Page 517 of Dark Love

But if she’s shared her words with Colin, he has to be someone very important to her.

“What do you write, Colin?” Savie comes to the rescue, breaking the tension in the room.

Daria and Colin move to the couch as he answers, “I write historical fiction.”

“How many books have you published?” Dylan asks.

“My tenth comes out next month.”

“Are you traditionally published or indie?” Garnet takes a sip of her wine.

The doorbell rings, and Dylan walks over to open it.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Harper steps in. “My flight got in late. Can you believe that they switched us to this hotel? I’ve never been in a place this fancy. Did you know there’s a butler? I just about fainted when that sweet man told me to follow him up to your rooms.”

Harper’s sun-kissed braids bounce as she walks. She’s already slipped off her shoes. There’s always something joyful about her, even though she has the hardest life out of the bunch of us taking care of her siblings in some small town in the middle of nowhere with barely two pennies to rub together. She first came on a scholarship from the event, but Dylan and I put money together every year to ensure she ‘wins’ again. Otherwise, there’s no way she could afford it.

Harper freezes. “There’s a man on the couch.”

We all burst out into giggles.

All she needs are some pearls to clutch. She’s already wearing her Sunday best. Harper’s old school and never travels in jeans or sweats to be comfortable. Traveling is an event.

“That’s Colin Knight. He’s another author that’s joined our little group.”

“A man in our midst.”

Uh oh. Is Harper not going to be okay with this? How will we handle it?

“Well, isn’t that just dandy? Now we have someone to ask when we have a question about the male point of view. My cousins have been hiding on me lately.” With a mixture of a skip and a sashay, Harper makes her way over to the couch, completing our little group. “What did I miss?”

“Colin was just telling us if he’s indie or trad published.” Savie clicks her needles together.

“Everyone calls me Knight. And I’m traditionally published.”

“Ohh,” a few of the women chorus.

“Being trad published isn’t so bad. Daria and Prue are also trad.” Dylan could have gone trad. A few of them have offered her deals over the years, but she likes control too much to sign on the dotted line.

I like traditional publishing because it allows for anonymity and a bit more of a hands-off approach to publishing. It doesn’t hurt that my publishing house actually spends money to advertise my books. Which isn’t something they do for many authors.

The doorbell rings again.

Who could that be?

Eyes roam around the room, searching just like I am to figure out who it could be. Everyone is here.

“Did anyone else invite someone?” Savie sets down her knitting.

Not a single person speaks up.

“Would you ladies allow me to answer the door?”

“Please.” I have no problem letting a man answer the door. Or anything else if it will keep the group safer.

We’re careful, but women alone can never be too safe at these things.

There’s something about the way Colin walks to the door that reminds me of Vex. It’s certainly not a physical similarity. The two men are polar opposites.

---