“Thanks. We are pretty adorable, aren’t we?” He bit back his laughter when Cameron started to cough behind him.
“Behave,” Cameron grumbled, giving him a light shove before hurrying away toward the back of the room.
“Don’t worry,” he told the young woman as she passed her book to him. “He’s just shy.”
Thirty minutes later, his coffee had cooled, his right hand was starting to go numb, and his stomach growled in protest that he’d skipped dinner. Thankfully, the crowd in the library was starting to thin, and the line had dwindled to only a few more readers. Exhausted, he’d started keeping his small talk to a minimum, trying to strike a balance between politely indulgent and hurry-the-fuck-up. So far, no one had appeared offended, so he figured he was doing a pretty decent job of it.
When the next book slid onto the table in front of him, he pulled it closer and flipped over the front cover. “Who should I sign this to?”
“You can make it out to Suzy.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Suzy.” Once he was certain his smile wouldn’t look as tired or frazzled as he felt, he lifted his head to greet her. “Thanks for coming out to—”
“Hello, Ashley.”
Forcing himself to remain seated, to not panic and bolt from the room, he managed to croak a single word. “Mother.”
Chapter Eleven
Hidden in a shadowycorner by the refreshment table, Cameron stared out over the emptying library with a satisfied grin.
The night had been an even bigger success than he’d anticipated, and Asher had been absolutely radiant. He’d known that once the nerves settled Asher’s natural charisma would shine through, and he hadn’t been wrong. The man could charm the damn stars from the sky, and he’d certainly delighted his fans.
They’d welcomed more than four hundred guests, and while Cameron didn’t have the final tally yet, he estimated they’d raised nearly $10,000 for the library. Linda was already talking about hosting more signings in the future, and she’d been going around the room, asking readers which authors they’d most like to see come to Mission Grove.
Cameron grinned into his coffee. Asher had breathed new life into the town’s neglected library, and he didn’t even know it.
It wasn’t just eager fans who had turned out, either. Plenty of people from Mission Grove had shown up to offer their support. He’d even spotted Derek and Tyler standing along the back wall during the question andanswer part of the night. It saddened him a little that he hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with them before they’d left, but his heart swelled with love and gratitude just knowing they’d been there.
Nico’s schedule hadn’t allowed him to stay for more than a few minutes, but honestly, Cameron had been surprised he’d shown up at all. Nico had a lot of good qualities, but a love of books wasn’t one of them.
Luke hadn’t been able to make it because he’d been on shift at the clinic. He had, however, texted Cameron while Asher had been reading from one of his books to offer his congratulations and demand they send him lots of pictures. It had actually been really sweet.
Of course, Cameron’s parents had been there, and Sarah Stone had clapped the loudest of anyone. As far as Cameron knew, his mother had never read the Marshall Kane series, but she’d sat there in the front row, beaming up at Asher, as proud as if he was her own son.
He really did have the best parents in the world. He doubted there was a lost soul on the planet they weren’t willing to adopt into the Stone family.
The only person who had been suspiciously absent was his sister. She’d texted to say she wasn’t feeling well and was sorry she’d have to miss the event, but she hadn’t offered any other details. He’d tried asking her what was wrong, but she’d just sent back a smiley face and told him to wish Asher luck for her.
There was definitely something up with her lately, but he had a lifetime of experience to know that she wouldn’t tell him anything until she was good and ready. Still, he couldn’t help but worry.
“Hello, Cameron Stone.”
Lost in thought, he was too startled by the greeting to hide his reaction. He laughed.
“Hello, Willow.” He didn’t know why she insisted on always using his first and last name. As far as he knew, she didn’t do it with anyone else. “How are you tonight?”
“I’m very well, thank you.”
Dressed in a knee-length black dress with gold stitching and long, bell sleeves, she looked every bit the witch people accused her of being. She’d pulled her fiery hair back into its usual braid for the evening, though she’d left a couple of strands loose in the front to curl around her heart-shaped face. The green, glittering thread she’d woven through the strands was a nice touch, especially when they glinted in the light every time she moved.
“Thank you for helping out tonight. I really appreciate it.”
“It was my pleasure.” She tugged absently at the amethyst stone hanging from a leather cord around her neck. “Thank you for the opportunity. I hope being more active in the community will help business.”
It was such a normal thing to say that Cameron blinked at her for a full thirty seconds before responding. “The Witch’s Brew serves the best coffee in town,” he said honestly. “Everyone knows that. You’re just—”
“Weird.”
