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“That would be great. Am I allowed to ask about Landon while you help? Because I’m not certain I can hold back.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Hold on.”
I ran back downstairs, grabbing the book he’d signed earlier. He’d pointed it out before he left. It was incredibly sweet of him and guaranteed I would never live it down if I messed this up. Taking the stairs two at a time. I told her to put down the knife before I handed her the book.
She didn’t need to get all excited with something sharp in her hands.
“Is that my book?” She glanced at me, completely confused.
“It is. Take a look inside.”
She took the book from me, flipping open the cover, and immediately started jumping up and down. I had to remind her to breathe a couple of times. When she finally stopped jumping and dancing around, she grabbed me in a giant hug.
“This is the best thing ever! Oh, my goodness. He’s just the sweetest man. Wait? He didn’t see my room, did he? I’m sure it’s a mess!”
I knew for a fact her room was spotless, just like the rest of the house. She must not have noticed it was missing yet, though. I shook my head, partially teasing her and to let her know he hadn’t been in there. I wasn’t about to tell her he’d been in mine, though. Yes, I was an adult, but there were some things I wasn’t ready to share with them.
“No. He asked me if you had any, and I gave him that one. It’s his first one, right? Well, the first one in the series he’s known for.”
“It is. This is wonderful. Now I know what people feel like when they meet their idols. I hope you know I’m inviting him to all of our family events from here on out, whether you’re together or not.” She chuckled, but I knew she wasn’t teasing.
The door in the back opened. I heard my dad stomping his boots off, talking to Simon, the cat. My mother handed me a metal contraption and some potatoes. I stared at it before she came to her senses and handed me a knife and celery instead. I watched as she took the metal thing from me and started peeling the potatoes. Hmm. Maybe I should watch a cooking show or two. It might help.
“How are my ladies doing? You haven’t quizzed her too much about Romeo yet, have you?” He winked at me, giving my mother a bit of ribbing.
“I haven’t asked anything yet. But look, he signed his book for me.” She beamed with pride.
“That was nice of him. I’m taking a shower now. It looks like you’ve got enough help in here.”
He patted me on the shoulder as he walked past. It felt like a “good luck, holler if you need help” pat.
“Okay. Now I have questions. I assumed the bear and flowers were linked to the interview, but I guess not? How exactly did all of this come about? And I don’t need all the details. Thank you very much.”
I blushed a bit. Really, Mom? “I went to the bonfire to get to know him better, strictly for the interview. While we were there, we just hit it off. He’s incredibly smart and funny. And he was interested in me and my writing. I don’t know. He was easy to talk to, and the next thing I knew, we stayed up most of the night talking. But in the morning, he made a comment about me only hanging around him for a story.”
Her chin jutted out, mouth tensing. Maybe I was still her favorite after all? I kept going before she threw his book in the trash.
“It’s fine. I took it the same way you’re thinking. I was angry and couldn’t believe he’d asked that, but to be fair, that was my initial motivation. He didn’t know my feelings had shifted after I spent time with him.”
“So you don’t want the interview now?”
“No. I still do. But I want to do his story justice, and I don’t want to push him. If he’s not ready to put it out there, I’ll pick up some other freelance opportunities.”
“Freelance sounds like you’re not going back to your old job.”
“I want to do everything I can not to. They only gave me a couple of weeks to decide. I know it probably sounds like an impulsive decision, but I don’t want to go back to writing political articles, attending conventions, or listening to one more press conference. I’ll miss the travel, but it’s not worth it.”
Saying it out loud, I realized I had really made up my mind. The thought was both thrilling and scary. I felt my breath increase and grabbed the counter to steady myself. When I looked up, she was watching me.
