Page 8 of The Write Track
“No.” I didn’t want that. “Let’s not poke the beast. He’s moved on. I definitely have. I want to put him behind me.”
She paused a beat, as if debating, then nodded. “Does that mean you’re ready to start dating somebody else?”
The question threw me. “Um… that wasn’t on my list.” I let loose a hollow laugh. “I’m working on my next book, not looking for somebody to go out to dinner with.”
“Who says you can only do one of those things?”
“Um… me. I want to focus on this book. I think it’s going to be really good.” And I want to give some time to the horror project I’m working on, I silently added. Rose didn’t need to know about that just yet. I was going to pitch it under a pen name, for obvious reasons.
“Fine.” She held up her hands in surrender. “Focus on the book. As soon as it’s finished, though, we’re getting you a date.”
I chuckled. “We are?”
“That’s what I said.” She motioned for the door. “Shall we? You’re close enough that we can walk to where we’re going, which is good because that way we can drink.”
The nerves I thought I’d subjugated roared back with a vengeance. “And how is this supposed to go again?”
“Calm down, anxiety queen,” she teased. “It’s a simple dinner. You’re meeting with four authors who live in the area. All of them are well-established. They’re also friends and hang out together socially. That’s something you desperately need.”
I ignored the dig. “Who are they?”
“Um… Hayley Clifton, Nathan Cooper, Bree James, and Brody Bates. Do you recognize any of those names?”
“Two,” I confirmed. “Oh, actually, three. Bree James writes paranormal romance. She’s pretty big.”
“She is,” Rose confirmed. “You’ll like her. She’s very funny. She just recently forced the homeowners association at The Landings to change certain rules. She went to war with them about the number of birdbaths they allow on any single property.”
I had to roll that through my head. “I’m not sure I understand.”
She waved it off. “Bree likes to win. That’s how she ended up with Brody. They were competing against one another and accidentally moved to the same place.”
“Yeah, I recognized his name but only because their engagement went public recently. It was a big deal because they supposedly hated one another and then decided they loved one another instead.”
“Yes, they’re a real-life enemies-to-lovers book, and I guarantee somebody is going to make a movie out of their romance.” Rose nodded. “You said you recognized three names, though. Is Hayley the third?”
I shook my head. “Actually, I don’t recognize her name. I recognize Nathan’s. I’ve read a lot of his books.”
“Oh, yeah?” Surprise had Rose’s eyes going wider. “I didn’t know you read horror.”
“I love horror.” It was the truth. I’d always loved horror… right up until Preston told me it was a waste of time. Then I’d forced myself to start reading classic literature and watching prestige shows likeSuccession, even though I wasn’t really interested.
“Well, he’ll be there tonight.”
I would have been lying if I’d said that prospect didn’t excite me. To be able to pick Nathan’s brain, one of the premiere horror writers in the world, would be amazing. Sure, I didn’t like all of his stuff—he had a thing about writing bugs into his books, which gave me the creeps—but he’d done everything in the horror genre that I eventually wanted to do. This was a great opportunity.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“It’s called the Collins Quarter. You’re going to love it.”
I loved everything about Savannah. Of course I was going to love it.
I WAS A BUNDLE OF NERVESas Rose led me through the restaurant. Luckily, she recognized who we were looking for and led me directly to the table, where two open seats waited for us.
The group we were joining had been involved in a lively conversation when we approached. Polite smiles took over their faces, and they looked up as Rose motored to the side of the table.
“Don’t let us ruin the fun,” she said dryly.
The man I knew to be Nathan gave her an amused look. “You always ruin the fun.” He stood and gave her a hug. “Everybody, this is Rose McGovern. She’s my agent.”
