging out in my office though.
“After his wife died, I guess his whole world took a turn. So instead of a mood, it’s just how he is now.”
“He lost his wife?”
“Breast cancer, maybe eight years ago.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. “That’s devastating.”
“Almost ruined him. But, he drew from the pain I guess. His next six books have hit the charts at number one on presale and stayed there for weeks. Four of them have been optioned for movies. He’s the real deal. So, you put up with his moods and go on.”
Because it’s playing over in my head, the comment about me not telling the women in the store that I thought he was sexy, I have to ask. “Does he date a lot?”
Katie actually chortles at that. “Carter?” She snorts out his last name.
“Are you kidding me? This is the most outside his space I’ve ever seen him.
Usually he holes up in his apartment and never leaves, unless he’s doing one of these events or publicity.
I think the last time I personally saw him out and about was when I met him on the set of the Today Show.
Otherwise, I assume he’s holding himself hostage in his apartment. ”
Opening my own business—my bookstore—for me was a refuge of sorts, just to get me out of the house after my husband left me. Without it, I suppose I would hold myself hostage inside my house too.
I watch as Noah returns from the coffee shop with a large iced latte in one hand, and a large coffee in the other, with a brownie balanced atop it.
He hands Katie her latte for which she thanks him.
He hands me the brownie. “She said this is on the house and it came from the back. She said that with a wink.”
I can feel the flush of my cheeks as they heat. “That woman,” I laugh and I notice the smile that slides across his mouth.
Katie is watching the interaction with too much interest, so I have to let her in on it.
“Mrs. Packer makes her own edibles. If you order anything from ‘the back of the store,’ that’s what you’ll get.”
She turns to Noah. “You ordered that?” Her voice rises in volume and pitch.
“Not my style, really,” he says, but unoffended. “She was just making friendly, I suppose.”
“Does she do that?” Katie now wears a mask of panic. “Are tourists going to come here and get drugged?”
I shake my head adamantly. “Oh no. No. She would never do that. In fact, only a few people know about the back counter. I’m not sure why she sent this over.” Except that I can imagine she knows I’m probably stressing this event more than I should.
Katie blows out a breath. “Okay then. I don’t want anyone feeling as if that’s something they have to worry about.”
Noah shoots me a grin as he lifts his coffee to his lips and disappears back into the office, fully closing the door behind him.
I tuck the brownie under the counter. I’ll save it for Lily, who doesn’t mind unwinding that way.
Katie gets back to explaining the event in more detail and flipping through the pages of her well-constructed and organized notebook.
I don’t know if I’m hanging on her every word so that things run smoothly, or if I’m trying to pick up on tips to become more organized.