Love on Loan – J.C. Hannigan #2
“Not every story needs to have a romantic element to it. If you were looking for that, you shouldn’t have picked up a dark paranormal thriller,” Atticus responded gruffly.
I swivelled to look at Betty. She batted away his grumpiness with a delicate wave of her hand.
“Ah, but you see, how can the town truly fight the evil embedded in it without those connections that drive them to fight for their relationships?” Betty asked.
I whirled to see Atticus’s reaction. He blinked, as if he’d never truly considered that, then cleared his throat and leaned forward.
“The townsfolk want to defeat the evil witches to be free of their control, and that is their motivation to keep fighting. It’s dangerously distracting for them to form authentic relationships whilst being controlled by evil.
As I said, I don’t write whimsy or romance.
I write about the darker side of humanity—greed, control, possession. ”
“And you do it very well,” Betty nodded in agreement, a mischievous smile on her lips as her gaze darted to the side of the room—to ostensibly lock in on me—before returning to Atticus.
“I just think you’ll find, in time, that love can be the motivation, too.
Often, a stronger motivation to defeat the evils of the world. ”
Atticus’s smile was defiant—a challenge. “We’ll see what happens as the series progresses.”
Betty glanced toward me again, and she whispered something to Dorothy and Alice, who also glanced in my direction, nodding in earnest. I shrank as much as I could against the shelves, trying to disappear within them. I didn’t like the scheming looks on the Hartley triplets’ faces.
Another person raised a hand.
“Yes?”
“So, there will be more books in The Witches of Coldwater Bay series?”
“Of course, they may have won the battle, but the war is far from over. The witches of Coldwater Bay will be back,” Atticus answered with a terse nod to the applauding crowd.
After the Q they were so irresistible.
I grabbed a plate and snagged a few before drifting toward the drinks for some hot chocolate.
“Arwen! There you are! We were hoping to catch you before we had to leave.” Betty’s booming voice had me freezing mid bite. I turned slowly.
“Er, hi, Betty. Alice, Dorothy,” I said when I managed to swallow. “How are you ladies doing?”
“Very well, thank you,” Dorothy smiled, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “We noticed you and Atticus engaged in conversation…”
“Ah, yes, he’s talking to lots of readers,” I pointed out, tilting my head in his general direction.
“Yes, but he seemed very interested in talking to you. I think I saw him smile!” Alice declared.
“Well, he did. But more so because he was amused by my name.” I shifted uncomfortably, regretting my evergreen decision to stay and help my parents clean up after events rather than flee to my cozy apartment above the bookstore.
The Hartley triplets exchanged knowing looks, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. A strange sort of awareness blanketed me.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I sense a little something between the two of you,” Betty said, thankfully keeping her voice down low. The last thing I needed was whispers of their “premonitions” and “inklings” to get out.
“Hah, uh, no.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Alice arched her thin, penciled eyebrow. “It might have been a while since we’ve been in action, but we definitely recognize how to tell if a man is interested.”
“Okay, well, anyway. I think I hear Mom calling,” I said. “It was great seeing you all! Talk soon!” I took off as quickly as my feet would carry me, walking over to my mother to make my excuse look more genuine.
“Did you get a chance to talk to Atticus?” Mom asked, smiling at me. She didn’t acknowledge that the Hartley sisters had been talking to me, although I was certain she’d seen them. Mom felt they were harmless old ladies and didn’t put much stock in the witchy folklore of their ancestors.
“I did, he told me to get in contact with Julie,” I replied, trying not to let the disappointment show in my voice.
“That’s good! Julie handles his schedule,” Mom nodded. “Your father had to go through her too.”
“Yes, true,” I glanced back at Atticus. He glanced up seeing the line was getting shorter, and seemed relieved about that. He looked my way, making immediate eye contact with me.
I hated how weak my knees felt.
Atticus
I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off the busty brunette. From the moment I’d walked into the bookstore and had seen her leaning against the bookshelves along the far wall, I had been drawn to her.
There wasn’t anything notably different or outstanding about her. She was gorgeous, yes, but I’d encountered many beautiful women over the years. No, there was something else about her—a gravitational pull.
Arwen Love. Even her name captivated me, and not just because I’m a longtime fan of LOTR. It just suited her.
She was dressed in a pair of high-waisted light-wash jeans and a cardigan; her outfit wasn’t overtly sexual, and yet, I couldn’t help but think about peeling those layers off her and peeking at what was hidden beneath them.
I bet her skin was as milky as moonlight. I wanted to get lost counting the constellations of freckles dotting her nose and upper cheeks.
When she’d asked me to come out for a book club meeting, it’d taken everything in me to remain nonchalant and direct her to Julie. I’d wanted to say yes, simply to see her again. But public engagements made me feel itchy—like my skin was too tight.
I needed to give myself a chance to consider the event. Though the hopeful look in her green eyes made me weak.
With the line finally coming to an end, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. I was thankful for my readers, it was just…my social battery drained incredibly fast, especially when surrounded by strangers.
Julie thanked everyone for coming, closing out the event for those who lingered by the refreshment table. Although she’d set up my banner on her own, I helped her take it down.
“It was a great turnout, Atticus! I told you it would be. You should consider doing more of these events,” Julie said, keeping her voice low.
“I don’t know about that,” I sighed, folding down the pole and slipping it into the bag. “You know how these things exhaust me.”
“Yeah, but just think of what it could do for your career! I was able to get a lot of great photos and video clips for social media, and I just know that other bookstores will show an interest in having you.”