Page 133 of Hot Knot Summer
“Oh, you sweet talker,” Jess says, but she’s blushing slightly. “I can see why Emma keeps you around.”
“We keep her around, actually,” River corrects with a wink. “She’s the one doing us the favor.”
“Damn right, I am,” I interject, making them all laugh.
Before the mutual admiration society can continue, I’m swept away by a whirlwind of enthusiastic hugging.
“Emma!” Lily practically bounces as she wraps me in her arms. “You’re here! How does it look? Is it too much? I worried it might be too much, but Hannah said?—”
“Lily,” I interrupt, hugging her back just as tightly. “It’s perfect. It’s beyond perfect. I can’t believe you did all of this.”
“We did all this,” Hannah corrects, appearing with her own hug. She has the same warm smile and curly hair as her sister, but where Lily is all chaotic energy, Hannah has a calm confidence that probably keeps the bakery from burning down on a daily basis. “When wehave a bestselling author in town, we pull out all the stops.”
“I’m not a bestselling?—”
“You’re number two on the fantasy romance list and sitting at fifty in the entire Amazon store!” Hannah interrupts with a grin. “I checked this morning. That’s huge.”
“Holy shit, really?” Jess squeaks. “Emma! You didn’t tell me!”
“I didn’t want to jinx it,” I mumble, feeling my cheeks heat up, but I’ve been crazily refreshing the page all day to watch my rank improve.
“Well, after tonight, you’ll probably climb even higher,” comes a familiar voice, and I turn to see Detective Morrison holding a beer and appearing surprisingly relaxed in civilian clothes.
“Zak!” I say, genuinely surprised to see him here. “You came!”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says with a smile. “Plus, I wanted to see how the story ended. You know, metaphorically speaking.”
“Much better than the beginning,” I assure him.
“Speaking of stories,” Ruby says, appearing with a cocktail that’s the most beautiful shade of purple I’ve ever seen. “We should probably start thinking about the reading. People are getting settled.”
“Right.” My stomach immediately ties itself in knots. “The reading. In front of all these people who probably have better things to do on a Tuesday night.”
“Hey.” Levi appears at my side as if summoned bymy anxiety, his calm presence immediately soothing my frazzled nerves. “You’ve got this, sweet thing. These people are here because they love your work.”
“And because they love you,” Atlas adds, his hand settling on the small of my back in that protective way that always makes me feel grounded.
“Plus, if anyone gives you trouble, we’ll kick them out,” River adds helpfully, making Jess snort with laughter.
“That’s actually not helping,” I tell him, but I smile despite my nerves.
“You know what? I think I need a drink before I do this,” I decide. “Something strong enough to make me forget that I’m about to make a fool of myself in front of half the town.”
“Ruby’s got you covered,” Lily says, leading me toward the bar setup. “She made a special cocktail just for tonight and calls itLiquid Courage.”
“I love her already,” Jess says, following us. “What’s in it?”
“Gin, elderflower, champagne, and a dash of magic,” Ruby says mysteriously, handing me the purple cocktail.
“The magic is lavender simple syrup,” Hannah stage-whispers, making Ruby roll her eyes.
“Spoilsport,” Ruby mutters, but she’s grinning.
I take a sip and immediately feel some of the tension leave my shoulders. It’s floral and bright, with just enough alcohol to take the edge offwithout making me tipsy enough to accidentally read the sex scenes out loud.
“This is incredible,” I tell Ruby. “You’re seriously gifted.”
“Says the woman who creates entire worlds for a living,” Ruby replies with a grin.
