Jackie smiles at me. “Thanks, Drew. And it’s a nice problem to have.” She’s right, I’ve never really had it pointed out to me so obviously how popular my books are. Sure, the seven-figure royalties payment arrives monthly, and that tells me how successful my earlier releases have been, but still, the magnitude has never really sunk in. Maybe this book tour isn’t going to be as bad as I thought it would be. Now I only need Katie to turn up, and then I’ll feel even better.
We’ve been messaging regularly over the last month, but since our disastrous last meeting at the Christmas gala in New York, I haven’t seen her. I’ve wanted to ask her on a date, but each time I was about to, something came up. Then, the one time I did go into the office to meet with Jackie, she happened to be away at some meeting. I figured she was avoiding me, so I didn’t bother making the trip up from Cornwall again.
I know I’ve still got some work to do with Katie if she’s to forgive me for pushing her away. I thought that explaining why would repair the damage, but I guess she needs more. I didn’t realize exactly how much I’d hurt her until New York. Now I’m going to have to prove to her that I’m not the callous playboy she initially took me for. I have to win her trust, because I’d like to see where this could go between us.
This book signing tour is probably my last chance to show her that I don’t see her as just my plaything, like she accused. Maybe in the past I could have been called out for treating women as casual flings, though I was always clear that I wasn’t looking for anything more, but not Katie. Since the very first kiss, and that first night in her hotel room, she has felt special.
If circumstances hadn’t gotten in the way, I’m sure we could have gone on to date. But that night, the universe had other plans for me. The accident certainly made me want to do things differently. Live my life in full color instead of in muted shades like I had been.
Now that I’ve recovered and the new book is released, it’s time to gather up all those other loose ends of my life and weave them into a future.
I’ve got one week to make things right with Katie, and it starts this afternoon.
Another bookshop, and while the sights and smells are similar to this morning, this place has a whole different vibe. The shop floor is way smaller, the shelves more tightly packed, and the books less aligned, like they’ve been well thumbed. The books, too, are not just your run-of-the-mill high street finds and there’s not a flashy coffee table book in sight. Even the readers lining up for me to sign their books are a more eclectic group.
This is the kind of bookshop that I like to explore on weekends. It takes me back to my local library, where I spent a lot of my time growing up. The dusty, dry scent of paper and cardboard was strangely comforting. I’ve always loved books, and if I wasn’t outdoors kicking a ball around with my friends, that was where I hung out. Me, slouched in one peeling leather chair, Aaron in the one opposite, like a couple of old men rather than your typical teenage boys. Being into books meant we stayed out of trouble with the local constabulary too. We were never bored at the library, unlike our friends, who were always being rounded up and dropped home in the back of a squad car.
My smile comes more easily as, one after another, the customers place copies of my paperback on the desk in front of me. Either I’m more used to the routine now or this store is making me feel more comfortable. I think I’m actually enjoying myself. Who’d have thought it?
I look up at the twentysomething man in front of me who is saying the book is for his dad, and from the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of long dark hair flowing over a ruby-red coat. I know it’s Katie before she even turns fully in my direction. It’s the way she holds her slim shoulders, the way her long, elegant fingers comb through those glossy dark locks. A waft of her fresh, sweet perfume is carried to me on the puff of cool air that snuck through the open door behind her. It teases me into action.
“Sorry, could you repeat that name again?” I completely missed the name I need to write on the book, too distracted by Katie’s arrival. I quickly finish signing the book and hand it back to the guy. Then, before the next person steps forward, I excuse myself, saying I just need to stretch my legs for a minute.
It’s not a complete lie, as my right leg does lock up when I sit for long periods of time. I duck behind the sign with a giant-size closeup of my face on it. I’d rather have had a giant cover of my book than be confronted by my face everywhere, but apparently, my face will sell more books according to Jackie. At this point, I don’t care what’s on the signage as long as it gives me some degree of privacy as I come face to face with Katie for the first time since Christmas.
“Katie?”
“Drew …” My name is released from her lips on a whimper, but it’s the almost imperceptible shake of her head that has me dropping my hand back to my sides.
She clears her throat, then in her boss lady voice asks, “How is the signing going?”
“Good, I think … Don’t tell Jackie, but I’m kind of enjoying myself.”
She smiles. “Who’d have thought the moody Scotsman would enjoy meeting his fans?”
“Settle down. I’m not moody,” I grumble but continue to grin down at her.
She laughs, and when her head tilts back to look at me, her eyes are sparkling as bright as the stars on a clear night over the ocean in Cornwall. I can’t resist the temptation to reach up with my thumb to gently touch the corner of her perfect pout. She stills instantly, the blinking of her eyes the only movement. I want to kiss those lips again, but I’m conscious of the fact that we’re here in a bookshop with her staff nearby, so I do nothing more.
She presses her lips together, then says softly, “You should get back to those adoring fans of yours.”
I nod, and when she goes to walk past me, I encircle her wrist with my palm before bending to whisper in her ear, “I’ve missed you.” It’s a spur-of-the-moment thing, and I can’t help noticing the way she shivers slightly at my words.
I feel lighter on the walk back to my chair to complete the signings. With Katie at my side this time.
Chapter twenty
Katie
Secondsisallittook for me to melt under Drew’s touch again. I’m so pathetic. And now I have to sit next to him, pretending I can do his version of friendship and it won’t rip my heart out every time he leaves to return to his life as a hermit.
What’s killing me more is the way he charms every female who steps up to get her book signed. I don’t know why he had such a big issue with doing this, because he’s a natural.
I slip my phone out of my bag and send a message to my group chat with Sarah, Allie, and Dana.
Me:Help, girls. I’ve been here a hot minute, and already I want to do dirty things with Drew.
The girls are the best, but lately, I suspect I’ve put our friendship to the test. My texting in the lead up to my first face-to-face with Drew has become a bit obsessive and probably damn annoying. I know I’d be frustrated by me. My concern about seeing Drew again has been out of control. It’s been hard to concentrate on anything else. I’ve worried about everything from how we will greet each other all the way through to whether we’ll end up having sex again. I still haven’t landed on the answer to that million-dollar question.
