Chapter 39
The Book Affair Literary Event is only two days away. Noah has chosen to work between my house and his hotel room, since Dylan is in town—and Sylvia.
Sylvia has made herself a fixture at my store, and has chosen Lily to be her minion.
Okay, minion is a harsh word, but really it’s true.
She has opinions on how the display should look and where the banner for her book should be.
Of course it’s wherever Noah’s already is.
Lily is smart enough to pull Katie into the conversation whenever she’s around.
Mrs. Packer’s store has had a near makeover, and I would have thought the woman would be a bent out of shape over the attention and having these youngsters touching her stuff. But she’s fine with it. I also think she’s eaten at least one batch of her own brownies to deal with it.
There has been a steady stream of customers for two days and Rachel has poked her head in to talk to me, but I don’t even have a moment. She seems okay with it, as she finds somewhere to be useful and digs right into any job.
I’m not sure I can deal with anything she has to say right now.
That book was not in the right state for an agent to look at it and want to represent it.
All of the harsh words I had for Noah seemed to have been forgotten the past few days.
I realized I could be mad when he was gone, there was no need to sour what we had with anger over something that could have the potential of something great.
“Emma, I saw some chairs at the antique store down the street that are just ah-mazing,” Sylvia sings out the word. “I’ve asked them to bring them up for our Q&A on Friday. We can put those others in the back or something.”
I know that I’m staring at the woman with wide eyes and a blank look by the way she begins to inch back. “I think we should call them and nix that. There is no room in the back for my other chairs,” I say.
“We could just put them outside for the few hours. No harm,” she says with a swish of her hand as if to wish it that way.
Katie must see us having this conversation because I notice her hurry toward us. “What’s up, ladies?”
I shift my eyes to Sylvia who purses her lips as if she’s intimidated by the always organized and put together Katie from New York.
Katie holds all the cards, and it kills Sylvia. And, as long as I don’t say a word, this will be hashed out in no time.
Sylvia composes herself and poses—yes, poses. “I was just telling Emma that the antique store will be bringing chairs over for my Q&A. They’re wonderful, and on loan of course. We can move the others out for the time being and arrange the area for my?—”
Katie holds up a finger, but the smile negates the curt gesture. “Your Q&A will be in the coffee shop. Only signings will be here, and that’s already set up,” she says full of that New York confidence she strolled in with three weeks ago.
“You know that coffee shop is too small for that event,” Sylvia scoffs. “Noah has multiple sessions and one is at the hotel.”
“Yes, his sales numbers are astronomical,” Katie says with great enthusiasm. “But even his Q&A here is at the coffee shop.”
Sylvia wrings her hands together as the door the store opens and Dylan and Noah walk through.
I see the expression on Noah’s face, and on any other day, he’d walk back out or take a detour.
But because we’ve been waking up together every morning for nearly the past two weeks, he drops his shoulders and heads to my side.
He’s not one for PDA, especially when he’s around colleagues, but today, he wraps an arm around my waist and kisses me gently on the cheek.
“This place is busy,” he says looking around, and I notice a few people notice him.
Sylvia’s shoulders push back. “We were just discussing a change of set up,” she says and I feel Noah stiffen next to me.
“Oh, I think Katie and the ladies have it all under control. Pretty amazing isn’t it?” he says and there is a pride that swells inside of me. This is my man. And just as quickly, the thought of the dwindling number of days I have left with him hits me as well.
Noah turns me toward him and takes my hands. “Go get your coat. We’re having lunch at the hotel.”
Before I can say anything, Sylvia steps a little closer. “I’ll get my coat too.”
Noah shakes his head. “Nah, this is just for me and Emma and Rachel.”
That has me giving his hands a squeeze. I haven’t been able to give her any of my time, and certainly this isn’t a good time either. But, Katie manages to shift Sylvia in another direction, and Dylan heads toward the coffee shop.
“Why are we having lunch with Rachel?” I ask.
“Because she hasn’t been able to pin you down for more than two minutes.”
“We’re too busy for this,” I argue.
“Nope, you’re due lunch. Lily and Julia are fine. Katie is here too. Dylan is staying if they need him.” His smile is wide. “Rachel needs to talk to you.”
“We never did fully discuss you giving her my book,” I say narrowing my eyes on him, but I’m not sure it’s as threatening as I intend.
He grins. “Are you going to be mad at me right now over it? I can stay here and work too if you’d rather.”
Hell no. I don’t want a moment away from him.
“Just tell me is she happy with it, or is she going to tell me to fix everything?”
He snickers at that, raises my fingers to his lips, and presses a kiss to them.
“Yes.”
I groan. “That’s not an answer to my question.”
“Honey, in this industry, no matter how excited they are about a project, they’re going to tell you to fix everything.
” He pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me and I loop mine around his neck.
“I’ll be there with you. And, I promise that you can dig your nails into my thigh under the table if you need to. ”
How could I pass up that kind of offer?
He presses his forehead to me, and even in the crowded store, I just don’t care who sees us. Being in this man’s arms fills me like nothing else ever has. This is a moment more intimate than sex or being wrapped up on my couch in the dark watching a movie.
I am still wrapped up in Noah when the door opens again. Out of the corner of my eye I watch as three women walk toward us, standing awkwardly as if waiting for us to break.
“Noah?” the woman, who is obviously the younger woman’s mother and probably the older woman’s daughter, says softly, causing him to turn his head. “Hi.”
Three sets of wide eyes scan over us and Noah all but pushes away from me.
“Hi. Hi,” he says again, stumbling over his words and nearly his own feet.
Suddenly that stiff and rigid man I met three weeks ago is standing between me and these three ladies.
His eyes which were bright as he pulled me to him are dark and sad again.
I swear, even the color of his skin has faded and he is paler.
Finally, he moves to hug each of them, but their eyes keep shifting back to me.
“What are you all doing here?” he finally asks.
“We wanted to support you. Another New York Times Best Seller and another movie. That’s a big deal,” the woman who had first spoken says.
He nods as if he’d again forgotten all of those things.
“This is a big trip for you,” he says to the older woman, kissing her on the cheek. Then he shifts his attention to the younger woman. “And you graduate next month?”
That’s when it hits me and I know who these people are. I know why he pushed away from me so quickly. I know why their eyes feel hot as if they’re judging me—because they are.
This is Abby’s mother. Abby’s sister. Abby’s niece.