Page 96 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

I shook my head and tried to rearrange my face. “Oh no. He isn’t my boyfriend.”

Her brown eyes narrowed. “He kisses you like he’s your boyfriend.”

I smiled. “It’s really more of an enemies-to-lovers kind of thing.”

The woman behind me leaned in, whispering, “Uh, you’re not serious.”

I looked back at her and nodded. “I am, actually. The last time we were here, I slammed into his giant chest, and we argued for ten minutes.”

“How do you go from real-life enemies to real-life lovers?” asked the woman in front of the woman in front of me.

I shrugged. “I think it was the universe. It has a twisted sense of humor.”

“The universe pushed my husband and me together,” said a dark-haired woman with a soft-spoken Latina accent. “He wasn’t meant to be stationed at my hospital, and I thought he was such a jackass when we met.”

I pointed at her. “Yes, exactly. I had the same thing. I thought I’d never see this guy again, and then, bam, it turns out I’m mentoring his daughter.” I threw my hands out. “I mean, what are the odds?”

“Totally,” the woman behind me agreed. “You guys must be fated mates.”

Thanks to Lilly, I knew that trope. “Isn’t that strictly a werewolf thing?”

She shook her head. “Oh no, honey. If a man is meant to be yours, he’s yours. No matter the race.”

These women were brilliant. They actually listened when I told them the universe pushed Theo and me together–without scoffing, rolling their eyes, or telling me they thought I was crazy.

“That’s what Arlena wrote about this time,” the woman with the pretty accent said. “Fated mates between a fairy and a merman. I don’t know how she worked the spice into this one, but I can’t wait to find out.”

Okay, I had to admit, that had me curious.

“There’s probably a lot of oral play involved,” I mused, pressing my thumb to my chin. “But then, how would that work for the merman if he doesn’t have a… you know?”

The woman in front of me gestured like girl, we got you as she said, “I wouldn’t worry about it. Arlena writes some of the best spice I’ve ever read.”

I channeled my inner Lilly and asked, “But there’s more than spice to this book, right?”

“There’s plot too, don’t worry. I read the blurb online, and this one is set during a war between races. So there’ll be some political intrigue.”

“I can’t wait,” sighed the woman behind me. “I brought my favorite book of hers to sign.”

The woman in front of me craned her neck over my shoulder to look at the cover. “Which one is that?”

“Frisky Frontiers. The only thing better than a merman is a cowboy.”

I held in a giggle as I spotted Theo’s muscled back and said, “Couldn’t agree more.”

When I finally made it to the front of the line, I asked Arlena to sign two copies of her latest book for me.

Was she staring at us? I could’ve sworn she was. The woman with the sunhat and big sunglasses. She turned away from the shop window as I squinted at her. She was too far; I couldn’t make her out.

Theo slid into the seat across from mine and put my iced coffee in front of me. I pointed at the brunette’s back. “Do we know her?”

He looked over his shoulder and shook his head. “This is a big city. We’re not going to run into anyone.”

I gave him a wry smile, and he hummed. “Well, okay. You and I running into each other after the fundraiser was a weird coincidence.”

“Uh-huh,” I drawled.

I sat back in my wrought-iron chair. This café was small but richly decorated. Painted navy and dark green, the walls were lined with plants and artwork. It reminded me of the coffee shop Lilly used to work at. It was cool enough and quiet enough that I felt like I could breathe again.