crowd to get inside, spotting Mom, Dad and Ashley sharing a loveseat off to the side of the hostess stand.
" Honey, you were amazing," Mom gushed, standing to give me a big hug. "I can't believe how many people came out to see you. You're famous."
" Mom, really? You're attracting attention. Look at those people staring," I said, ducking my head in embarrassment.
" What? Sweetie, it's my job to brag over you." She turned to the young couple standing to her right. "My daughter is a famous author."
" Oh lord. Shoot me now," I groaned as Olivia stifled a chuckle.
Mom couldn 't have made more of a spectacle of me unless she had pulled out a bullhorn and shouted to the entire restaurant. My brothers returned from the bathroom, thumping me enthusiastically on the back. Tony took my hazing a step further by rubbing the top of my head with his knuckles, earning him an elbow in the ribs. "Knock it off, ass—" My voice trailed off when Mom tugged at my shirt, shooting me her famous glare. Alec looked on in amusement, getting a firsthand look at what I had grown up with. This dinner was going to be so much fun. Not.
" Nicole, why don't you introduce us to your friend," my mom said, taking note of Alec, who stood quietly at my side.
" Friend" wasn't the word I would have used to describe him. "Well, he's…" I stood like an idiot, searching for the right way to introduce him. I looked to Olivia for help. She shook her head, smiling.
" It's all you," she giggled.
Zachary jumped in when I still couldn 't manage to put a sentence together. "For Pete's sake. You're Alec, right? You were kind of busy at the signing today, otherwise we would have said hello there. I'm Zachary. This is my girlfriend, Ashley." They shook hands with Alec as Zachary continued with the introductions. "Over here is our brother Tony, and that's the other one, Riley."
" We already saw the cover, so you don't have to take your shirt off here," Riley joked, patting Alec on the back.
" Good thing," he laughed. "I've spent the whole day shirtless. I'm due for a break."
Alec handled the ribbing in stride, laughing with my brothers like they had been friends for years. Zachary finished up by int roducing him to my parents as I practically hid myself behind Olivia. Luckily, Taylor showed up to save me from once again becoming a bullseye for any further humiliation.
Tony 's good mood suddenly slipped as he eyed his competition disdainfully. The hostess showed us to our table with Taylor leading Olivia by the small of her back. Zachary, Riley and I exchanged knowing looks. My fear was that Tony would say something stupid and make the dinner even more unbearable. As everyone began to sit, I quickly snagged the chair next to Olivia before Tony could take it. Only part of my intention had been to make sure he behaved. Really, I didn't want to be stuck next to Alec. With my chair angled just the right way, I didn't even have to make eye contact with him. He and Riley had seemed to hit it off anyway and pretty much stayed in constant conversation the entire time.
Dinner turned out not to be the horror show I had anticipated. Tony managed to leave the Olivia-and-Taylor situation alone and the book event became the main topic of conversation for most of the meal. The rest of my family seemed as impressed as my mom with the bevy of activity they had witnessed at my table. I was just glad readers and bloggers had taken the time to stop by to see me. It would have sucked if I'd been sitting there twiddling my thumbs when my family showed up.
Eventually , we exhausted all conversation about the signing and Mom turned her attention to Alec at the far end of the table. I wanted badly to hear what they were saying, but the guys had gotten into a heated debate over the baseball game from the night before. Knowing my luck, she was probably trying to play the dating game and set me up. I could have spared her the trouble. That ship had sailed.
C hapter Nine
"I
" Honey, you were amazing," Mom gushed, standing to give me a big hug. "I can't believe how many people came out to see you. You're famous."
" Mom, really? You're attracting attention. Look at those people staring," I said, ducking my head in embarrassment.
" What? Sweetie, it's my job to brag over you." She turned to the young couple standing to her right. "My daughter is a famous author."
" Oh lord. Shoot me now," I groaned as Olivia stifled a chuckle.
Mom couldn 't have made more of a spectacle of me unless she had pulled out a bullhorn and shouted to the entire restaurant. My brothers returned from the bathroom, thumping me enthusiastically on the back. Tony took my hazing a step further by rubbing the top of my head with his knuckles, earning him an elbow in the ribs. "Knock it off, ass—" My voice trailed off when Mom tugged at my shirt, shooting me her famous glare. Alec looked on in amusement, getting a firsthand look at what I had grown up with. This dinner was going to be so much fun. Not.
" Nicole, why don't you introduce us to your friend," my mom said, taking note of Alec, who stood quietly at my side.
" Friend" wasn't the word I would have used to describe him. "Well, he's…" I stood like an idiot, searching for the right way to introduce him. I looked to Olivia for help. She shook her head, smiling.
" It's all you," she giggled.
Zachary jumped in when I still couldn 't manage to put a sentence together. "For Pete's sake. You're Alec, right? You were kind of busy at the signing today, otherwise we would have said hello there. I'm Zachary. This is my girlfriend, Ashley." They shook hands with Alec as Zachary continued with the introductions. "Over here is our brother Tony, and that's the other one, Riley."
" We already saw the cover, so you don't have to take your shirt off here," Riley joked, patting Alec on the back.
" Good thing," he laughed. "I've spent the whole day shirtless. I'm due for a break."
Alec handled the ribbing in stride, laughing with my brothers like they had been friends for years. Zachary finished up by int roducing him to my parents as I practically hid myself behind Olivia. Luckily, Taylor showed up to save me from once again becoming a bullseye for any further humiliation.
Tony 's good mood suddenly slipped as he eyed his competition disdainfully. The hostess showed us to our table with Taylor leading Olivia by the small of her back. Zachary, Riley and I exchanged knowing looks. My fear was that Tony would say something stupid and make the dinner even more unbearable. As everyone began to sit, I quickly snagged the chair next to Olivia before Tony could take it. Only part of my intention had been to make sure he behaved. Really, I didn't want to be stuck next to Alec. With my chair angled just the right way, I didn't even have to make eye contact with him. He and Riley had seemed to hit it off anyway and pretty much stayed in constant conversation the entire time.
Dinner turned out not to be the horror show I had anticipated. Tony managed to leave the Olivia-and-Taylor situation alone and the book event became the main topic of conversation for most of the meal. The rest of my family seemed as impressed as my mom with the bevy of activity they had witnessed at my table. I was just glad readers and bloggers had taken the time to stop by to see me. It would have sucked if I'd been sitting there twiddling my thumbs when my family showed up.
Eventually , we exhausted all conversation about the signing and Mom turned her attention to Alec at the far end of the table. I wanted badly to hear what they were saying, but the guys had gotten into a heated debate over the baseball game from the night before. Knowing my luck, she was probably trying to play the dating game and set me up. I could have spared her the trouble. That ship had sailed.
C hapter Nine
"I
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