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Goldyn:

Next spring? Next spring like when? March? April?

Me:

April

A flurry of texts came in while I weighed my impulsive decision. If I committed to April, I had to actuallybe herein April. Iglanced at my phone, laughing at the texts popping up one after another.

Goldyn:

Omg

Yes

It’s my first author event at the store

This is going to be so fun

Omg I have to tell Sincere. And Rome. And Enzo.

You just made my whole day

I feel official now. I have a bookstore and events happen there

oh my fucking god. Where are you? We should get drinks to celebrate

Even through the phone, her excitement was contagious. Unable to help myself, I smiled at my screen, fingers flying over the keyboard.

Me:

I’m at my grandparents house

Goldyn:

You up for drinks at Lucky’s? I can come get you in 20

After agreeing to drinks, I tossed my phone on the counter and ran to the bathroom to touch up my makeup, text messages from Greyson forgotten while I rushed to get ready.

An hour later, I sat at a booth for four with Goldyn, babysitting the same whiskey Coke I asked for when I walked in.

“Not that it matters, I wanna have your event at my shop either way, but why can’t I find anything when I search True St. John? Are you a debut author? Did I somehow miss that when we talked at the store? Or do you have a pen name? I tota?—”

“Goldyn,” I interjected, laughing softly at her never-ending string of questions.

“Sorry, I’m excited.” She looked sheepish and sipped her drink.

“It’s okay. I write under Roxanne Sapphire, that’s why you couldn’t find anything under my name.”

Her eyes swelled and she cocked her head. “What?”

“I—”

Goldyn didn’t let me finish, which shouldn’t have been a surprise at this point. “I’ve read your books. You’veseenme read your books. And your grandma. Oh my god, she’s such a sneak. She was the one who recommended your books to me a few months ago and I read them all in a week.”

There were only five books in my catalog, but knowing she read everything I published in a week still made me giddy.

It looked like Goldyn was about to hit me with another round of questions before someone stopped by our booth and pulled our attention away from each other.