“And your launch is on Wednesday!” Addie singsongs, invading my personal space and hanging herself off of me. “It’s probably a really good book. I don’t know. I’ve read the first one and it was a banger so I assume this one’s just as good, but cannot confirm.”
“Wow, thank you,” I deadpan.
“Anytime. I’ll tell everyone at the launch exactly that as well.”
I snort.
“It’s in Guelph?” Simon asks, and I nod. “Okay, I’ll swing by after work. Tabby, do you want to meet me? You could go with Addie and then we’ll head home together.”
“Absolutely. I love a good launch party.” Tabitha holds up her Beaver Brew, a special Beaver Creek beer, and motions for the rest of us to do the same. “To my new friend Zander, the potential best friend of my best friend, Addie. May he sell out of his books at his launch and enjoy every minute of it with his fans and friends.”
It’s the best toast of my entire life.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Adelaide
God, he looks good up there.
This is the Zander I adore. The confident, charming man who knows he’s good at what he does. He tends to each one of his readers like they’re the only person at the event. It doesn’t matter that the line snakes around half the bookstore, Zander is giving everyone their time.
And he is so hot doing it.
Though, to be fair, he’s looked like this the entire night. He graciously wore my yellow shirt, paired with a basic pair of jeans. His hair is messy, framing his face in a delicious way that highlights his dimples. Throughout his interview and reading from his next installment in theDetective J.D.series, he couldn’t take his eyes off me. Yes, he worked the crowd, but he circled back to me any chance he could.
I’m inconspicuous, at the back of the seated area the store set up specifically for him, holding a glass of water. Here so he can see me, but letting him have his moment on his own.
“Oh, those are fuck me eyes,” Tabitha says.
True to their word, Tabitha and Simon crashed the launch party. When all three of us walked in shortly before the event began, Zander’s eyes lit up. I caught him turning away and swiping the back of his hand over them when he thought no one was looking.
“What do you mean?” I ask, sipping from my clear, plastic cup.
“I mean, you’re going to go home and fuck him, aren’t you?”
I shrug, nonchalant. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Adelaide!” She grasps at my arm, making me slosh water onto the floor. I drop a napkin, leftover from the light refreshments provided, and wipe it up with my foot. “You did not tell me about this development.”
I lower my voice, “It’s the best sex I’ve ever had.”
“It wasn’t much of a competition.”
“No, it wasn’t. But it should have been, you know? They should have cared enough to be the best.”
“One hundred percent.” Tabitha takes a bite of her cookie and makes eyes at her husband, who is standing in Zander’s long line of supporters, a book under his armpit. Simon showing up for him is truly wonderful. “I’m happy for you. You’re happy, right?”
“I’m very happy.” I smile, hug my arms to my body, and rock. “I love him. I think it’s one of the easiest things I’ve ever done, which is kind of scary, but I’m also not really scared.”
“Then you made a good choice. Did I tell you I like him? Like, outside of the whole caretaking thing...He’s really genuine and he has stars in his eyes when he looks at you. You guys also flirt like it’s your motherfucking job. I’ve never seen you be so fully Addie with a guy.”
“Yeah.” I feel the blush creep up my chest. “I didn’t even really think about it. I didn’t shrink myself for him.”
“Because you didn’t need to. You’ve never needed to, actually, but this guy loves youbecauseyou’re so big and full. Like I said, I’m proud of you.”
I’m proud of me, too. After my mom left, I tried to be lessme, as if it was my fault she left. Dad never made me feel that way, but I still…wondered. At home, I was bright and joyful, with my hundreds of hobbies. Anywhere else, I tried to slot myself in with everyone I deemed normal and undamaged.
It took breaking up with Daniel—who is fine, if a little boring—for me to start wearing the clothes I made again. Which was right around the time I started going for it in every aspect of my life, publishing books, redoing the house beyond tiny projects, dancing in thefuckingstreet if I wanted to.
