Something Better

by Gail R Delaney

  "But watch you beat off adoring fans?" He grinned. "I can't wait."

  "Awesome!" Maggie said with a clap of her hands. "Take a shower, whatever, and then I say we need breakfast." She pointed at David. "You're buying."

  Chapter Ten

  "Come right this way, Ms. Parker."

  A young girl, probably no older than twenty or twenty-one with a gold name tag that read 'Beth', led the three of them through the middle display area of the massive bookstore toward a table David saw set up along the back, near the in-store Starbucks. Maggie had called it at the house... there was already a line of at least four-dozen people lined up outside the store doors, the line stretching down the sidewalk past the Ben and Jerry's and Baja Fresh restaurants in the same plaza. Most of them already carried bags of books or held books in their arms. For those who didn't have their own, a massive display was set up right inside the store doors with all four books in the series set up and ready for the taking. Some of the Rise of Dawn books had the original cover art, and some had the movie themed covers -- whichever the readers preferred.

  "Our manager asked that I send his apologies for not meeting you. But, we've made sure everything is ready for you." The girl looked past Andi to him, where he walked on the other side of her. "I'm sorry, but we didn't realize there would be other... guests... with us."

  "Oh, I'm not here," David said with a grin, waving the hand that wasn't holding one of Andi's. "I'm a tag along."

  The girl smiled nervously and nodded, focusing again on Andi as they reached the table. It was a long table, draped in a green and tan cloth, with stacks of books on either end. A large poster board set in a metal easel was positioned at one end, announcing that 'Andrea Parker – Author of the Award-Winning Insurgence series' would be signing books from noon until three. A studio shot of Andi showed her with a long braid of her beautiful red hair hanging down the front of one shoulder, and the beautiful grin he'd learned to love.

  David turned his attention to her, taking in her profile. She wore a yellow gauze top with a neckline that scooped low enough in the front to drive him crazy, and far enough in the back to make him imagine running kisses along the edge to the back of her neck. The yellow made her skin glow and highlighted the red of her hair. A simple yellow headband held her short, wild curls away from her face and David decided he much preferred the curls to the long braid in the picture. And today she wore faded jeans that hugged her in all the right places. David couldn't decide what he preferred... the sundresses that whispered around her and let him see her legs, or the jeans that hugged her hips and showed off her backside.

  "Thank you very much, Beth," Maggie said, setting her bag on the table. She set her hands at her waist and scanned the area. "It all looks great. You've done a good job."

  Beth blushed and smiled, her eyes consistently shifting to Andi. "It's our pleasure to have an author of your caliber in our store, Ms. Parker. If there's anything you need, anything at all, just let us know. Feel free to ask for anything from the café, and if there's anything you'd like that we don't have in the store, we'll be happy to get it for you."

  Andi smiled, looking directly into the girl's bright eyes. "Thank you so much, but I'm sure we'll be just fine. Maybe just some water?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Beth hurried off to the café as Maggie set in on adjusting the stacks of books and displays. David had done autograph sessions a few times, at conventions or events that his manager had put together, and Maggie reminded him of Avi. Of course, Avi was more bristle than smile and wasn't nearly as pretty as Maggie Connelly.

  "So, boyo," Maggie said turning to him. "I relinquish my standard seat beside Andi to you for the afternoon. It's your job to make sure her Sharpie markers never run out, that she's well hydrated, and if any fans bring gifts, it's your job to politely collect them and set them aside. Generally, keep the author happy. Can you handle that?"

  David grinned and looked at Andi. "I will do my best."

  "You don't have to," Andi said as she turned to him, and instinctively, David set his hands on her hips to draw her closer. "You've probably got someone who does all that for you."

  David shrugged. "Yeah, but it'll be fun."

  Beth returned with three bottles of water, setting them on the table, and nervously rubbed her hands together. She kept looking at Andi, and then away, looking for anything like she couldn't look Andi in the eyes. "We're about ready to let people in, Ms. Parker."

  "Great. Thank you."

  David moved around the table and pulled her chair out, scooting it in for her when she sat, and she smiled up at him. A smile that lit up her face and made her eyes spark, and David drew in a satisfied breath. He could look at that smile for the rest of his life.

  He took his seat beside her, smoothing his hand down the front of his shirt. Right now, he was damn thankful that he kept a change of clothes in his trunk. He'd taken a shower with Spiderman Shampoo and Body Wash in Jake's bathroom, and he smelled faintly like bubble gum, but at least he didn't look like a schmuck beside Andrea Parker... Award-Winning Author and Hot Mama Extraordinaire. Andi took a deep breath and let it out, puffing her cheeks, tucking her hands beneath the table.

  David scooted his chair closer to her so he could slide his arm across the back of hers. She leaned into him, and he pressed a kiss to her temple. "Are you nervous?" he asked. "You've done these before, right?"

  She smiled and laughed softly, shrugging her shoulders. "I can't help it. I still remember the days when I couldn't get an editor -- or agent, for that matter, before Maggie -- to look twice." Andi shifted to turn a little more toward him so their legs pressed together and they were eye-to-eye.

  David smiled and fought the urge to lean in just a little more and run his lips along the side of her throat. "Why? Your books are amazing."

  "And you're prejudiced."

  "Not true. I loved your books before I ever..." He let his attention shift down to her lips, nearly groaning when she pulled her lower lip through her teeth. "...kissed you."

  Andi drew in a slow breath, releasing it with a soft shudder as she moved away again. She set her elbow on the table and rested her head against her curled fingers, looking at him. "I was told that romance readers didn't want something so heavy on the science fiction, and I was told that readers who liked hi-sci-fi wouldn't want to read books with as much romance as I put into them. I had almost given up when Maggie took me on as a client."

  David looked up and spotted Maggie a few feet away, talking with some of the store patrons that were inside, but hadn't apparently come looking for Andi.

  "Maggie is obviously a smart woman."

  "Or foolish, depends on how you look at it," Andi said with another soft laugh. Another one of her traits when she was nervous, he'd noticed. That and the talking fast. "Either way, I guess it paid off."

  "In more ways than one..."

  She shifted her gaze to him, and when he smiled -- hoping she understood what he meant -- she smiled back, warm color blooming in her cheeks. "Yeah, in more ways than one," she repeated.

  David leaned toward her and had just enough time for probably one of their most chaste kisses ever before Beth opened the store doors and let in the line of Andrea Parker fans.

  *****

  Andi surreptitiously looked at her watch and tried not to yawn.

  Thirteen minutes to go.

  The line had finally started to wane around two, when she could actually see the end of it and people were waiting inside the door of the store rather than out in the sun. Andi felt bad for the poor people who had stood without shade for at least a couple hours to get inside, and had even asked the store to offer cold water to everyone. She supposed the ice cream place next door made a killing today.

  Andi had half expected a mob of fans to descend on the store once anyone heard that David Bishop was there. But, that hadn't happened. The people who came in line first pointed and spoke amongst themselves, and the news carried down the line, so as it moved peo
ple were no longer surprised when they came through the door. A lot of people already had cameras with them, and some dug out their camera phones. Anyone with a camera asked for her photo, and his... and theirs. They asked the next person in line to take their photo with Andi and David, or they snagged Maggie whenever she came near enough to the table to be asked. Each time, David was more than willing to comply. He whispered in her ear once that he'd take any excuse to put his arm around her... cameras or not.

  But he refused to sign autographs. He'd been polite about it, but insisted that this was a book signing and he wasn't part of the venue.

  "I have to admit, these are the first romance novels I've ever read."

  Andi forced herself to focus on the next person who stood in front of her, signing her name in his book. A tight tingle went across the back of her hand, making her flex her fingers as she set the pen down. Three hours of signing her name paid a toll on her hand. She closed the flap, looking up at the man. He was probably about sixty, gray around the temples, but had a nice smile.

  "I like hearing that I've introduced someone to a new genre. Just as many people tell me they'd never read a science fiction novel before as tell me they've never read a romance before."

  "Well, you've got a real talent, Miss Parker."

  "Thank you very much, Sam," she said, managing to remember the name he'd given when he came to the table.

  He turned his attention to David, and Andi almost laughed at the serious, stern expression that replaced the smile. "I heard they're makin' a movie out of them. Heard you're Jason." With a small jerk of his chin toward David, he said, "You'd better do it right."

  David cleared his throat and folded his hands on the table, taking on the same serious expression although Andi saw the mischievous glint in his blue-gray eyes. "I'm doing my best, sir."

  "Good."

  With that, he turned and left and Andi managed to wait until he was out of ear shot before she laughed, hiding her mouth behind her hand. David chuckled. "Your fans are vicious."

  Andi laughed as the final person in line came to the table. She saw in her peripheral vision a customer come through the store doors. She probably wasn't more than twenty-two or twenty-three with dark blonde hair that hung in waves around her face from a center part. She wore denim shorts that showed off endless legs and a tight baby tee that left little to the imagination. Andi usually wasn't one to notice people in that detail, but the girl was absolutely stunning. She took a few steps toward them, stopped short, and took a sharp right turn into the magazines and travel section.

  The last customer approached the table with bright red cheeks, and her hands shook as she set the four books on the table. Andi offered her usual smile and greeting, but the woman barely looked at her, staring down at her hands instead.

  "Would you like me to make it out to anyone special" Andi asked, dipping her head in an attempt to look the woman in the eye. The poor thing looked like she was about to fly apart.

  "Audrey," she managed to say, although her voice shook as much as her hands. "Ms. Parker, I-I can't believe I'm meeting you. You're just... you're amazing," she gushed.

  No matter how many times her readers complimented her, Andi always felt a rush of heat to her cheeks and had to fight off the urge to look around and make sure they were actually talking to her. "Thank you so much. Are you Audrey?"

  The woman nodded.

  Andi tried some more to pull the woman into conversation, but she was obviously too nervous to speak. When Andi signed the last book and slid them across the table, Audrey swept them up and stuttered a quick thank you before heading for the door. Andi sat back with a huff and flexed her hand again. She could sit at a desk and type for hours without any problem, but let her sign her name a couple hundred times, and the ache almost reached her elbow.

  David twisted in his chair to face her and took her hand in his. Immediately starting on a slow but firm massage working from her knuckles back toward her wrist. "Relax your hand."

  Andi wasn't sure what she moaned at... the instant zing that shot up her arm at the simple, non-sexual contact, or the instant easing of the ache in her fingers. Movement at the door drew her attention, and she glanced over to see if the new customer approached the table. She wore a yellow halter-top sundress that spread over her belly, she had to be at least seven months pregnant, and the poor girl looked ready to melt. Dark blonde hair was stacked on her head and held in place with a large clip, and she led a kindergarten-age girl in blonde pigtails by the hand.

  As soon as she was inside, she glanced toward the table and smiled. But, immediately, she turned sharply to the right, looking for the entire world like someone had just called out to her. Pulling the little girl behind her, she headed into the magazine section.

  Andi tried to ignore the small sense of relief that the woman hadn't come to the table. David's gentle ministrations were far too nice to be interrupted.

  He leaned slightly forward with his elbows resting on his knees with her hand held in both of his. His head was down and his focus intend on the circles he made with his thumbs on the back of her hand. His fingertips worked her palm and the heel of her hands.

  "Have you ever considered being a personal masseuse?" she asked.

  David raised his head and looked at her, kissed her knuckles, smiling as he spoke against her skin. "Are you offering me the job?"

  "Could be."

  David titled his head, grinned the kind of grin that inspired her to insanity. He shifted forward, setting one hand on the table and the other on the back of her chair. Andi smiled, watching his lips approach.

  "I leave the two of you alone for three minutes and you're already back to the kissing. You're almost making me jealous."

  David stopped short of her lips, his eyelids sliding over his eyes as he held her gaze, shook his head just enough to silently say 'That Maggie Connelly' and kissed her. He broke the kiss as he stood, laying a hand on her shoulder.

  "Do you want anything from the café?"

  Andi barely stifled her yawn, nodding. "A latte, please. Venti. Extra sugar-free vanilla syrup."

  David nodded and kissed her cheek before loping back to the café. Andi watched him over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to her agent and friend. Maggie leaned one hand on the table, the other on her slim hip.

  "How are you doing, my dear?"

  Andi sighed and slouched lower in her chair. "Exhausted."

  "You drew a great crowd."

  Beyond Maggie, Andi saw three faces peering at her around the end of a bookshelf stacked with recent releases; the pretty young blonde who had come in a few minutes before and the pregnant woman with the little girl. As soon as they made eye contact, all three ladies came out from behind the shelf and headed for the table. Andi watched them, trying to figure them out, as she shifted forward in her chair again. Maggie saw them coming and stepped aside, but only to the end of the table so the women could approach. The younger woman took the lead, reaching the table first with a wide grin and an enthusiastic "Hi!"

  "Hello," Andi answered, looking between all of them, settling last on the little girl who hid partially behind her mom. High pigtails held ringlets of chestnut brown hair so the curls brushed her cheeks and shoulders, and pretty blue-gray eyes stared at Andi wide-eyed. "What's your name?" Andi asked.

  "Katherine," she said softly, so softly Andi almost didn't hear her.

  "Hi, Katherine," Andi said with her best 'Honest, I don't eat children for breakfast' smile. She focused her attention again on the women. "Thank you for coming."

  The younger woman picked up the first book in the series from the depleted stacks on the table and opened it, thumbing through the pages. "Well, I don't usually do stuff like this, but when Mom speaks... Anyway, these are great books."

  "Thank you."

  Andi looked between the three. If the two women weren't sisters, they had to be some other form of close familial connection. The pregnant woman stepped around the younger, leaning
her hand on the table, looking so tired that Andi was tempted to get up and offer her chair.

  "What my sister is so ineloquently trying to say, while avoiding the point like it's an angry bee hive, is that our mother asked us to come down. The whole family has read the books, some of us more than once."

  "The word you're looking for is 'obsessively'..." the younger 'sister' mumbled, garnering an angry glare from the older.

  "I'm glad to hear it. We're working on the film adaptation now."

  "Yeah, we heard," the younger woman said with an undeniable twinge of sarcasm.

  "Sarah," the older woman hissed.

  Andi looked between them. What the heck was going on here?

  "What?" Sarah hissed back. "What am I supposed to do? It's a little late for subtle, isn't it? Mom's well-laid plans have been shot to--" She looked down at the little girl, stopping short. Then she smiled wide, a million-dollar smile to be sure. "We can't exactly stand here and chat for half an hour to find out if she's as wonderful as we hear."

  "Sarah!" the older snapped this time. "She's going to think we're all psychotic before we have a chance!"

  Sarah huffed, rolled her eyes, then turned a saccharine smile on Andi. "Sorry. My siblings are constantly reminding me of my manners, and my severe lack of them."

  "Lack is putting it mildly," her older sister grumbled. Then she sighed and looked past Andi with a nervous smile before meeting her eyes again. "Let's try this again, since I'm sure any second now we're going to be called on the carpet for our snooping -- even though we were sent and it wasn't our idea." She extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Caroline. This is my sister Sarah and my daughter Katherine."

  Andi shook the woman's had, sliding a sidelong look at Maggie. Who just shrugged and swirled a finger near her temple. Some help she was.

  "Hi," Andi said again, taking the woman's hand.

  "As Sarah also implied, we were sent here to meet you face to face. Especially in the light of certain... um... reports, our mother has concerns."