Page 5 of Wicked Love

CHAPTER TWO

I’D READ THAT

POPPY

I walk into The Fairy Hut thinking I'll get a quick drink and an appetizer. I normally don't dine alone, but in Silver Hills, it doesn't feel as daunting as it did in Denver. I've lived here for several months, but I’m only just now getting settled. My job is between here and Denver, and moving to the Silver Hills side of work has been a breath of fresh air. I spent a lot of time with my parents over the holidays, tryingto talk them into making the move to Silver Hills too. I love this little town so much.

I hear laughter and then my name being called and turn to see Elle Benton…actually it’s Archer now, I think. And in the book world, she’s known as Zoey Archer. She’s a new author that I love. The funny thing is that I met her at the adorable bookstore, Twinkle Tales, before I knew she was an author, and then I saw her at a signing there a month later, where we hit it off even more.

“Poppy. Hi. Come join us.” She waves me over.

When I get closer, I see that Elle’s with a table full of women that I also met at Twinkle Tales and really liked—Sadie, Tru, and the owner, Calista. They look like they've been here for a while. The table is full of food and the waiter brings them another round of drinks. I walk to the table somewhat shyly but excited to see all of them. The two times I’ve talked to them, they all seemed like great humans.

“Hey, how's everyone doing?” I say, when I reach the table.

“We'regreat,” Sadie says ecstatically. “How are you?”

“I’m great too.” I laugh at how dramatically Sadie puts her hands on her chest with wide eyes when I say that I’m great.

“Yep, I’ve had somedranks,” she says, laughing.

“We all have,” Calista says, her smile wide.

“Here, pull up a chair,” Elle says.

They make room for me and I sit at the round table between Elle and Tru.

“We were just talking about book ideas for Zoey,” Tru says, winking at me. “She's shooting us down for a male/male romance based on Penn and Bowie.”

My eyes widen at the mention of Bowie. I can’t fight back a laugh.

“Well, I would certainly read that,” I say.

“So would I!” Elle says, laughing. “I’m just getting my feet wet with writing romance and creating a brand and all that. I’m not sure I'm capable of a MM yet…not that I don't love reading it.” She takes a drink and sets it down carefully when she starts laughing again. “Theyhavebeen talking about what I would write if I based a romance on them. Oh my God.” She can't stop laughing with the rest of us. “I wonder what they’d think if I put them together. Oh, girls, this might be too good to resist.”

We all crack up. The waiter comes by to get my drink order and as soon as he leaves, Sadie talks about how we could throw a party celebrating their love.

“It’s too good,” Tru says. “Please do it, Elle. If you don't do it, someone has to. There's got to be fan fiction somewhere out there with this already. Two hotties from the Mustangs who can’t get enough of each other?” She snorts and nearly chokes on her mocktail.

“What is his story anyway?” I ask. “I mean, what istheirstory?”

“Ah,” Elle looks at me knowingly, “I can guess which oneyou'remore interested in based on the little interaction I saw at the signing.”

My cheeks heat.

“Bowie is such a good guy,” she continues. “One of the best people I know. Very stoic, very serious.” Her voice dips low when she saysstoicandserious. “But when it comes to his daughter Becca, he lights up like the morning sun. He would doanythingfor that girl or his friends. And we happen to be the happy recipients of that since he loves our men.” Elle smiles warmly at me. “He needs a good woman.”

My body feels feverish just thinking about Bowie Fox. That man has been hard to get out of my head after we talkedat Twinkle Tales. It wasn't as if he said anything profound or that he showed any interest in me whatsoever; in fact, he was possibly annoyed by my mere presence. But just being near the guy made me tongue-tied. He’s entirely too good-looking for me to maintain any sense. He looks like a Viking god, stern and towering, with broad shoulders and chin-length blond hair that waves away from his face. It’s the kind of hair you just want to get lost in.

I sigh and look around, hoping these women can’t tell where my thoughts have derailed.

Unlike her dad, Bowie’s daughter, Becca, was not annoyed by me at all. We hit it off in a big way, with her inviting me over to dinner and everything. She’s a dreamy little girl. Bowie shut that down fast. I’d really hoped he would bring her to Briar Hill though, so I could spend more time with her. In just the little time I was around her, I could tell she’d love to be part of all the activities we do over there.

“Did you guys know there’s a social media account called BHOTD?” Sadie looks around at each of us. When we shake our heads, she says, “It stands for Bowie’s Hair of the Day.”

That makes us laugh all over again. I’m laughing just as hard and I’m only having a mocktail. The name and description got me—Love Potion #1. It’s delicious—pink, with raspberries and watermelon. But it’s the company of these women and talking about Bowie Fox that has me feeling almost giddy.

“He does have amazing hair,” I say quietly. And the prettiest brown eyes I’ve ever seen…with full, perfect lips…

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