Page 26 of Knot Your Pucking Mate
Can’t focus. Want to go shopping?
Vae
Sorry, babe. I can’t today. Is it the Hockey butts?
Mandy
It’s always the hockey butts. Axel’s scent is all over my apartment, including my nest.
Vae
And that’s a bad thing because?
Mandy
It’s distracting.
Vae
You won’t be complaining when your heat arrives.
Mandy
Ugh, you’re right. But I might actually need an allocated office space now.
Vae
No hockey butts allowed.
I tuck my phone into my pocket and rise from my beanbag. Maybe I should call Axel and invite him over? Or maybe Chase?
I check the time and realize they’re both at practice and won’t be finished for a while.
I guess I’m on my own.
Leaving my nest, I grab my handbag, deciding a walk in the fresh air and some good old window shopping might be just what I need.
Locking the apartment door behind me, I head down the elevator, waving goodbye to the doorman as I leave the building. There’s a bookshop a couple of blocks away that stocks debut indie authors, and I haven’t been there in a while.
The sun shines on the side of my face as I walk the busy streets. I inhale deeply; the city air is somehow cool and refreshing despite the people teeming on the sidewalks.
Lust & Lore comes up on my left, and I enter, waving my hello to Bridget, the owner. We’ve done a few release and signing events together, so she knows my face well. I turn down the indie romance section and begin browsing the shelves. From the corner of my eye, I catch someone darting past the store. Their build is familiar, but by the time I turn to see who it may have been, they’re gone.
Forgetting about it, I turn back to the shelves. There’s been a lot of new releases lately, and because I’ve been writing, I haven’t spent a lot of time reading. The pile in my arms grows too largeto carry home, so I place a few titles back on the shelf, making a mental note to return for them next time I come past.
The back of my neck prickles; charged with that feeling you get when someone is watching you. I glance around, but there’s no one but Bridget and me in the shop.
I try to shake it off. Since the article in Designation Daily came out, I’ve been getting more attention. There’s been a few reporters following me, like when I was at the ice-skating rink with Axel. There’s also been a few reaching out for interviews about my new relationship and new book. I’ve taken a few of those, and there’s been a few more articles that have been published since.
No one has been hostile—all of it has been positive attention so far—but I’m not used to this level of attention. It’s been a little unsettling.
Taking my books up to Bridget, she scans them through.
“Hey, Mandy. How’s the hockey romance coming along? It’s getting a lot of attention.”
“Isn’t it? I’ve hit a bit of a block, so I’m shopping it out.”
She laughs a genuine, hearty laugh.
