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Olivia sighed on the other line. “I can see how that would be hard. You’re developing feelings for her, aren’t you?”
“Liv, we’re way past ‘developing.’ The feelings are there. They’ve been there,” I admitted.
“Well, that’s a good thing, right? There are worse things than actually liking your forced fiancé.”
“True, but what if she doesn’t like me back? Oh, Jesus Christ! I sound like I’m twelve! I should have never agreed to this in the first place,” I sputtered.
“Sebastian, calm down. Have you talked to her about this at all?”
“No, I was a total dumb ass. I told her she shouldn’t own a business because it would look bad.”
“Sebastian! Who are you, our father?! What the hell is wrong with you?” Olivia scolded.
“I know. I want to apologize, but now I don’t know how to bring it up without looking like a total idiot,” I grumbled.
“I hate to break it to you, but genuine apologies usually involve admitting you look like an idiot,” Olivia consoled.
I groaned. “How are you so good at this?”
“Five years of marriage teaches you how to apologize. I don’t know what else to tell you! But it’ll be okay. Listen, I have to get started on dinner, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Sounds good, Liv. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I hung up the phone and drove back to my empty penthouse. Albert and I heated up leftover Thai food. For the first time in a long time, I wished I had someone other than Albert to share the view of Boston as I ate limp, day-old rice noodles.
I’d never seen Olivia smile so big as when she directed the crowd toward the signing line. The bookstore was packed wall-to-wall with gardening enthusiasts from near and far. I had no idea such a thing even existed! Olivia set another stack of books on the front table and wiped her brow. I was also discovering that hard-cover books were no joke. After hauling four stacks from the stock room, my pecs were starting to ache.
“Here you go, Diane,” Olivia huffed. She handed Diane a Sharpie, and Diane beamed.
“I think this is the most books I’ve ever sold at one event!” Diane cooed. She was a homely woman in her late sixties with buoyant curly hair and a penchant for frosted eyeshadow. Apparently, she was something of a local celebrity. The plant enthusiasts of Dover looked at her like she was a rockstar in a pale blue cardigan. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but I was proud of Olivia. She appeared at the exact right moment, offering fresh Sharpies, snapping photos, and directing customers toward the checkout. She was an absolute force. And again, I thought of Becca.
“I’m glad it was worthwhile for you,” Olivia said. The crowd was starting to thin. I helped one of the booksellers stack folding chairs in the corner.
“It was wonderful! You know, I have another book coming out in August about air plants. Would you like to host the release?”
“That would be amazing! Have your publicist reach out to me. You have my email, right?”
“I sure do.” Olivia presented her with one last stack of books to sign. Diane scrawled her signature on each title page. Once she signed the final copy, she sat back in her chair and sighed.
“We did it! Excellent job, Olivia.” Diane and Olivia high-fived.
“Same to you, Diane. You let me know about August, okay? I’ll tell the booksellers to keep an eye out on the store email.”
“Sounds good,” Diane said. She got up and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Are you going to take a look around the festival?” she asked.
“Yeah! We’re going to grab some cookies first. Have you been to The Cookie Cove?” Olivia asked.
“I haven’t been! But someone offered me an absolutely divine sugar cookie from there this morning, and now I’m tempted.”
“You should go! It’s wonderful.”
“They have excellent oatmeal scotchies,” I added.
“Well, I’ll keep that in mind. Have a wonderful rest of your day, Olivia,” Diane said. She walked out with a wave. Olivia and I cleaned up the rest of the shop quickly and put all the tables back in their original place.
Olivia rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms above her head.
“Okay, now we’re good to go. Do you need coffee or anything? They have coffee there, too,” Olivia said.
