Page 18 of Beyond the Fame

“I’m literally sitting next to you, Becky, and you’re not using your inside voice.”

“We’re outside.” I turn back to Lana. “See what I mean?”

That mischievous grin of hers grows bigger. “Mhm.”

“Whatever you’re thinking, you better stop right now.”

Mylan peers at me around Lana. “What would Lana be thinking?”

“None of your business, Mylan Andrews.”

He shrugs. “No worries. Lana will tell me later.”

A server interrupts the vulgar gesture I was about to give Mylan to take our drink order. I choose a glass of red wine and Jensen orders a Tom Collins.

“How you doing?” Jensen asks Mylan, while bent over me far enough he’s basically in my lap. “You’re okay with us all drinking tonight?”

I press at Jensen’s chest, attempting to move him out of my personal bubble, but he’s too big and doesn’t budge.

“Jenny, I told you to stop asking that every time I’m in the same room as alcohol.”

I expect Jensen to get mad at his best friend for using the nickname he can’t stand. Instead, he relaxes his face. But not before I caught the worry pinching his brows.

Mylan must have seen the worry too because he softens his voice. “I’m four years sober and going strong. You know, one of the pillars of recovery is to find a purpose in life. I’m doing just that through service to others with my foundation.”

Oh yeah, Mylan created Beyond the Bright Lights to help people like him get treatment and offer resources in the days, weeks, months, and years following rehab.

Mylan plants a kiss on Lana’s cheek before continuing. “And I have my sweet donut offering me support and unconditional love.”

Lana flips me off when I fake a gag, not only at the cheesy words, but at Mylan’s ridiculous nickname for her.

She nudges my shoulder with hers. “How’s the book coming along?”

“You’re writing another book?” Jensen butts in before I can answer.

“Yes,” I say to him without a glance, and to Lana. “It’s... coming along. I’m at a block, but I’ll get through it. I’m staying a couple of extra days and plan to take my laptop out to the beach and write.”

Which reminds me, I need to ask Jensen if that’s okay. It is his suite I’m staying in. I wonder how long he booked it for.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Lana beams at the same time Jensen asks, “what’s it about?”

I huff out my frustration and whip around.

“It’s about a magical land split in two, ruled by the queen of the west and the king of the east. A knight, whose loyalty is to the old king, kidnaps the young queen. This knight is ordered to deliver the queen back to his king for death, allowing him to take claim over the entire realm. But on the journey back, the more time this knight spends with her, the more he realizes he can’t let the king kill her—”

“Why can’t he?” Jensen shockingly sounds interested.

“Because they’re soulmates.”

“So, it’s enemies to lovers.”

“Who says they fall in love?”

“Oh, I just assumed... since they’re soulmates.”

“Just because they’re soulmates doesn’t mean this is a love story. My book is about a powerful queen who’s been doubted her entire life. She’s lost everything. Her family was all killed by the old mad king from the western kingdom. She has to prove that she’s worthy to rule and the only way to do that is to kill the mad king herself and avenge her family. The twist is that she actually orchestrated the kidnapping, unbeknownst to the knight, so she can execute her plan.”

Jensen clamps his mouth shut, his lips in a fine line while he thinks about his response. “I’m just saying if the main characters are soulmates, readers are going to expect a love story.”

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