“Obviously,” Zara said.
Emery felt like the floor was tilting beneath her. Increased visibility was the absolute last thing she needed right now. If these posts went viral enough, it was only a matter of time before someone recognized her.
“This is unexpected,” Eveline said, recovering her composure. She shot a glance at Emery, who was trying very hard not to look as panicked as she felt.
“It's brilliant marketing,” Zara said. “And the timing couldn't be better with the Romance Book Club anniversary coming up. I've already had inquiries about whether Emerald Pearl might make an appearance, since we're discussing her book.”
Emery made a strangled noise that she quickly disguised as a cough.
“Are you alright?” Eveline asked.
“Fine,” Emery squeaked. “Just… surprised by all this… attention.”
Abe, who had been watching the exchange with obvious amusement, chuckled. “Progress marches on, even in our little corner of the literary world.”
“Exactly!” Zara beamed at him. “And speaking of progress, I was thinking we could do a live reading for the anniversary meeting. Maybe have someone read passages from Emerald Pearl's books? Emery, you seemed to know her work well, would you be interested?”
The irony was so painful that Emery almost laughed. “I'm, um, not really comfortable with public reading,” she said, which wasn't entirely a lie. Despite writing steamy scenes, the thought of reading them aloud made her want to crawl under a shelf and hide.
“That's a shame,” Zara said. “Have a think, maybe you’ll change your mind.”
Eveline had been scrolling through the social media posts on Zara's phone, her expression unreadable. “These are… quite professional,” she said. “Though I wish you'd consulted me before posting photos of the shop and its staff.”
“Sorry,” Zara said, looking slightly abashed. “I got carried away with the excitement. But the response has been incredible. We've already had calls asking about the next club meeting, and someone even asked about ordering signed copies of Pearl's books.”
Emery felt the blood drain from her face. This could all be a disaster in the making. “I should get back to work,” she said abruptly, standing and clutching her laptop to her chest. “Those new shipments won't unpack themselves.”
“Of course,” Eveline said, looking at Emery with a hint of concern. “Zara, while I appreciate your initiative, perhaps we could discuss guidelines for future posts?”
As they moved toward the counter, Emery ducked into the stockroom, her heart pounding. She set her laptop down on a box and took several deep breaths, trying to steady herself.
This was spiraling out of control faster than she could have imagined. But still, the thought of walking away, of not seeing Eveline again, created an ache in her chest that surprised her with its intensity.
She pulled out her phone to text Jax.Emergency. The bookshop's gone viral. Need crisis management ASAP.
Jax's response came almost immediately.Knew this would happen eventually. Don't panic. Have you told French Goddess the truth yet?
Emery sighed and typed back:No. And now there are "bookshop romance" rumors about us online.
Three dots appeared, disappeared, then reappeared before Jax's reply finally came through.Either this is the best meet-cutein history or the biggest disaster waiting to happen. I'll bring wine tonight. Don't do anything stupid until then.
Emery slipped her phone back into her pocket just as the stockroom door opened and Eveline appeared. “Are you alright? You seem… unusually distressed about this social media situation.”
“I just… value my privacy,” Emery said, which was at least partially true.
“As do I,” Eveline said. “I’ve had a word with Zara, pictures will go through me first before they’re posted. No staff faces, I think.”
Emery felt the tightness in her chest loosen a little. “Right. Sounds… sensible.”
Eveline nodded. “Of course. And Emery?”
“Yes?”
“Whatever you were writing earlier… I'd like to read it someday.”
With that, she turned and left the stockroom, leaving Emery standing among the boxes, frozen in panic and something that felt dangerously like hope.
Chapter Twelve
