Page 2 of The Ruse of Romancing
“I’ve been a bit focused on trying to make sure there will be a book to create a cover for. As soon as I have a solid draft going, I’ll give the cover more thought, I promise,” I said, stepping out of the embrace so I could get back to packing.
One of the pros of publishing with my sister’s publishing house: I had more say in my book covers than the average author. This meant I adored the cover for my first book,Of Curses and Pomegranates, because I’d been part of the design process. Unfortunately, this was also one of the cons, since it added one more thing to my never-ending list of author to-dos for book two.
When I’d decided to publish my debut novel with Rose & Quill Publishing, I was simply grateful to finally have someone interested in my book. I’d worked on it for years and, after navigating rejections from agents and larger publishing houses, and determining self-publishing wasn’t the right fit, I was starting to doubt my book would ever see the light of day.
What none of us had anticipated was just how wellOf Curses and Pomegranateswould perform. My gender-swapped, magic-packed retelling of Hades and Persephone galloped up the best-seller charts as audiences fell in love with Hypatia and Petros’s enemies-to-lovers vibe, witty banter, and insane chemistry. Which wouldn’t be a problem if I hadn’t ended the book on a cliffhanger.
And while I’d technically outlined book two before we published book one, now that it was time to follow the outline, the words wouldn’t come. Which was especially rude since I’d quit my day job based on book one’s success, adding a level of pressure to book two that was nearly suffocating.
“You ready to head to the airport?” Avery asked, ignoring the open suitcase on my queen-sized bed that contained three shirts, a pair of joggers, and one tennis shoe.
“About that,” I said, walking to my dresser and pulling out more clothes. I wasn’t sure how long I would be gone so it was next to impossible to know what and how much to pack, but I made sure to grab a swimsuit and a couple sweatshirts for good measure. On the way back to the bed, I stooped down to pick up the missing tennis shoe from the floor before putting my armload into my suitcase. “I was thinking. I don’t feel good about leaving, not with you and Mr. Wet Blanket so recently broken up.” At this, I turned to gauge her reaction. “Who’s going to help you cancel wedding things? And what about—”
Avery held up a hand, cutting me off. I tried not to notice her empty ring finger, something that was harder to do than anticipated. The garish heirloom engagement ring from her ex-fiancé’s family had sat on her hand for over a year and, while the ring had never fit Avery and her personality, it still felt weird not seeing it.
“First of all,” Avery said, giving me a stern look and holding up a single finger, “you know very well his name is Eric.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a wet blanket,” I muttered under my breath, adding socks to my suitcase.
Avery shot me a scolding look but didn’t acknowledge my comment. Instead, she continued her list, holding up another finger.
“Second of all, you need space and time to write. You arenotcanceling this trip.”
I stepped toward her, clutching a ratty sweatshirt that really needed to be retired but was too comfy to get rid of. “But you need—”
“I need you to write a killer book to finish your duology and establish Rose & Quill astheup-and-coming publishing house.Mom and Grandma Sue can help me with cancellations,” Avery said, lowering her hand and sitting on the bed next to my suitcase. Hercules took advantage of her change of position, settling his head in her lap, looking like a stern elderly man agreeing with her point.
“Are you sure?” I asked, handing the sweatshirt to Avery so she could add it to my bag as I went to retrieve toiletries from the bathroom.
I needed this trip. I knew I did. I needed a change of pace, a change of scene, a change ofsomethingif I was going to write this book. But I didn’t feel good about leaving my older sister home alone to deal with her recently broken engagement and canceled wedding by herself.
“I’m sure. Besides, if you finish the book fast enough, you can be my plus one on my no-longer-honeymoon trip to Italy.” Avery tossed me a wide, conspiratorial grin I didn’t trust. I knew she was hurting more than she was letting on, but I also knew she’d share her pain when she was ready.
“Fine,” I conceded, depositing my toiletries before returning to my dresser and pulling out the remaining hodgepodge of items I’d need for my trip.
My phone dinged from the nightstand, drawing both of our attention.
“Cousin chat or a flight reminder?” I asked as I worked, knowing Avery had my passcode and could check for me.
“Neither. Looks like last-minute instructions for the rental.”
“More instructions? What else haven’t they told me?” I moved to my closet and stooped to dig through my shoes, looking for a specific pair of sandals that were ideal for the beach.
Avery snorted a laugh that carried into my closet and made me grin. It had been too long since Avery had laughed easily.
“Just a warning that if you run into a gruff, bearded gentleman when you arrive not to be alarmed. Apparently, he’s thegrandson she’s been trying to set you up with and he also works as the property manager. There’s a note about how he refuses to shave, even though she tells him he’d have more dating success if he was clean-shaven.”
While I’d never met either the owner or her grandson, it was the kind of comment I could picture our Grandma Sue making and it made me smile as I finally found my sandals and surfaced from the closet.
“I don’t know. Tall, dark, and bearded holds a certain appeal.” I mused.
“And it can hold all the appeal in the world you want,afteryou’ve written me an award-winning sequel,” Avery said pointedly. “Are you almost done packing? We’ve got to leave soon if we’re going to make it to the airport on time.”
I pivoted on my heel and did a quick sweep of my bathroom and closet. I knew from experience if I forgot anything, I could buy it when I got there, but it would be so much easier if I could just remember everything I needed the first time.
“What do you think are my chances of making it to my gate and onto my plane without Poppy pulling me into her shop to sign more books?” I asked as I came back into the room with a final pile of items to add to my suitcase. While I adored my cousin, I wasn’t really in a headspace to navigate her enthusiasm.
Avery snorted, taking my clothes from my arms and adding them to my suitcase. “I think you have a better chance of winning the lottery.”
