Page 127 of That Rush

Her brows rise.

“She has books in every room.”

“That sounds less alarming than the way you answered.”

“There’s one hardcover from this author, and it’s blue. This edition has a black case.”

“You’ve been studying.”

“I pay attention.”

I read the entire book after Paige handed it to me. The hotel owner was less useless than the heroes in the other books she has recommended, though he spent too much time deciding what the heroine needed without asking her.

That part felt uncomfortably familiar.

The scene Paige marked felt different.

The heroine gives one clear instruction, and the hero follows it without changing the terms, rushing her, or taking over. He waits until she asks for more. She controls the scene because she decides exactly what to hand him.

Paige marked three pages.

I have read them enough times to know every place the spine bends.

The bookseller turns back to her computer. “Wait. We had a gold-edged copy transferred here for an event that was canceled.”

Her fingers move across the keyboard. She studies the screen, then disappears into the back room.

She returns carrying a sealed hardcover wrapped in protective plastic. The gold skyline shines across the edges when she tilts it beneath the light.

“It looks like this one is signed, too,” she says, pointing to the title page. “Everything matches.”

I compare it to the photograph. Black cover beneath the jacket. Gold foil. Illustrated endpapers. Bonus epilogue.

“This is the one.”

“Do you want a gift receipt?”

“No.”

“What if she already has it?”

“She doesn’t.”

“What if she prefers the silver?”

“She doesn’t.”

The bookseller smiles as she rings it up. “You’re either very confident or about to learn an important lesson about gift receipts.”

I hand her my card. “She’ll tell me if I’m wrong.”

“And you’ll survive that?”

“I’m getting better at it.”

She places the book in a bag with more tissue paper than seems necessary. “For what it’s worth, getting the exact edition is the part that matters. It shows you were paying attention.”

I pause. “You know Paige?”