“The readers are gone.”
“And you think you can trust my employees?”
“Hey!” Natalie calls from behind a bookshelf. “I resent that.”
She has a good point. “They seem loyal to you.”
“They are,” Piper says. “You can trust them both, but you didn’t know that.”
“I have a good sense for people.”
“Dude, you must. It’s probably a writer thing, isn’t it?” Ravi asks. “I bet you study people. You probably can tell a lot about a person’s character.”
“When I have time to observe them, yes,” I admit. “But I’m not always correct.”
“You’re right this time,” Piper admits. “Ravi and Nat are reliable.”
“Hold up,” Natalie says, appearing from between two rows with a stack of paper, one eyebrow raised. “You two know each other?”
Piper looks at me quickly. “A little. We went to college together.”
“University of Tennessee,” I confirm, sliding my hands into my pockets.
“Wow.” Natalie looks between us, tucking blonde hair behind her ear. “Youreallyneed to ask him now, Piper.”
She shoots a death glare at Natalie. “He has much better things to do with his time. We need to let him leave and stop trying to hold him hostage. Where’s your publicist, anyway? Brad?”
“Bradley couldn’t make it tonight, but I—it’s fine. I knew this was your store, so I wasn’t worried about needing an advocate.”
Piper leans away from me slightly, appraising me. “Gutsy of you, McConkie. I thought the whole college-rivalry thing would have made you feel like you needed an advocate even more.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She cracks the first real smile I’ve seen from her all night. “Yes, you do.”
“Well, thanks for having me. Let me know if there’s ever anything I can do for your store.” My cheeks warm as she stares at me. No, not just my cheeks. I’m heating all over. “Sign copies of my books or whatever.”
Ravi nods. “Well, actually?—”
“We’ll let you know,” Piper jumps in.
I look between them. Ravi’s trying to communicate something to her, but she’s stubbornly holding her ground.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Piper swivels to face me. “Nothing. It’s late. Do you need a ride anywhere? Your hotel or anything?”
Hotel? Doesn’t she remember that I grew up here? “No, thanks. I drove.”
“Oh, great.” Piper waits, completely ignoring both of her employees.
I guess I should leave. “Well, thanks for a lovely?—”
“We need a resident writer to teach part of our creative writing class for a course we’ve already sold out.”
“Natalie,” Piper hisses. “This is not okay.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say, though my stomach is already starting to feel queasy. “What’s going on?”
