We stared at each other for a long time, then we dove for each other. Yes, things were going my way. I just had to get us over the final hump. Somehow. She was worth it.
25
TWENTY-FIVE
Brody and I settled into an easy pattern. We spent every night together—usually at his house because my mother was getting more and more unpredictable—and wrote together during weekdays. On weekends, we hit the town for tours and bar visits. There was nothing extraordinary about what we were doing, yet everything felt fresh and new. It was as if I was looking at the world through new glasses without realizing my vision had been blurred for years.
I didn’t know what to make of any of it.
I’d never been happier, and it wasn’t as if I was living life large. I was simply living life with Brody. He made the mundane fun, and it helped that we both did the same thing for a living.
It was hard to explain to people who weren’t in the business what being an author entailed. It wasn’t just sitting down to crank out two thousand words a day and then heading out to screw around. There was a lot more to the gig than that.
There were outlines to consider and editing. I hated editing. Once I was finished with a manuscript, I wanted to be done and move on to something else immediately. That wasn’t how it worked, though.
Plus, in a social media world, I had to maintain various Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts. I’d abandoned Twitter—or whatever it was called now—years before, and I never went on Threads because I heard authors had taken it over to be crazy and dramatic. I liked to keep my crazy off the internet and away from public consumption.
None of that took into account the times when my muse was quiet, and just tapping out two thousand words was torture. Sure, there were days when I was inspired and could crank out ten thousand words in four hours. Other days, however, it was like pulling teeth to get a simple conversation down on paper.
A lot of authors were embracing AI, but that would never be me. My philosophy was simple: If you couldn’t take the time to write a book, why would I take the time to read your book? The fun part was writing. If AI could do the mundane stuff I hated, like TikTok videos, I would be all for it. Unfortunately, that was not how it worked.
We were eight events into the total twelve the first time I filmed Brody and me together for a video. We were in an Uber on our way to the Pirates’ House when I pulled out my phone on a whim and turned the camera toward us.
“What are you getting for dinner tonight?” I asked him.
Surprise registered on Brody’s face, and then he answered without hesitation. “Well, for a change, I’m getting an appetizer.”
“Oh, really?” I kept my voice light and teasing. “Why is that?”
“Because corn fritters with blackened shrimp were created by the gods.”
“Oh yeah?”
He nodded. “Yup, and you’re going to try them.” He poked my side playfully. “I don’t care what you get for yourself, but youaretrying something new tonight.”
“He says I marry myself to menus and don’t try new things. I think he’s wrong. I guess we’ll find out.” I smiled into the camera, lightly resting my head against Brody’s, and then stopped the video. “I’m going to put this up on my TikTok account unless you have a problem with it,” I said, not meeting his gaze.
“Why would I have a problem with it?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want word to get out about this.”
“Oh, please,” he scoffed. “I would’ve already hired a sky writer if you weren’t the one who insisted on taking things slow and feeling them out.”
I raised my chin, somehow finding the courage to meet his clear eyes. “So, you’re okay with people knowing about us?”
“If I had my way, the whole world would already know.”
I didn’t realize I was relieved until my shoulders sagged. “Okay.” I smiled because I didn’t know what else to do. “Well, I’ll put it up, and we’ll go from there.”
“Okay.” He rested a hand on my knee. “Are you going to put one of those filters on it?”
“Yes. Pirates. Since we’re going to a pirate restaurant, that seems like the obvious choice.”
“Totally. What are you getting tonight?”
“I haven’t even looked at the menu yet.”
His gaze was sharp when it cut to me. “You haven’t? You always look at the menu.”
