Page 15 of 40 and Flashing (the Scotsman)
“Good,” Scarlett answered. “About four chapters and I’ll be done.”
“And then she’s goin’ to tell me what’s happened to Levi and Abby,” Gavin put in.
“You’ve read her books?” Linc asked, seeming surprised.
“O’ course. Just one so far, the first in this…” He waved a hand as if looking for the right word.
“Duet,” Scarlett supplied. “When you have a pair of books that go together in romance, it’s typically called a duet.”
“Right, duet. And it was excellent”—Gavin frowned her way—“even if it did end on a cliffhanger.”
Claire grimaced. “I hate it when she does that.”
“You know you love it,” Scarlett put in. “It keeps you clamoring for the next book.”
“It’s the months in between that drive me nuts,” Claire explained.
“Right?” Gavin asked. “How could she do that to us?”
“Very easily,” Scarlett said, grinning as she moved past the trio toward the counter bar. Two pizzas steamed inside insulated bags, and when Scarlett lifted a lid, her mouth watered. Better than the best Italian she’d had anywhere else. She understood why Linc was famous for his food, although Claire gave him a run for his money.
Linc handed her a plate. “Sounds like a bit of a masochist,” he said, eyeing her. She could feel the wariness in him now, as if he didn’t quite know what to make of this mild-mannered woman he suddenly realized had a penchant for causing others psychological pain.
She grinned, enjoying his shock. How was it none of her friends’ significant others had realized this before now? “You have no idea how right you are.”
They piled pizza onto their plates and took them to the living room since Scarlett’s breakfast nook was too small for all four of them. Linc added small salads, and Claire followed with four bottles of Stone IPA, a SoCal beer Lincoln had discovered on his many trips to California that had quickly become a favorite.
“When do you start filming, Linc?” Gavin asked. Lincoln was a guest judge on a popular TV cooking competition—mostly made popular by women who watched just for a glimpse of Lincoln—and filming for the next season should begin soon in Cali.
“February.”
From what Scarlett understood, he’d be in California for six to eight weeks for the full season to be completed. A glance at Claire showed her friend frowning down at her pizza. “It must be hard, being apart so much.”
Lincoln’s gaze snapped to Claire as well. He swallowed his bite of pizza and reached for his girlfriend’s hand. “It is.” The two exchanged a look. “But my contract with the film company is up after this year, and we can renegotiate.”
“Do you know what you’ll do yet?” Gavin asked.
Lincoln shrugged. “Depends on what they offer me. It would have to be much better than my girl here, and I don’t see that happening.”
Scarlett knew Claire already missed Linc. His world-class restaurant in New York City required his presence on a regular basis, as well as the many appearances he made for the charity he represented. He was gone often, and getting away from Black Wolf’s Bluff was difficult for Claire, especially now that she had two Gimme Sugar locations to manage. The resort JD and his friends were building hadn’t opened yet, but they were on track for it in a few short months. By spring of next year Claire would have the second store up and running, and though Scarlett had met her new store manager, she knew from her own experience that handing over her creation to someone else to take care of was never easy. She loved her publishing team, but that didn’t mean trusting their handling of her “babies” was ever without its own complications. It required constant oversight and input on top of the creation process itself.
“I’m surprised we haven’t heard from Carter today,” Scarlett mused. Gavin had spent all day with her instead of his best friend.
Lincoln frowned. “JD said Erin went home early today.”
“Everything okay at home?” Scarlett asked Claire. They’d all been concerned when Erin’s father had a heart scare just a couple of months ago.
Claire shook her head. “Erin wasn’t feeling well.”
“Will she be all right for the weddin’?” Gavin asked.
Something sparked in Claire’s eyes that Scarlett couldn’t interpret. “I don’t think it’s serious.”
They demolished most of the two pizzas before piling up on the couches to enjoy the fire. Scarlett returned from a bathroom break to find the men discussing Gavin’s work.
“Business is booming,” Gavin was saying, “even with Carter dividing his time.”
“What exactly is your work?” Claire asked.
