Page 103 of No Rings Attached
“If someone doesn’t tell me what’s going on, I’m going to make up something,” I teased. No matter what it was, it wouldn’t matter to me. “Or don’t. You shouldn’t be forced to share something because Glamma is being pushy.”
Ellie’s hands pressed into her thighs, her fingers rubbing back and forth against the fabric.
“This could be good. Let’s hear your guesses, grandson.” Glamma smirked, then leaned down and picked up Coco.
I stroked my chin playing into it hoping I might be able to put Ellie at ease. Now I wondered if her reaction to the notebook she was always writing in had something to do with this. “Are you a runaway princess bride? And your groom is scouring the world for you, but you’ve decided you want to live the life of a commoner?”
Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a belly laugh. “As much as my younger self would’ve loved to be a princess, I don’t think I’d be able to handle that kind of responsibility.”
“Hmm. Then it must be that you’re undercover and only here to find out if the Ruby River legend is true.”
She giggled. “No.”
I threw up my hands in a playful gesture. “I give up.”
Glamma watched the interaction between the two of us and gave me a wink of approval. “Our girl is writing her first full-length novel.”
Our girl was writing a novel.
Well, damn.
I wanted to haul her into my arms right there, but I kept my hands on the desk, even as pride welled in my chest. “Ellie, that’s incredible. What do you write?” I asked.
Her back stiffened. “It’s a romance novel set in a small town.”
I loved that every day I peeled back another layer of who she was. “I can’t imagine writing a book is easy. I’d love to hear more about it.”
A tiny smidge of suspicion entered her eyes. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“It’s just …” she paused like she was trying to find the right words. “My family thinks it’s a ridiculous pursuit and a waste of time. They say I won’t make anything from it anyway so why bother?”
“Screw them,” Glamma muttered. “Your sister is a wannabe influencer and I don’t see anyone discouraging her.”
Ellie shook her head. “She really is kind of famous, though. She has a ton of followers and some network is paying to film her wedding planning and the big day for content.”
Glamma snorted. “I’ve heard it said that your sister hiredthemand is paying for them to recordher, hoping she can use the footage to draw in a producer who’ll want to use her for a reality show.”
Ellie’s mouth gaped open. “What? Seriously? Who are your sources?”
“A little bit of mystery is good for the soul.” Glamma grinned. “So don’t worry about your book, sweetheart. You do what you can to write and market it. You can’t control the rest.”
“I know.” A tiny frown marred Ellie’s perfect lips. “Is it bad to want to sell so many books it proves them wrong?”
Glamma shook her head. “Not at all. And I’ll help you in any way I can. I can start with the book clubs I belong to and post on my social media channels. I have a bit of a following too. We can hype up your book. You can do a launch party here in Ruby River at our bookstore. Send me the details of when you’re planning to publish and we’ll make a plan.”
Ellie just stared at her, open-mouthed. In the silence, Coco began wiggling and barking.
“You think about that. It’s time for us to go. Coco’s the boss now. Come give me hugs, you two.”
I hugged my grandmother and watched as Ellie came around the side of the desk to do the same. Glamma wrapped her arms around her and whispered something in her ear. Ellie nodded and kissed her cheek before they let go.
Now that the office was empty, I pulled Ellie close, letting my hand settle on her waist. “So all these months while we’ve been chatting, you’ve been working on your book?”
She leaned into me. “Yeah.”
After meeting Ellie’s family, I understood why she might not have wanted to share this detail with me, no matter how friendly we’d been before she arrived. “Were you afraid I’d make fun of you?”
