Page 5 of Love Under Review

“Hmmm. That’s interesting. I don’t think I’ve read any of those.” Only like a thousand times when she’d had to edit and reedit, trying to get the plot and characters just right.

“Let’s go. You’ll get to see the new bookstore.” Her mother stood, walking over to the table by the door where her purse sat.

Danielle stood and followed her. “Bookstore? Since when does Sage Creek have a bookstore?” She grabbed her wallet from the small suitcase she’d brought in and walked out the door behind her mother.

“It’s been open a few months now. I think they opened it about a month before you came home from Europe. It’s been doing really well. Run by a good family, and it’s nicer than the library. I’ve been telling Mayor Watkins for years that the library could use an update.”

“What did you think of the book, Mom?” Her curiosity got the better of her. She wasn’t sure why her heart started pounding, but she focused on the sidewalk beneath her feet as they walked down the sidewalk, preparing herself for criticism. With the cool fall breeze, it was the perfect day for a walk around town.

Her mother turned, her lips pinched together as though trying to decide something. “I liked it. I don’t usually do well with mysteries as I have a hard time following who the possible suspects could be, but this one did well at making it a mystery while I still followed the overall plot.”

“You liked it, huh?” Danielle wasn’t sure why she kept needling the conversation along, but it felt good to have her mother praise her work, even if she didn’t realize it. The only people in the world who knew about the author’s real identity were Danielle’s editor, proofreader, and cover designer. She hadn’t even chanced telling Becca.

Her mother thumbed through the pages of the book and smiled. “I really liked it. I was in suspense without nightmares later on. There were a few times I screamed out, wishing I could tell the character to run and not look under the bed.” She chuckled, her cheeks red.

One of the things Danielle wished for was to be a little more like her mother. The woman was sweet and kind, always thinking of others. People always complimented her on her positive attitude, and with everything she’d gone through in her life, that was a feat.

It had been so long since Danielle had to think of anyone but herself and her career. She didn’t have to stay in Sage Creek forever, but maybe she could change a few things before she headed out. A true journalist should care about the person behind the story, and for too long she’d been trying to get the latest scoop in the hopes of a promotion. She needed to be more like Mary-Kate Holloway.

“I’m sure the author would take that as a compliment, Mom.” Danielle couldn’t help the grin on her face. If only she had the guts to tell her that the author was her own daughter.

Chapter 3

Liam walked into the store from the back door, wheeling the last few boxes that had been delivered an hour before over to the main floor of the shop. His eye caught on a waving hand, and he turned to see what was needed.

Taking a few steps in the direction of the circle, he stopped and bent down beside Mrs. McCready as she sat in a chair by the door to the other room. “What can I do for you, ma’am?” He gave her a slight smile, hoping it would be a quick request. He could already feel the several sets of eyes boring into him, waiting to find him a girlfriend. Though he’d managed to avoid it since he arrived in town, it was getting harder to fend off their requests.

“Did you, by chance, get some extra books in today? We have a few gals who would like to purchase a copy.” The woman smiled at him, and Liam had to bite his upper lip to keep from laughing as he noticed her deep purple lipstick had rubbed off onto her front teeth.

He nodded and stood back up. “I do. Let me go see which box they’re in, and I’ll bring a few copies.”

He’d never been so grateful she’d been sitting closest to the door leading to the rest of the store, just so he could get a moment to breathe without the eyes of the town on him. Maybe it was from reading that book earlier that he was starting to get more paranoid.

The MK Malone books were at the bottom of his dolly. He removed six or seven copies, hoping it would be enough for the group. Starting with Mrs. McCready, he then asked, “Who else needs a copy of the book?” He held one up, waving it around.

“I need one,” a woman said, causing Liam’s attention to turn to the left. He moved into the center of the circle and took it to her.

“Just pay at the register after your meeting is finished,” Liam said, giving her a polite smile.

The woman, who he thought was named Whitney, gave him a coy smile, causing Liam to take a few steps back and bump into the table filled with goodies. He was able to catch his balance before tumbling down, but adrenaline rushed through him. A familiar face smiled back at him as he looked up, and he turned, grateful she wasn’t laughing at him.

“Mrs. Holloway, do you have one?” He extended one in her direction.

The woman reached over and snatched her book from the lap of the woman sitting next to her. “This one is mine. My daughter just got in last night and hasn’t had a chance to read it. She’s quite the bookworm, and I’m sure she’d love a copy.” There was a twinkle in her eye before she turned to her daughter next to her.

Liam followed her gaze and took in a woman with light brown hair, a few strands near the front more of a honey color. Her hazel eyes were soft, and the color of her lips a bright pink. He found he’d been staring at them for longer than was comfortable and knew he needed to do something. She was beautiful, which threw him off as he’d usually been attracted to dark-haired brunettes in the past.

Her eyes went wide as she gave her mother a pleading look, and Liam worked to mask his smile at the situation. No doubt her mother was trying to play matchmaker, just like the others in the group. She was beautiful, but he had to remember he wasn’t putting himself back on the dating market.

Stretching out his hand, he asked, “Would you like one, Miss…?”

“Holloway. Danielle Holloway. I think I’ll be fine without it, thanks.” She moved her hand up to wave him off, and her gaze moved away from his face. Her knee started moving up and down repeatedly, and Liam moved away, wondering if she felt the same way he did about relationships.

An odd sense of disappointment flowed through him, and he nodded, stepping back and searching the group for anyone else who needed a book.

Once he’d taken care of the rest of them, he walked back into the main part of the store to cut open boxes and focus on stocking the new books. Several times, the face of the Holloway girl popped up and he’d push it away, chuckling that he would start thinking about someone he’d seen for all of fifteen seconds. He hadn’t really thought about women his age in a while, but that could be because there were only a few of them in this small town.

He was on the last box over by the section of sci-fi and fantasy books when the women filtered into that part of the room. He often made a lot of money after book club meetings, and now whenever a club wanted to use his space, he was more than willing to host.

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