Page 8 of Hot Girls Read Book Club

By the time I reach my apartment above a small boutique at the end of Main Street, my phone chimes in my oversized tote. Fumbling through the chaos inside the bag, I find my phone. Pressing my thumb to the screen, I unlock it to find a text message from an unknown number.

UNKNOWN:

First-Time Caller – B.K. Borison

I bite my lip and smile to myself, hugging my phone to my chest. B.K. Borison—my other favorite author.

Jax Mason pays attention.

I SIT IN my truck, parked in my driveway, scrolling through romance novels for nearly forty-five minutes.

At some point, all the names start blurring together.

Abby Jimenez. Christina Lauren. Meghan Quinn.

B.K. Borison—that one stops me cold.

I’ve loved romance books since I was a teenager. My favorite authors right now are Ali Hazelwood and B.K. Borison.

Lily’s words echo through my head.

There’s no reason I should remember that, but I do. If she’s one of her favorites, it seems like a safe bet. The first book I click is called First-Time Caller. Something about it being inspired by Sleepless in Seattle. Even I know that’s a classic.

Before I can second-guess myself or overthink my choice, I type out a text that just says, “First-Time Caller – B.K. Borison”, and hit send. Immediately, I wish I would’ve added something else. Then I realize I have no idea what that something else would’ve been.

My eyes stay glued to the open text thread, willing those three little dots to appear. Other than notifications for bills I have set to autopay and appointment reminders from my dentist, my phone is completely dry.

I stare at the screen for another minute before shoving the phone into my pocket. She’s probably still at the library. Besides, normal people don’t answer texts that fast. She’ll get to it when she gets to it.

I head inside, and the house is dark. Quiet. Empty. Nobody’s here waiting for me to get home. It’s been that way for a long time.

As I’m microwaving another chicken pot pie, my phone vibrates on the counter in the kitchen. I fumble for it immediately. My next dentist appointment isn’t for another four months, which means it can only be one person.

LILY:

😊

That’s it, just a smiley face. Taking it as a sign that I chose a good one, I smile all through dinner. That night, I stare at my bedroom ceiling for far longer than usual. Eventually, I roll over, grab my phone from the nightstand, and order the damn thing on Amazon Prime.

Two days later, it’s sitting on my porch, and I’m leaving work during my lunch break to go pick it up. I want to take my time with this one, see what she sees in it.

Which is how I end up perched on a rolling stool beside my toolbox during a slow afternoon, flipping through a romance novel while waiting for a parts delivery.

The garage is unusually quiet for this time of day. No engines running. No impact wrenches screaming. Just me and a pale pink book with a cartoon couple on the cover.

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

I glance up to see Sean, one of my younger mechanics, standing across the bay with a rag slung over his shoulder.

“What?”

He points at the paperback in my hands.

“Didn’t know you could read, boss man.” He teases, and I flip him off without looking away from the page. A bark of laughter comes from somewhere behind him.

“Is that a romance novel?” Noah asks, coming into view.

“Mind your business.”