Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(50)

I smiled at this, channelling Elodie. “What did you expect?”

He coughed, flushing slightly. “Well, um, authors who look like you don’t generally shy away from signings.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He nodded profusely. “You should.” Pausing, he clasped his hands together. “So, what do I need to say to convince you?”

“Tell me it won’t turn out to be an absolute disaster?”

Daniel chuckled. “Has anyone ever told you you’ve got a very catastrophic way of thinking? Rarely do book signings end in disaster. I’d say you’re more likely to walk out onto the street and get struck down by a flying Doberman pinscher.”

“That’s a very weird analogy, Daniel.”

“Yes, it is. What I’m trying to say is, I’ll be there to hold your hand the whole time. I’ll even give you a back massage while you sign if you like, uh, in a strictly non-sexual harassment way, that is.”

“Back massages are always a plus, so long as they’re consensual,” I replied, because he seemed to be getting flustered. I couldn’t believe I was having this effect on him. Well, not me me, but me in my current guise.

“Okay, great,” his eyes flickered back and forth between mine, uncertain. “So, will you do it?”

I pursed my lips. “Exactly how much time will I have to prepare?”

He thought on it a moment. “We can arrange a signing here in London in about a month? That’ll give you enough time to make a dent in your WIP and maybe read an excerpt before you sign?”

“Look at you, trying to get as much bang for your buck as possible.” Plus, a month was pretty soon.

He smirked at me, and wow, it was sort of sexy. He definitely wasn’t all boy next door, that was for certain. “There’s a reason why I run my own agency at thirty-five years of age, Ellen.”

I pushed aside my reservations and forced myself to do something brave. “You drive a hard bargain, but you’ve done so much for me over the years, I guess I owe you.”

He beamed at me. “Seriously? You’ll do it?”

What was happening?

I mustered a confident, Elodie-like smile. “Yes, Daniel, I’ll do your beloved book signing.”

He slammed his hand down on the table. “This calls for a celebratory round of lattes. My treat.”

I sat back and laughed. “I’ll take a mocha, with whipped cream on top.”

He saluted me. “Coming right up.”





*



I took a cab back from my coffee date with Daniel. My shoes weren’t designed for traversing the streets of London. I smiled to myself because our meeting had gone so well. Daniel felt like a friend, someone I could trust.

I stepped out of the cab, my mind racing. Perhaps I should just dress as Elodie all the time, that way I’d never have to feel socially anxious ever again.

My mood changed instantly when I found Julian sitting on the steps leading up to my front door. He wore a long grey coat, a navy shirt underneath, and faded jeans. His hair hung forward around his eyes and he stared at me with both sadness and affection.

He stood to greet me. “Someone’s been out and about. I tried to call you five times, but you didn’t answer. Thought you were ignoring me.”

I pulled out my phone and saw he was telling the truth. There were a bunch of missed calls, but I’d put my phone on silent when I went to meet Daniel. “I wasn’t ignoring you. I was out with my…um, what are you doing here?”

Julian glanced down the street then back to me. “Guess I’m a glutton for punishment.”

I frowned, heaving a guilty sigh. “When I said what I did, I never meant to offend you or hurt you in any way. I was an insensitive idiot and I’m sorry.”

Julian leaned back against the railing, considering me. “You hardly called me a whore, Ellen. And I already told you, I don’t offend easily.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have said it. We’re friends. It was wrong of me.”

A moment passed, and my neighbour opened her front door. She looked between the two of us, locked her door then walked down the street. Since I never really talked to any of my neighbours, she didn’t spare me or my unusual attire a second glance. Probably didn’t even recognise me.

I pulled my keys from my bag and stepped up to my door. “Do you want to come inside?”

“Sure.” Julian stood behind me, and I swore I could feel his heat. His presence was a potent force and there was a magnetic energy about him today, more so than normal.

We walked into my kitchen and I let Skittles and Rainbow out of their cage. Skittles bypassed me and flew right onto Julian’s shoulder, nibbling on his ear. “Hey, buy me a drink first,” he chuckled. It had only been two days, but I’d missed his laugh.

“Sorry, they can be a little familiar sometimes,” I said and dropped my keys down on the table. I plucked Skittles off Julian’s shoulder and placed her back in the cage. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to rewind the clock and go back to how we were before I ever opened my big stupid mouth.

“So, can we just—”

“I’m here because—”

I held out a hand. “You go first.”