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“I know, honey.”

I smile. “It's really nice to meet you both.”

Lucy glances at my drink.

“Please tell me that's something I can order without alcohol.”

“Actually, Avery's behind the bar. I'm sure she could make you something.”

“Wonderful. I've been drinking sparkling water at every holiday event for the last month.”

“She runs a wedding-planning business,” Beau explains. “Apparently December is a competitive sport.”

Lucy gives him a look. “Coming from the man who takes conference calls during dinner.”

“Only occasionally.”

“Three times this week.”

He grins.

I find myself relaxing.

They're not at all what I expected from people whose names are attached to a media company worth more money than I can comfortably imagine.

Angela touches my arm. “Delaney's been assisting our editorial team since September. Samantha says she's got a wonderful instinct for romance.”

“Does she?” Beau asks.

I feel my cheeks warm. “I'm still learning.”

“Aren't we all?” He takes a sip of his drink. “What made you want to work in publishing?”

I hesitate.

There are several answers I could give. The professional one about my love of storytelling. The practical one about wanting to build a career doing something meaningful.

Or the truth.

“My grandmother, actually.”

Beau smiles. “Oh?”

“She had shelves full of books, and when I was little, I used to spend hours looking through them. By the time I was old enough to read the ones she kept tucked away, I'd discovered Jane Austen and a whole lot of romance novels I probably had no business reading at that age.”

Lucy laughs. “Those are usually the best ones.”

I grin. “Right? But I think what hooked me was realizing how a story could make you feel so much for people who weren't even real. I'd finish a book and spend days thinking about the characters. Eventually, I started making up stories of my own.”

“So you've always wanted to be a writer?” Beau asks.

“Secretly, yes. But I love the idea of helping other people tell their stories, too. Figuring out what makes a good book impossible to put down.”

“Do you have anything you're working on? Something you might be interested in pitching?”

The question catches me off guard.

“Actually, yes. I'm finishing up a manuscript now.”