Page 61 of Novel Problems

“Ha! That’s the way I felt about you too.” George gave me a squeeze. “Remember how stressed out I was about the prospect of meeting H. M. Stuart?”

“Little did you know you’d already met H. M. Stuart.” I laughed at the memory. It felt like months rather than weeks ago.

George squeezed my hand. “Hey, thanks again for organizing this. I think it’s going to be a really good night.”

The first of our guests started to trickle in. Within fifteen minutes, the rows of seats were nearly full. The time we’d spent putting flyers up around Main Street and in neighboring towns had paid off. I jumped behind the counter to start serving drinks while Chris and George, who was tonight’s interviewer, took their seats on the stage.

Watching Chris, so poised and impressive, answering each of George’s questions thoughtfully and clearly, I couldn’t help feeling a little envious. I wished that I had theconfidence required to get up in front of a crowd and answer questions. But even the thought made my insides clench. As much as I’d like to be like that, I wasn’t.

When it came down to it, I was perfectly content, in fact, and I much preferred my quiet, under-the-radar, existence in Sapphire Springs. My gaze drifted to George, enthusiastically asking Chris another question about their book, and my chest filled with warmth. I still found it hard to believe just how well things had worked out. An amazing girlfriend, a new job and friends I loved. My manuscript was nearly done, and unlessThe Realm of Furiesflopped next week, Barb’s future was hopefully secure, at least for now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

GEORGE

Max and I both bounded down the hallway to greet Hannah.

“Hey, babe.” I kissed her. “How did your writing go?”

“Good! I’ve only got a couple of chapters to review, and then I’m done.” Hannah grinned and wrapped her hands around my neck, drawing me in for another kiss.

I placed my hands on her hips, savoring the sensation of her soft lips on mine. Hannah hadn’t been scheduled to work today, so I hadn’t seen her since she’d left my apartment this morning, and I’d been missing her all day. I knew when Mom arrived tomorrow afternoon, I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with Hannah as I was used to, and I was already bracing myself for it.

But despite my apprehension, I was excited for Mom to meet Hannah. Mom had had mixed feelings about Alexis, but I was confident she’d love Hannah. How could she not?

“That’s awesome, babe. Writing a whole book, a fantasy book at that, in basically a month is an enormous achievement,” I said, once we’d finished kissing. “I can’twait to read it. You know, if you do want an extra set of eyes on it before you send the rest off to your editor…”

Hannah glared at me, shaking her head, but her lips were twitching. “How many times do I have to tell you that until I get edits back from Michael and have fixed the manuscript up, you’re not reading it? As much as I value your feedback, I also want you to read a half-decent book.”

I held up my hands in mock defeat. “Fine, fine. I’ll wait. It was worth a try.”

The glare softened, and she clapped her hands. “Okay, should we get this strawberry tart started? I’m assuming we’ll need to chill the dough.”

“Spot on, chef.” I laughed, impressed at how quickly Hannah was picking up baking. We’d started making the cake of the day together on the evenings it was my turn, and I hoped this would become a tradition. There was something so relaxing about us both being in the kitchen, working together to create something. Sometimes we’d just chat about random news articles or books we’d read, but my favorite was when we’d talk about the chapter Hannah was currently writing, and I’d help brainstorm plot points. Creative multitasking, in the best way possible. It was pretty incredible to know I was contributing to the development of one of my favorite series, even if the author wouldn’t let me read her drafts.

“What time is your mom coming tomorrow?” Hannah asked as she sifted flour for the pastry dough.

An uncertain note in her voice made me look up at her. She was biting her lip, which by now I knew meant she was either nervous or she wanted to kiss me. Given the context, it was safe to assume this one signaled nerves.

“Her train should arrive by six. How are you feelingabout meeting her? I know it’s a bit weird to meet her this early in a relationship, but I think you’ll get along well.”

Hannah smiled weakly. “No, I’m sure it will be really nice. I just don’t have a great track record with parents. As you know, I’m not exactly close to my own. And Tania’s parents were extremely wealthy New York socialites who I had very little in common with.” She grimaced. “I never knew what to say to them. I always suspected they thought Tania could have done better than me.”

I bent over and kissed her forehead. “If they thought that, they were sorely wrong.”

“Hmmm,” Hannah said, clearly unconvinced.

I pulled back a few inches and held her gaze. “Hey, it’ll be fine. To be honest, I don’t think you’ll have a lot in common with my mom either—she’s not a big reader, loves gossip, and has terrible taste in television.” I chuckled, thinking of her obsession withThe Bold and the Beautiful.

“Well, our tastes aren’t exactly highbrow either,” Hannah said smiling.

“True. But she’s a good person and excels at small talk, so you won’t need to worry about awkward silences. I think you’ll like her, even if she is very different from us.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and smiled at her. “Perhaps I’ll get you two to bake a cake for a bonding experience, just like how Mom and I used to bond over cooking when I was a kid.”

Hannah’s face softened. “Okay, sign me up for a bonding baking session. At least it’s not kayaking or cherry picking—all things we’ve established I don’t excel at. The last thing I want to do is make a bad first impression in front of your mom.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” I said, pulling my arms tighter around her to give her a squeeze. “Hey, I know it’snot the best timing with Mom coming, but I was thinking we should do something tomorrow to celebrate the launch ofThe Realm of Furiesand also the fact that your new book is almost done.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry. You’ll be busy with your mom and everything.”

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