Page 108 of The CEO I Hate

“No,Iappreciate it. I always love linking up with local authors. And your preorder numbers have been great. Speaking of, I have them just through here for you to sign.” She waved me behind the counter into a back room where a massive table was set up with copies ofHeart and Hustle. Seeing my baby there, in print, stirred emotion inside my chest.

If this were TV, this was the moment my eyes would be welling and the angel chorus singing.

“There are the preorders,” Veronica said. “If you get them all signed today, I’ll get my staff to add the bookmarks and goodies tomorrow, then we’ll get them popped into the mail.”

“Perfect,” I said even as my face crumpled in confusion. I glanced around. “Wait, these are all preorders?”

She nodded.

“Where are the books for tomorrow?”

“About that…” Veronica gave me a sheepish smile. “I don’t know what’s going on, but all the copies I’d ordered for tomorrow have already been bought.”

“Been…What do you mean?” I laughed uncertainly. That couldn’t possibly be true. I figured with the launch event, I might manage some decent sales, but there was no guarantee everyone who showed up would buy a book. But for them all to be gone before the event even happened? I was speechless.

“I’ve put a rush order in,” Veronica said, touching my arm in reassurance. “Don’t you worry. They’re scheduled to be here tomorrow morning. Plenty of time before the event.”

I was still processing the fact my books had already sold out in the store. It was only one store, of course, and in the grand scheme of things didn’t mean all that much, but still!

“I can’t believe it.”

“Me either,” she said. “In all my years of having the shop, I’ve never had that happen before. But when he walked in, he was adamant that he wanted every copy we had. All one hundred and twenty.”

“He?” I said, my stomach immediately twisting up in knots. Why was I suddenly certain I knew exactly whohewas? Frustration ate away at my excitement. “Tall guy?” I asked. “Dark brown hair?”

“As handsome as a movie star?” Veronica said. “Oh, yeah. You know him?”

I sighed heavily. What the hell was Liam doing?

When my phone buzzed later that night, my hand twitched toward it, and I groaned. Why had I left it on the other end of the couch? I’d had a cramp in my hand after signing all the preorders—not that I was complaining! I was still ecstatic I’d actuallyhadpreorders. I just hadn’t quite expected what a workout signing a couple hundred books would be. I had to start working out my weak book-signing muscles. Maybe I should start doing exercises with Jake.

I flopped over on the couch, stretching to reach my phone. I pulled it close as I lay there, checking the text. Sophie had messaged earlier to say she was picking up dinner to celebrate my launch tomorrow. I thought it might be her again, letting me know she was on her way home.

But instead it was…

My heart dropped into my stomach, and I sat up immediately.

It was from Liam. I hadn’t heard from him…Well, the last time would have been that afternoon at Jake’s when I’d walked in to find him there, helping Jake with his PT. After that day, I’d been a lot more careful about barging into the apartment, making sure to text Jake beforehand.

My pulse thundered as I read the text.

Hey, Gretel. Spent the day thinking about you.

After that, he attached a series of photos. I blinked back the tears I could feel building. I wasn’t going to cry over this man any more than I already had. I frowned, zooming in on the photos. Was that…Yeah, it was.

He’d taken all the copies ofHeart and Hustlehe’d bought and arranged them in ridiculous scenarios around his mansion. The firstphoto was the books stacked in the shape of VeriTV Studios. He’d taped a small piece of cardboard to the display. It read “Writer’s Alley.” In the next photo, the books were personified, set up like an audience on a couch with bowls of popcorn, watchingHigh School Musical.

Beneath the photos, he wrote:Finally got some quality reading material around here.

I huffed a laugh despite myself. Did it change anything between us? Absolutely not. But even though we weren’t exactly on speaking terms right now, I could appreciate a small, silly gesture that told me Liam was cheering me on in his own ridiculous way.

Thanks, I typed back to be polite.But what I really want is for these books to inspire lots of new readers. Those displays, as cute as they are, aren’t going to lead to the book being read.

I know,he replied.Those displays were just for you. I’ve already dismantled them and got them packed up to donate to the Boys and Girls Club. I think that’s the perfect audience for your story. I’m sure you’ll inspire a lot of kids to follow their dreams.

My breath caught as I read and re-read his text.

They really are something special, he wrote.And so are you.

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