Page 30 of Arse Over Irish Teacup
“It is, isn’t it? That’s how most of my stories with Lauren are. She and I have been friends since kindergarten.”
“We really can pick them. I marry a woman who’s sleeping with somebody else and you date juvenile minded grave dumpers.”
“Yep,” she said with a popping P. “So, what do unlucky people like us do?”
Aidan held up his glass before taking a sip. He’d lost count of how many drinks he’d had. He was somewhere between feeling no pain but not yet seeing double. All in all, it was a peachy place to be. “I drink and write bad books.”
“You’re an author?”
Aidan nodded and took a bite of his herb roasted potatoes. “Though, not a very good one. Not anymore anyways.”
“So, you’re in a slump. You’ll find your way out.”
Beth said it with such ease and goodwill that he believed her. Yes, he was as she put it “in a slump” but he’d written good books. Really good books.
“I love to read.” She thought for a moment. “I don’t remember reading any of your books. Now that I’ve met you though, I will. What is it you write?”
“Hold on to your hat but I write romantic fiction.”
Beth raised a forkful of beef to her mouth but her hand froze in mid-air. Romantic fiction? This guy? She thought he would say crime thriller or something. Because she was now stumped on what to say she took her bite.
Who knew telling Beth what his job was would be the thing to make her stop talking? Except that now, he was used to the sound of her voice and as much as he hated to admit it, missed the conversation. “I know, it’s surprising that someone as cynical as me writes romance.”
“I don’t think you’re cynical, not really. I think you’re sad and you express your grief with sarcasm.”
He tried not to look like she had smacked him between the eyes. “What makes you think I’m sad?”
“I don’t know exactly. You feel a little sad to me is all.”
“You’re just saying that because I told you about my fiancé.”
“That’s not it. I can’t really say why. You just seem sad. Not heartbroken though.”
If she could “feel” his sadness then what else could she sense about him? She wasn’t wrong. “As it happens, I suppose I am. My last two books have been rejected. The last one was rejected this morning. That’s why I was less than forgiving when you ran into me. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. Everyone has bad days and you weren’t that mean about it.”
“Yes, I was.”
“But I yelled at you.”
“You call that feeble attempt at a tirade yelling?” It had been like more like being told off by a kitten.
“Are you saying I can’t stick up for myself?”
“No, I'm saying that what you were doing wasn’t yelling.” She could yell at him any day of the week. “Next time give it a little more oomph.”
She didn’t know if she was capable of oomph when it came down to defending herself but she would try. Then, another thought came. “Do you know Kate Connolly? She’s my favorite author.”
He choked a little on his food and coughed, then drank some water before replying, “Our paths have crossed.”
“What’s she like?”
“She can be prickly but once you get to know her, she’s nice.”
“Kate wrote my favorite book. I’ve read it dozens of times and I always have a copy with me.” She reached into her personal shelf and brought out her paperback. When she retrieved the book, it was upside down, displaying the back cover featuring a picture of the author. She had a smile like Aidan’s. Beth examined the picture for a moment. “You know you look a lot like her. Maybe that’s why I thought we’d met before.” The more Beth looked at the picture and then at Aidan the more the similarities showed. It was uncanny.
Aidan admired the tattered cover with its picture of the Irish countryside and for the briefest of moments smiled. But that didn’t last long. The cynic had to have his say and he needed to divert her attention from that picture. “I’m familiar with that story. So, what, you think that because it happened in a novel that you will go to Ireland and have a serendipitous run-in with your one true love? I’ve got news for you Spinner, that only happens in novels.”
