Page 52 of Making the Call
Luke
Holy shit.I thought football fans were crazed, but they have nothing on the romance industry. Dani and I were in the conference center before seven, setting up her booth to open at nine. Her booth sits between two lively women I’ll never soon forget. One is set to give out condoms and small bottles of alcohol by the dozens, while the other sports a graphic tee that reads, “I love Guns and Buns.” She writes military romance, and her fans loved to tease her about her obsession with describing the perfect ass in her books. Her name is Shay Ketring, and her personality is bigger than life. She and Dani have known each other for some time and have a great time catching up as they get ready. It’s going to be one hell of a day, should their constant laughter have anything to do with it.
Of course, Dani insists I call her Charlotte, since that’s what everyone in the room knows her as. It’s easier said than done, but so far, I’m managing. She has totes of books under the table, merchandise, and what she calls swag available for fans to purchase. She’s given me a rundown on what to expect, but I completely underestimated the intensity of the crowds. To help model the product, I’m wearing her Charlotte’s Cove baseball hat to remind fans of her reader’s group, and I sport a black t-shirt with her logo and catchphrase on it. “Charlotte’s Cove ~ Melting hearts one reader at a time.”
As a professional athlete, and head coach, I have been to several meet and greets in my career. But this is nothing compared to what Dani, or should I say Charlotte, endures. My fan-based activities usually only last an hour, max. Today, the doors open at nine and stay open until four. I have no idea what to expect, but from the sounds of it, Dani will be busy all day.
Last night, when we returned to the hotel, she gave me a rundown of how to look up pre-ordered books from her website, how to use the credit card machine on her phone, and a cheat sheet for her product pricing. She was adamant about making sure I knew ways to help keep her line moving, should people get stacked up. Along with her product she plans to sell, she also has bowls of chocolate, pens, and other swag to give away to her fans. There are bookmarks with her book series and reader’s group. Dani’s a great strategist when it comes to marketing. She has QR codes on the back of everything to take them to her website to purchase things they don’t find here.
Just as the doors are about to open, and Dani slips off to use the restroom, Dani’s phone rings. I see the name Stacey flash across the screen, so I answer, “D…” Shit, I almost outed her. “Uh… Charlotte Ann’s phone, Luke speaking.”
“Uh… is Charlotte available?” Her voice is stinted, full of confusion.
“She’ll be right back. She stepped away for a moment. Can I take a message?”
“This is Stacey. I was checking to see how things were going. Are you helping her today at the reader’s weekend?”
“Yep.” I pop the p, and a smile forms on my face. “As best as I’m able. She gave me the rundown last night, and I feel prepared,” I encourage, knowing Stacey is Dani’s usual assistant.
“That’s good…” she draws out. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Sure. What’s up?” I offer, knowing it must be important if she’s calling right now.
“Dani will kill me if she knows I said this… But can you make sure she eats? I always make sure she has plenty to eat and drink. She will let herself get stuck at the table all day and won’t take a break unless it’s a dire bathroom emergency.” She takes a deep breath and continues, “If it gets slow, can you please pick up the food yourself or have someone from the hotel deliver it? I can text you the contact I have at the hotel.”
Stacey takes another deep breath, and I use this as an opportunity to interject, “Of course. I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry about a thing. You just focus on getting better.”
“Wait… she told you about me? Of course, she did. You wouldn’t have to be there otherwise. But I know nothing about you. Wait… How exactly doyouknow Dani?”
Not wanting to disclose too much information given my location, as well as feed Stacey with more info than necessary, I opt with, “I’m a friend of hers, and I’ll take good care of her. Don’t worry.”
I glance up and see Dani walking up the aisle in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a green top with the shoulders cut out. Her smile’s infectious, and I can’t wait to get more time alone with her tonight. “Stacey, she’s here now. I’ll let her answer your questions.”
I hand the phone to Danika as she mouths, “Stacey?” in disbelief.
“Hey, Stace, what’s up?” I can hear words coming through the phone, but I can’t make them out. They sound like they’re going a million miles a minute. Dani rolls her eyes, attempts to interject a few times, but is defeated. Finally, she gets the chance to talk, and her cheeks pink as her lips twitch at something that was said.God, what was said to make her look like that?
Finally, Dani interrupts, “Look, Stace. I have it covered. Luke’s a good friend. I’ll fill you in later… The doors are about to open… You focus on getting well. We’ll catch up later.” A few more seconds of silence. “Love you, too, Stace. Next time, I expect you to be here.”
She gets off the phone, shaking her head. “I swear, it’s like she thinks I don’t remember what needs to be done. Sure, she’s been in charge for the last couple of years at these things, but I’m not incompetent.”
“Stacey’s just looking out for you,” I encourage.
Danika shakes her head and locks her eyes onto mine, her expression enduring. “In case I forget to tell you, I really appreciate you being here today,” she whispers.
I place a hand on her hip, pulling her close, so that only she can hear, “There’s no place I’d rather be.” I lean in and brush a quick kiss on her lips. Then I pull pack to push a corkscrew curl out of her face. The main doors open, and I hear the crowd in the lobby enter. I lift an eyebrow and simply ask, “You ready to kick some ass?”
Dani chortles, “Ohmigod, you are such a coach.”
The first two fans to make it to Dani’s booth are ecstatic to say the least. I almost jump out of my skin with the high-pitched squeals.Holy shit, these women can scream.Dani gracefully walks around the table to gleefully hug them. Trying to be helpful, I offer to take their photo while they chat Dani up like there’s no tomorrow. They each pre-ordered her latest book from her website, so I don’t have to run the card machine. By the time I check them off the list Dani had given me, there are more people to greet Dani.
“OMG, I can’t believe I’m meeting Charlotte Ann,” a woman in her early forties practically shouts as she approaches the booth with a friend. Of course, Dani goes around the table to hug her. Once they’ve taken a photo together, courtesy of me again, the woman’s attention is drawn to me. “Oh my. You’re a hottie,” she boldly states.What the hell do I say to that?
Her friend pipes in, “Can we take a picture with the two of you? We know Charlotte has a fantastic imagination, but now we definitely know where she gets her inspiration. You’re like a book boyfriend coming to life.” She giggles at the end as if she might have the audacity to be embarrassed.
Holy fucking shit. These women have balls.Eyes wide, I look to Dani. Of course, she laughs it off with a shrug. “Well, he certainly leaves an impression.”
“Oh, honey, you are one lucky woman,” the first woman teases.
