Page 27 of Novel Problems

Hannah ran her hand through her hair, chewing on her lip. “I, uh…because I’m…”

I clenched my jaw, waiting for her to continue.

Just when I’d thought Hannah had forgotten the question, she spoke.

“Because I’m H. M. Stuart,” Hannah rushed out so quickly my mind didn’t initially process the words.

I stared at her blankly.

“Because you are H. M. Stuart,” I repeated slowly. My eyebrows shot up as the words finally sank in. “Wait, what?”

Hannah looked flustered. “My real name is Hannah Marie Taylor. My pen name is H. M. Stuart. I wrote this book.” She held up a copy ofThe Realm of Furies.

My mental gears ground slowly, still groggy from sleep. Hannah was H. M. Stuart? H. M. Stuart was Hannah? I blinked a few times and considered pinching myself to double check this wasn’t a dream.

A swirl of emotions rushed through my mind. Surprise at Hannah’s revelation. Hurt that Hannah hadn’t told me who she was sooner. Confusion as to why Hannah had snuck into Novel Gossip in the middle of the night. Anger at the fright she’d given me. I rested my hand on the nearest bookshelf for support.

“Then what…why…why didn’t you say something earlier?” I asked.

“I…It’s complicated.” Hannah looked up at the ceiling.

Frustration rose up my body.How complicated can it be?

I’d really thought that over the past three days Hannah and I had developed a genuine connection, one that was based on trust and mutual respect. So why had she gone to such great lengths to hide who she was from me?

Hannah dropped her gaze and looked at me, tears welling in her eyes. She twisted her hands together. “I’m so sorry. I really screwed up.”

Hannah looked so despondent that some of my anger and frustration evaporated. Despite my conflicting emotions, my urge to comfort Hannah grew. I took a deep breath.

“Hey. Why don’t I make us both a hot drink and you can tell me all about it?” I asked gently. Maybe there was some rational explanation. I just couldn’t, for the life of me, think of what it could be.

Hannah nodded and stood up, her gaze dropping briefly to my legs.

My face heated as I suddenly became aware that I was in my boxers and a t-shirt in front of my employee who, despite her late night subterfuge, I was undeniably attracted to. The employee whose hands had been on my butt earlier tonight. The employee who had just revealed she was none other than H. M. Stuart. My favorite author, who I’d thought was a man.God, that’s embarrassing.My brain felt like it might explode. It was the middle of the night and I was in no state to process all this new information.

I picked up the knife—I didn’t want a customer to get a nasty shock tomorrow while browsing the young-adult section—and made my way back down the aisle, Hannah following.

Ten minutes later, Hannah and I were sitting face to face across one of the tables, nursing hot chocolates, while Hannah explained from the beginning what had happened. How she’d misheard me initially due to a hearing impairment, and then found it hard to tell me why she was really there, and how she’d been surprised by just how much she enjoyed working at Novel Gossip. As she spoke, she kept jiggling her legs, tapping her index finger on the table, and averting her gaze.

“I’m so sorry. I feel terrible I misled you,” Hannah concluded, her voice faltering as she made direct eye contact with me.

While feelings of anger and hurt still remained, it was clear she hadn’t set out to deceive me. It seemed like she was someone who had a hard time saying no or speaking up for herself. Hannah blinked away tears, and my heart softened even further.

I reached out and squeezed her hand resting on the table. “Hey. Look, I obviously wish you’d felt comfortable telling me the truth instead of giving me a heart attack by sneaking into Novel Gossip in the middle of the night, but to be honest, it didn’t turn out too badly for me.” I smiled at her. “If you hadn’t accepted the job and had just come in, signed the books, and left, I would have been completely screwed. Having your help over the past three days while Ben has been sick has been a godsend.”

Hannah managed a weak smile. “I’m so sorry I scared you. I really should have spoken up earlier.” She shook her head and laughed. “I can’t believe I let it get to the point where I was breaking and entering.” Her face turned serious. “I guess I should probably make an appointment to see my therapist.”

I wasn’t going to argue with that. Therapists had helpedme through some of the most difficult periods of my life, including my break-up with Alexis. And I was relieved that Hannah realized that the whole situation had gotten out of hand, even if I still didn’t understand why she’d gone to such great lengths to keep her identity secret.

My curiosity got the better of me. “If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you want to people to know about your pen name?” I asked.

Hannah’s eyes dropped to her mug of hot chocolate.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it—or want to save it for your therapist,” I said. As intrigued as I was, perhaps 4 a.m. wasn’t the best time to ask a question like this.

Hannah looked up and gave me a small smile. “No, it’s okay. The short answer is that I’m an introvert and really don’t like attention.”

“Couldn’t you still just tell people who you are, but not do book events and that type of thing?” I asked.

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