“I…” The question caught me off guard, and I glanced at thephoto of Kevin.“It was four years ago and I…I will always love him, but Ihave…I have closed that chapter of my life.”
His gaze flicked to mine and he didn’t look away as helifted a piece of crepe to his mouth.He ate it with pure enjoyment, as if itwas the first and last piece of food he’d ever devoured, and I couldn’t helpbut think if he ate food with such gusto, what he was like eating—
I cut that thought off and quickly turned my attention to myplate.Oh my God, what was wrong with me?Why I was thinking about Coltoneating…well, definitely not food.Then again, who wouldn’t think about thatwhen they saw him and those lush lips?
“So what have you been up to, Abby?”
My chin jerked up as my heart turned over heavily.“Igraduated from Penn State.Um, I worked in New York at a publishing house.”
His brows flew up.“Really?That’s impressive.”
I shrugged a shoulder.“Well, it was not an easy job to get.I had to put my time in.Luckily, I was able to spend a summer interning whilein college.It helped open connections, but I was still an assistant editor bythe time I left.Kevin worked at a different publishing house.He made senioreditor in record time.Of course.”
“Why?”He was almost done with his crepe.
I smiled faintly.“The publishing industry sure loves theirboys.”
“Interesting.I didn’t know that.”He paused.“And you leftafter Kevin passed away?”
I nodded.“I just…well, I wasn’t a fan of the city.EvenPhiladelphia has nothing on New York.It was so damn expensive and I didn’t seea point in staying there afterward.”
He picked up a second crepe.“And do you still work as aneditor?”
“Freelance.”I reached up, tugging a strand of hair thatcame loose back and behind my ear.“I still freelance for publishers and forindies.”
“Indies?”Genuine curiosity colored his tone.
“Independent authors—those who don’t work with a publisher.Right now I’m working on Jamie McGuire’s new novel.It’s calledOther Lives,and it’s freaking fantastic.Sometimes my job is hard, though.”
“Why?Dealing with authors?”
I laughed.“All the authors I’ve worked with have beengreat.Like Jamie?She’s one hell of a firecracker, but she’s a sweetheart.Butsometimes I just suck at remembering this is a job.Like I need to be payingclose attention, but I get caught up in the story and the next thing I know Ihave to go back and reread an entire chapter.I’m hoping she hires me for hernext Maddox Brother’s book.I’m a huge…” I laughed, a bit self-consciously.“Sorry.I can be a bit of a fan girl.”
“It’s okay.”
I bit down on my lip.“There’s nothing more amazing thanseeing a book you’ve worked on get talked about and loved or when it hits alist.You feel like you’re a part of something bigger.”
Colton was grinning as he watched me closely.“You reallylove your job.”
“I love books,” I said simply.“There’s nothing morepowerful than the written word.It can transfer you to a place that existsright now that you’ll never get to visit or it can take you to a world thatdoesn’t.It can show you things you’ll never experience otherwise in life, andbooks…most importantly, they can take you out of your own world, and sometimesyou need that.”
“I feel you.”He was still watching me with those intentblue eyes.
A moment of silence passed between us.“I’m sure you didn’tcome here to hear about all of that.”
He put his fork down.“Actually, yeah, I did.”
I blinked.“What?”
Colton leaned toward me with his gaze locked onto mine.“Ididn’t know you in high school, but I knew of you.”
“You did?I can’t imagine it was anything interesting.I wasboring as—”
“I never got the impression you were boring,” heinterrupted, and goodness, I could fall into those eyes and never come backout.So cheesy sounding, and if I saw it in one of my author’s books, I’dredline the hell out of that, but now I got it.It was possible.“I justthought you were this pretty girl who sat two seats behind me in history classand was shy.”
Several things occurred to me at once.He remembered that weshared history class together?Holy crap on a cracker.And he thought I’d beenpretty?I was sure I probably weighed twenty pounds more back then and I worethese god-awful glasses that were so trendy nowadays.
Coltonwasa flirt.
