by Vicki Green
“You don’t know that J. Stearns is a man, no one does,” another woman, tall and blonde with various colors streaked through it, says.
“From everything I’ve read in their fan group on Facebook, we believe he’s a guy.” The big busty blonde states, matter of fact.
My legs shake, and I hold onto the side rail to keep me steady. I’m feeling much better today but my nerves are already shot, and we’re not in the room yet. The doors open and we’re pushed and shoved out of the way by the three women. Nice. Duncan pulls the cart out and we follow behind. The large hall is crowded already with eager readers already forming a long line. Some are sitting down, knowing the doors won’t open for another hour, while some are standing, taking selfies and giggling. Over to the right is a set of double doors and a table with a sign above stating “Registration.” A few feet away, I ask Duncan to stop and stay there, and I walk over to the table.
A woman looks up. “We won’t begin registration for another hour. You can just get into the line.” She points over to the line that is growing longer as we speak.
“Oh! I’m Rylie Clark. I was asked to….”
“Rylie Clark?” I turn around and see a beautiful woman approaching. Her black hair is pinned up with some curls flowing around her face. Slender, wearing a very pretty form fitting dress, and carrying a clipboard. “Hi! I’m Misty Greer. I’m so glad you’re here.” She holds out her hand and I shake it, smiling. She looks over at the woman behind the table. “Linda, this is Rylie Clark from The Coffee Shop I told you about.”
She stands and starts picking up things from the table. “Oh my! I’m so sorry! Here’s a badge for you and….” She looks at it and smiles. “Molly? I’m sorry but I didn’t know there would be a third person helping you.” She looks at Duncan.
“It was kinda last minute. This is Duncan.” Duncan smiles, rocking on his feet.
“Oh! Well, here….” She grabs a name tag and writes his name on it, pushes it into a plastic holder and holds up the lanyard.
“Thank you.” I hold it out to him and Molly’s out to her then put mine over my neck. God! I feel so official!
“Follow me and I’ll show you where to set up,” Misty says. My breath catches as she opens one of the doors. I stay back to let Duncan pull the cart in before me. “A lot of the authors and their assistants are still setting up their tables. Once you get your table set up, I’ll make an announcement so they can come get refreshments. I’m so happy you contacted me.” I smile listening to her, and then it’s like everything moves in slow motion.
Duncan turns with the cart, talking, laughing and various sounds suddenly pop into the forefront. I stop, mesmerized by it all. There’s so many tables, so many people. Books being placed in table stands or piled into a stack with one leaning in front of it. Swag of all kinds laying out like candy to a kid in a candy store. Some people are dressed really nice while others are in tank tops, jeans or capris. There’s hustle and bustle, the electricity of excitement filling the room. And I’m here. In the midst of it all.
“Rylie!”
I hear Molly shout/whisper and turn around and bump right into someone, almost knocking us both over. “Oh, I’m sorry!” We both say at the same time. My heart starts hammering in my chest, my hand gripping my badge as I stare into the eyes of – Aleatha Romig.
Oh!
My!
God!
She looks at the badge hanging around my neck and smiles. We actually talk for a few minutes. She’s really nice! I relax and let go of a smile. She’s so – real! “Well, we will be set up in just a few minutes. I hope you come over and get some.” Okay, that sounded kind of suggestive. But she thanked me and held out her hand. I startle. I tremble. I break out into a light sweat. This is the Aleatha Romig! I take her hand and before I could stop myself, I was hugging the shit outta her. She gasped. I freak! Shit! I just tackle hugged Aleatha Romig! Then quickly, I step back. “I’m sorry….” She waves her hand in the air and smiles, then looks at my big tote bag and asks if I have books for her to sign. I nod, feeling like a douche bobble head, and she tells me to come by and she’ll sign them. She tells me she’d better go and finish setting up her table and that she hopes to see me in a few minutes! Oh, my God!
I raise my hand giving a wave as she turns around and walks away. I’m still shaking. I can’t believe I met Aleatha Romig in person! Squeeeeee! I find our table and walk behind it, setting my bag of books down. When I stand back up, I freeze.
“Hmmmm. These are simply delectable.”
There, standing at the end of the table is – the Pepper Winters. Oh, my God! I’m gonna die! She looks just as beautiful as she does in the pictures I’ve seen on her fan page on Facebook. Petite, porcelain skin and long black hair. How in the hell do those magnificent stories come out of that?
Molly looks at me and smiles. “Pepper?” She called her Pepper! “This is my best friend and owner of The Coffee Shop where these came from.” She leans into Pepper, still smiling at me. “She’s like your number one fan.” Holy crap!
Pepper walks over until she’s right in front of me. She tells me how sweet I am and shakes my hand. Afterwards, I’m gripping the sides of my black jeans, trying not to make the same mistake and tackle hug her too.
“She brought your books with her and would love for you to sign them, if you wouldn’t mind,” Molly says, walking over to me behind the table, taking out Pepper’s books, which are many, and sets them on the table. I’m still frozen. Pepper is so sweet. She tells me she’d love to! Molly hands her a pen, and I watch in fascination as the Pepper Winters signs my books! She signs each one and when done, she hands the pen back to Molly. Pepper asks me if I’d like a picture together! I swallow hard, hoping I can speak.
“That would be very nice. Thank you.” There! That wasn’t so bad.
Pepper walks around the table and puts her arms around my shoulders. Around my shoulders! Molly takes my phone from my hand and stands in front of the table. Snap. Snap. I’m gonna die! Pepper tells us that it was lovely to meet us and hopes to see us later. I think I might die or throw up! I’m not sure which. But if I did – I’d be one happy fangirl!
“That is one class act. This is really fun!” Duncan says, and I sit down with a plop in the chair behind me.
I don’t know how I’m going to make it through this day!
Chapter 21
I help set out more pastries on the table and sigh. Our table looks really nice and everyone is really enjoying our treats. “Here’s some more business cards.” Duncan smiles and sets another stack on the table. I’m really glad I thought to bring some. I wasn’t sure anyone would take any. And I’m happy I haven’t made an ass of myself – yet.
“You really need to try their mocha latte and oh! – these pastries are so delicious!” I smile as I see Pepper Winters and Aleatha Romig walking toward the table. Pepper asked me if I’d met Aleatha and I nod like a bobble head, again. Yeah, I kinda tackle hugged the shit outta her earlier. Aleatha smiles and tells Pepper, yes, but we didn’t get a picture together. So Pepper – the Pepper Winters, walks over and takes my phone from me while Aleatha – the Aleatha Romig, walks over and puts her arm around me. It all happens so quickly. Next thing I know, I’m smiling to beat the band as Pepper takes our pictures. They’re so much like “real” people!
Snap, snap.
Holy shit! Pepper just took my picture with Aleatha. I need to put plastic over my phone now to protect her fingerprints. Then Pepper asks if I’d consider taking orders for our pastries and shipping them. Huh. I never thought about doing that before. No one’s ever asked. She goes on to tell me I could make a killing doing that. She said she would order some and Aleatha agreed and gave me the suggestion that I could even ship them out for other author events.
“Well, I never thought about that before,” I respond, my smile c
ouldn’t get any bigger.
After they ate more pastries, I watch two of my most favorite authors in the world walk away from my table after telling me how much they love my stuff and they actually talked to me. Me! I swear! It’s like they’re “real” people! I know I keep repeating that. Work with me. I feel Molly’s arm move around my shoulders as I keep watching them walk away. “Well. This is going very well.” I nod, looking around the room. “Do you think we should get into taking orders and shipping? I’ve had so many people ask.”
I’m sure when Gram had the shop, she’d never dreamed of people wanting her coffees and pastries that couldn’t physically go to the shop, loving them so much that they want them shipped to them. Of course, I’d have to look into how to pack them so they wouldn’t be marred and what we’d need to do to protect them so they’d be fresh on arrival. Then there would be the boxes for them to be shipped in, labels for addressing, and maybe a postage meter so we could self-postage them and have UPS pick them up so we aren’t always needing to take them to the post office. It could work. I think. There would be a lot to figure out but – doable.
Finally, I got a chance to walk around a bit, looking at the various tables, the banners to see who’d be sitting where, and I may have drooled over all the paperbacks sitting on the tables. Each table had a unique setup, each with their own flair. I made mental notes of some new authors to me, wanting to get at least one paperback from each to read. I love finding new authors! Once I’d walk around the outside parameter and had gotten across to the other side of the room from my table, I stop cold. I looked at the banner that proudly displayed – J. Stearns, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author. The lump that had once been distinguished, feeling more relaxed as I’d met a few of my favorite authors was there again, only bigger. I looked around the table to find – no one. Shit! I scanned the table like a woman dying of thirst coming out of the desert, my stomach doing a somersault with their paperbacks displayed. Oh, my God! It’s Believe in Dreams! They brought them for purchase even though it’s not out yet! The palms of my hands begin to sweat. I must get one. I’ll die if I don’t have it in my possession.
“They’ll be back soon.” A woman’s voice breaks me free from my fantasies.
I look up and see a woman standing behind the table, moving things around a bit. Her badge says “Assistant” so I know she isn’t the author. Whew! I’d have died right here on the spot. “Thank you,” I whisper and start heading down the other side of the room and back to our table. Once I’d made it back there, Molly decided to walk around with me before things started to get crazier. We went to the tables in the middle of the room, lined up in a circle. She pointed out different books she wants and a few authors that were at their tables. Trust me, she’s as big of a fangirl as I am, she just won’t admit it. I love seeing all the paperbacks, in different displays, on all the tables. The smell of a matte finish overtaking my senses, the longing to touch them almost overpowering. This is heaven!
We’d been down one side, the closest to our table and rounded the corner, now heading down the other side. I look down at a table and nudge Molly. “Oh! Look at this swag! How cute!” She stops me, grabbing my upper arm so tightly it hurts. “What the….?”
“Isn’t that,” she whispers. “Chance Geary?” WHAT?
I look up and my eyes zone right at – the Chance Geary! Oh, my God!
“Let’s go talk to him. Isn’t he like one of your favorite actors? Wasn’t he also on some book covers?” She’s so oblivious.
She releases me and starts walking toward the table he’s standing behind. Now it’s my turn to grab her arm in a death grip. “No! We can’t go over there! Hide me!”
She turns and looks at me from over her shoulder and laughs. “What? Why the hell not? You love the books he’s on the cover of, especially the Dream series, and you saw the movies he’s been in like a gazillion times. Why not meet him?” She looks back around at the table he’s standing near. “He’s even got posters you can buy and he’ll sign them. You can have Chance Geary pinned up on your bedroom walls like you used to have Donny Osmond.” She smirks.
Okay, in all fairness, I had more than Donny Osmond pinned on my walls. I used to take pictures out of Teen Beat. My walls were covered in hunkiness. (That is to a word. I just made it up, so there!) She turns around and grabs both my arms, this time.
“Rylie. Live a little. Isn’t this what signings are for? Meeting the authors you love, getting their books and having them sign them? So there’s a little eye candy while we’re here. Bonus! How often would you ever get the chance to meet one of your favorite actors and cover models?” Sometimes, I hate it when she’s right. I concede and follow her over to the table. Well, it’s not like I had much choice with her hand squeezing mine and dragging me.
“Ladies! How are we today?” He smiles, and I swear his dreaminess just made me swoon. Molly’s looking down at his posters and the authors books that he’s here with. “Can I interest you in a signed poster? Maybe a picture together?” I nudge her arm as he’s looking right at her. She ignores me. So, I do what any bestie would do, I elbow her in her side. Hard.
“Ow!” She looks at me and sneers, then I tilt my head toward him. She looks at him and lowers her brows. “I’m sorry. What?”
He leans down, his muscles rippling as he picks up a poster does not go unnoticed by every woman within a five mile radius. Okay, maybe a small exaggeration but all women around here turn their heads simultaneously and stare at said muscles.
He holds up a poster and winks at her. He winked at her! “How about a signed poster and a picture together, Cupcake?” Oh. My. God! He called her Cupcake! I’m not sure why he called her that, but it’s gotta be good, right?
She shrugs. “I think maybe my bestie here would love a picture with you.” She starts to shove me over to him, and I dig my feet into the carpet, when the loudest screeching erupts.
“Sorry, folks! Five minutes until we open the doors to our VIP ticket holders. Five minutes!”
My head turns to Molly, who’s staring a hole at Chance, and I look at him, who’s staring back at her. Hmmm. So, I do what any normal fangirl and best friend would do. I grab her, give her a huge push toward him and with the look of shock on her face, glaring at me, I snap a picture. Him? He’s looking at her like he wants to devour her. You’re welcome!
By the time we returned to our table, things got crazy, which was a good thing because Molly was ready to kill me then stomp on my grave. But I don’t mean crazy like when my shop is at its busiest. It got down right louder than a train when they let those who were lucky enough to have a VIP ticket inside the room. It became extremely loud but the excitement that filled the room was intoxicating, electric, making me want to walk around and become a part of it. “You should go get some of your paperbacks and meet the authors before the general admission peeps come in,” Molly whispers/shouts in my ear. I mean, you have to. It’s so loud you can’t even hear your own voice.
“I will. I will.” I look to my left to the far corner of the room. There’s a line a mile long standing in front of J. Stearns table already. It’s so crowded, even standing on my tiptoes, I still can’t see them. Dammit!
After about a half an hour, our table is bustling with people. We already had to put out more business cards! Finally, I let Molly know I’m going to try to hit some tables and grab my precious tote bag filled with books and head off. I go to my right, deciding to stay organized so I don’t miss even one table. Pepper and Aleatha both wave at me as I walk by, and I feel like I’m walking on air. God, I’m on such a freakin’ high! Fifteen minutes later, I’ve met some incredible authors. Everyone is so friendly and nice. I’ve already gotten a shit ton of books and realize now that I totally didn’t come prepared.
I’ve made it to AL Jackson’s line and am trying to wait patiently. Okay, not really. I’m squealing
inside. It’s getting hotter than hell in here, and I’m not sure that’s it all due to the amount of people. I feel like I’m sweating from nervousness and excitement. The last person in front of me moves and suddenly, I’m staring into the eyes of the AL Jackson! She squints, looking at my name tag. She asks me if I’m the owner of The Coffee Shop and tells me that my pastries are out of this world! Oh, my God! Major fangirl moment. She knows who I am! And she loves my pastries!
“Thank you. That’s so kind of you to say,” I squeak.
Looking down, I dig out all her books and smile as I hand them to her. She’s more beautiful in person then on her fan page picture, and she’s so sweet. God! I love her! She asks me if I’d like a picture so I walk over and we stand in front of her banner. Snap. Snap. She’s amazing, and I’m trying desperately to hold in my fangirling. Next to her is the Mia Sheridan! By this point, I feel as if I could faint. Seriously! All this talent in one place is almost too much for me. She’s just as beautiful and gracious as I’d imagine she would be. She signs my books, and we take a picture together. I swear! I’m going to blow up these pictures, frame them, and hang them in my shop! She even thanked me for the stuff we brought and asked me if we would ship them out, which I told her we were talking about it, and even asked if I’d think about having small signings there. Wow! I hadn’t thought about that! How cool would that be? I assured her that if we begin to do that, she would be one of the first people I would invite. She was excited! The Mia Sheridan was excited to come to my shop! I had to get back to my table and sit down after that.
I’m exhausted but in a good way. I hope I don’t have a relapse from the lack of sleep and excitement. I look over to my left, squinting to try to see around the very, very long line at J. Stearns table. I can’t see them and I hope they don’t run out of Believe in Dreams before I can get one. I’d die and probably cry, right in front of them.