With ten minutes to spare, I reached for my favorite Latisha wig.
The moment I placed it on my head, something in me settled. Latisha was confident. Latisha had soft curls and perfectly laid edges. Latisha was the version of me who could walk into a room without immediately looking for the nearest exit.
I adjusted the curls, touched up my edges, and smiled. Now I was ready. The doorbell rang exactly on time.
I grabbed my purse and special editions, took one last look in the mirror, and nodded. "You’ve got this."
When I opened the door, Elena stood there grinning, her eyes scanning me from head to toe.
“This must be a personal record,” she said. “You’re ready on time.”
“Don’t,” I warned, already smiling. “This is the best I could do on such short notice.”
She stepped aside so I could lock the door behind me. “You look amazing. See? Trust your big sister.”
I snorted. “You thrive on chaos, while looking beautiful doing it.”
She winked. “That’s what I like to hear.”
We headed toward her car and that’s when she noticed my bag with the books. She blinked. Slowly.
“Oh,” she said. “You... brought books.”
I hugged the bag closer to my chest. “Of course I did.”
She tilted her head. “You won’t need them.”
I frowned. “I will absolutely need them.”
“You really won’t,” she insisted, as she drove out of the parking lot. “Just trust me.”
I’m sure she thought I would let it go by now, but I was only getting more suspicious of her words. “Why are you being weird?”
She glanced at me before turning left. “I’m not being weird. I just... think tonight is going to surprise you.”
“That’s not comforting.”
She smiled. “It’s exciting.”
I slipped my boots on, still suspicious. “You said it was a party.”
“I did.”
“And my favorite romantasy author is going to be there.”
“Yes.”
“So why wouldn’t I need my books?”
She patted my arm, keeping her eyes on the road. “Just trust me.”
The drive was much shorter than I expected, filled with my own spiraling thoughts. I wasn’t sure why Elena was acting so weird, but as long as she wasn’t lying about one of my favorite authors being there, I’d be fine with anything. I even practiced what I’d say if I got the chance to speak to her.
We pulled into a parking lot glowing with warm lights, and the building ahead of us was surprisingly not crowded like I thought it would be. I reluctantly left my books inside the car, choosing to trust her since she brought me here.
Inside, the air was rich with that unmistakable scent of paper and something sweet—vanilla, maybe. Fairy lights draped across tables stacked high with books, and a banner hung behind a small stage announcing the event in elegant lettering.
I felt like I’d stepped into a dream.
