Chapter 46
The bookstore is packed. Mrs. Packer’s store is full of people. There is a line down the street.
My heart races as Lily moves through the crowd with a small plate of food and shoves it at me.
“Eat this. You need your energy before you do the Q&A,” she says.
“Oh-my-god! This is out of control,” I say, taking the small plate of snacks and looking out over the crowd.
“Yeah, and this is only Sylvia. This isn’t Noah.”
I blink hard and take that in. “You think there’ll be more people tomorrow for Noah?”
Her brows draw in and she looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Um, yeah. Haven’t you seen the pictures of the events at the hotel? He draws the crowd. He’s the headliner here.”
I have to swallow hard because nerves are stuck in my throat. No wonder he was so out of sorts earlier.
Lily takes my arm and escorts me into my office.
“Sit down and eat. I have Grace, Amy, and Dorothy working the crowd. Amy has retail skills like mad, so she’s selling stuff.
Dorothy is boasting that she’s Noah’s mother-in-law, so it’s kind of funny that she’s drawing attention away from Sylvia, but not in a harmful way. ”
She looks at the chair behind the desk and then at the plate. “Eat. I’ll be back for you in fifteen minutes and we’ll get the Q&A started.”
I can only nod at this point. I’m no longer in control of anything that’s happening.
When I’d texted Grace about helping, she called me. They hadn’t expected to be part of the event but they were excited to be asked. Noah is a very lucky man to have them in his life, and I know I’m lucky to have them in mine as well.
As promised, there is a knock at the office door fifteen minutes after Lily shut me in, but it’s Katie that walks through. Again, she’s dressed like New York and I’m instantly jealous. This woman’s closet is fire.
“Are you ready?” she asks, her bright red painted lips curled up into a smile.
“I am.”
“Wonderful. I hope it’s okay that Noah isn’t here,” she says and that smile fades.
“We talked about it. He didn’t think it was a good idea for him to be here.”
She nods. “I think he was right. It’s enough to have his mother-in-law working the crowd.”
I can’t tell if she’s humored by it or annoyed. Either way, I’d never ask Dorothy to leave.
“Sylvia is in your back room warming up as if she’s going to sing some opera,” Katie says shaking her head. “Dylan was headed to Noah’s hotel to work with him on his book. Rachel is here to support you in any way you need. I think we’re ready to roll.”
I draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly before opening the top drawer of my desk to pull out my lip balm. That’s when I see the sticky note laying there.
Good luck tonight! I love you! N~
I can feel the heat rise in my cheeks and spread across my chest as I take out the lip balm, apply it, and close the drawer with the note still inside.
That man …
Mrs. Packer’s store is wall to wall people. Through the doorway, I can see that my store is full as well, and there is a line at the door for people wanting to get in for the signing. Amy is with Julia behind the counter. Dorothy is in the front row of the Q&A—talk about pressure.
I don’t know where Grace is, but no doubt she’s being helpful.
My heart is so full at the moment, and it isn’t until Katie puts a hand on my shoulder that I realize it’s time to begin.
I’d been handed a microphone that’s connected to a small sound system that was set up in the coffee shop and another speaker is in my store as well. This way no one misses out on the Q&A.
I introduce myself and Sylvia, who looks at me as if we’re the dearest of friends, and not like we’ve kissed the same man. But now isn’t the time for me to think about that.
When Katie gave me Sylvia’s questions, I had studied them, made notes, and practiced their delivery. But right before we sit down in the chairs that are from my store, and not the ones Sylvia had managed to convince the antique store to lend us, she hands me new questions.
These questions talk more about her new series coming out, which she admits isn’t even contracted yet. She goes off script and talks about her huge fan base and how amazing they are and how they gather just for her.
When I shoot Katie a wary glance she’s pinching the bridge of her nose.
Did Sylvia just hijack this whole event claiming that no one else was worthy of the draw?
I continue with the questions which include topics like her new dog, favorite teas, and how she’s shopping her books for scripts.
I don’t know who her agent is or if they’re in attendance, but she sounds a bit rogue.
In the last ten minutes, we open it up to questions from the audience.
They ask about her recent releases. They want to know about certain characters. But the last question has me shaking.
“I’d heard a rumor that you’re involved with Noah Carter. I want to know all about that,” the young woman, who is standing to the side of the room, a Noah Carter book pressed against her chest, asks Sylvia.
My mouth goes dry.
I try not to look directly at Dorothy, but I can see from the corner of my eye that she narrows her eyes at Sylvia.
Sylvia swats her hand in the air and lets out an airy laugh. “Oh, that Noah. What a playboy, huh?”
My insides twist and I realize I’m gripping the notes in my hand so tight I’ve crinkled them.
“I don’t like to kiss and tell ,” Sylvia says with emphasis and there are giggles from those who are enamored by Noah. “But come through the signing line and maybe I’ll let you in on it.”
Katie’s hand comes to my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. I don’t know if it’s a signal to wrap everything up or if it’s her way of standing in solidarity with me.
Seriously, when I’d met Sylvia in Noah’s room, I thought she understood the dynamics.
I thought Noah had told her all about us.
Then again, I thought Noah had told me all about Sylvia.
What more is there to say? Why is she playing it up like this?
This says there was much more than a kiss, but that’s not what Noah had said.
Katie reaches for my microphone and lifts it to her lips.
“Let’s give Sylvia a big round of applause as well as our host, and up-and-coming author, Emma Reynolds, owner of The Reading Nook.” The crowd applauds as they all stand and begin to make their way to the bookstore to line up.
Sylvia is flocked with adoring fans, and Katie doesn’t redirect them. Instead, she moves me to the side.
Sure to turn off the microphone, she sets it on the seat I’d occupied.
“Don’t let her get into your head,” she says touching my arm. “That was uncalled for.”
I’m shaking and I can’t even catch my breath. “I know they had something.”
Katie narrows her eyes on me. “Did he tell you that?”
“Well,” I say and think of what he told me and his reaction to Sylvia being there. “He said they kissed once.”
“Yeah, and that’s all it was,” she assures me as if she absolutely knows. “I’m going to work the signing. You have a full staff. You go to him. I think it’s better that neither of you are here in this moment.”
I nod. I’m grateful for Katie’s attention to this, even if it wasn’t what she wanted in the first place.
Dorothy makes her way to us. “What is that woman talking about? Her and Noah?”
Katie rests her hand on Dorothy’s arm. “It’s nothing. She’s a bit delusional,” she says.
Dorothy nods. “Yeah, because that man isn’t in love with her, he’s in love with this one right here,” she says lifting her head in my direction.
My eyes sting with Dorothy’s words. “Oh, I don’t know about?—”
She holds up a hand to stop me. “I know what he looks like when he’s in love.” She winks. “He looked at my Abby the same way he looks at you. After she died, he looked lost. He doesn’t look lost anymore.”
My heart is thudding in my chest and I can’t help but pull Abby’s mother into me and hug her.
When I pull back she touches my cheek. “Go to him. I’ll go work this woman’s signing table. We’ll see how much she says when the mother of Noah Carter’s late wife is handing her the books to sign.”
Katie actually snorts out a laugh and takes Dorothy’s arm. “Oh my god, you’re hired. This is going to be the best two hours of the entire event,” she says, nearly cackling as she leads Dorothy away.