Page 45 of The CEO I Hate (The Lockhart Brothers #1)

MIA

“ W hat if no one shows up tomorrow?”

Sophie barked a laugh on the other end of the phone. “Girl, that’s not going to happen.”

“It could! I’ve read horror stories about authors having signings and nobody coming.” I imagined sitting there at the table, copies of Heart and Hustle stacked on either side of me, signing pen in hand, and then… crickets .

“Yeah, well, those people probably didn’t have a dedicated online following or dozens of fans who rocked up to GeekCon just for an autograph.

People love you, Mia, and they love your work.

Honestly, there’s probably going to be so many people it’ll be a fire hazard, and they’ll have to turn them away. ”

I snorted. “Not sure I’ll be that popular, but it’s nice to dream.” I stopped at a four-way stop, waiting for the traffic to clear, then ran across the road. My local indie bookstore, Ink & Ivy, was on a side street with limited parking, so I’d ditched my car a couple blocks over.

I’d started to form a real friendship with the owner, Veronica, in recent weeks after featuring in her monthly newsletter to her customers, and she’d happily agreed to host my launch party for the first volume of Heart and Hustle tomorrow.

We’d put together a small preorder campaign which I’d pushed on my socials, and now that the stock had arrived, I’d agreed to swing by early to sign the preorders as well as the books she’d ordered to sell at the event.

“Please don’t stress about any of this. You need to put good vibes into the universe, Mia. You’re an accomplished, kickass writer, and you deserve this moment.”

I sucked in a heavy breath. Yeah, you know what?

Sophie was right. I’d worked hard to get here, and I needed to enjoy it.

I didn’t know how the print run of Heart and Hustle would be received.

It might all crash and burn in the end, but I could still enjoy this moment.

I’d get to see my work on a shelf in a bookstore for the first time, and that was no small feat.

“I’m manifesting good things for you,” Sophie continued.

“Glad one of us is,” I said, snorting. After the breakup with Liam and finishing writing season two in the writers’ room, I’d hit a bit of a slump. It wasn’t that I didn’t have things to do—I was quite busy with all this Heart and Hustle prep.

It was just that my world had shifted so suddenly, losing Liam and End in Fire in the same couple of weeks, that some mornings I woke up and didn’t know what to do with myself.

I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t an ache in my chest. One that burned every time my thoughts drifted to Liam, so I tried not to let them go there.

“Plus, you don’t need to worry, because I will personally make sure your signing is packed,” Sophie added. “I’m gonna bring the whole club down with me. It’s our team day.”

“Aw, Soph,” I said. “You don’t have to do that. ”

“Are you kidding? Everyone’s so excited.

And I’m so freaking proud of you. I have to show off my best friend to the world.

If things are slow, I will get Craig and Duncan to stand outside and wave people into the store.

No one is better at selling something on and offstage than a burlesque performer. Trust me.”

My chest lurched, and my throat grew tight. “You’re gonna make me tear up.”

“I know. Because I’m awesome.”

How had I lucked out with such an amazing best friend?

Who needed men anyway? All that mattered was that I had Sophie and my writing and that Jake was thriving.

Everything else was just background noise.

I batted away thoughts of Liam and my fears that no one would show up for my event and strutted down the street.

“Okay, I’ve gotta go rehearse. You go sign a million books, and I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“See you,” I said, hanging up. A giddy bubble bloomed inside my chest as I reached Ink and Ivy. I shoved down every other emotion and let myself bask in the excitement as I pushed through the door.

I inhaled deeply for a moment, and the world felt right.

It always did walking into a bookstore, especially one as cozy as Ink & Ivy.

Soft light cast a warm glow on rows of curated titles loaded onto bookshelves and displays.

Everything smelled like fresh, crisp paper and oiled wood.

Plush armchairs were tucked into the nooks and crannies between shelves, and local art was displayed on every available wall surface.

It was truly a little escape from the world outside, but my favorite part was the staff.

They’d all been so kind and friendly, so genuinely excited to stock my book.

Bookstores were awesome, filled with book geeks just like me.

It’s no wonder Veronica and I had hit it off from the start.

And speak of the devil …I spotted Veronica behind the checkout counter and waved .

“Hey, Mia,” she called, sliding her glasses on. She had short, curly hair and favored flowing, mismatched clothing that somehow felt perfectly curated.

“Hi…” I said, weaving between customers until I reached the counter. “It’s busy in here today.”

She smiled. “It always is going into the weekend. People like to stock up with a new read before their downtime. That’s why we’re open late on Fridays.”

“Smart.”

“Okay, so everything’s sorted for tomorrow,” she said, pulling out a notebook and checking things off. “We’ll have the space set up so you can do a little Q&A. I’m expecting a good turnout. We’ve got a pretty loyal customer base, and I’ve been putting your flyers in with every sale.”

The stack of promo flyers I’d given her to leave on the counter had certainly dwindled. Between that and Sophie, I was already feeling better about getting a decent-sized crowd for the event. “I really appreciate it, Veronica.”

“No, I appreciate it. I always love linking up with local authors. And your preorder numbers have been great. Speaking of, I have them just through here for you to sign.” She waved me behind the counter into a back room where a massive table was set up with copies of Heart and Hustle .

Seeing my baby there, in print, stirred emotion inside my chest.

If this were TV, this was the moment my eyes would be welling and the angel chorus singing.

“There are the preorders,” Veronica said. “If you get them all signed today, I’ll get my staff to add the bookmarks and goodies tomorrow, then we’ll get them popped into the mail. ”

“Perfect,” I said even as my face crumpled in confusion. I glanced around. “Wait, these are all preorders?”

She nodded.

“Where are the books for tomorrow?”

“About that…” Veronica gave me a sheepish smile. “I don’t know what’s going on, but all the copies I’d ordered for tomorrow have already been bought.”

“Been…What do you mean?” I laughed uncertainly. That couldn’t possibly be true. I figured with the launch event, I might manage some decent sales, but there was no guarantee everyone who showed up would buy a book. But for them all to be gone before the event even happened? I was speechless.

“I’ve put a rush order in,” Veronica said, touching my arm in reassurance. “Don’t you worry. They’re scheduled to be here tomorrow morning. Plenty of time before the event.”

I was still processing the fact my books had already sold out in the store. It was only one store, of course, and in the grand scheme of things didn’t mean all that much, but still!

“I can’t believe it.”

“Me either,” she said. “In all my years of having the shop, I’ve never had that happen before. But when he walked in, he was adamant that he wanted every copy we had. All one hundred and twenty.”

“He?” I said, my stomach immediately twisting up in knots. Why was I suddenly certain I knew exactly who he was? Frustration ate away at my excitement. “Tall guy?” I asked. “Dark brown hair?”

“As handsome as a movie star?” Veronica said. “Oh, yeah. You know him?”

I sighed heavily. What the hell was Liam doing?

When my phone buzzed later that night, my hand twitched toward it, and I groaned.

Why had I left it on the other end of the couch?

I’d had a cramp in my hand after signing all the preorders—not that I was complaining!

I was still ecstatic I’d actually had preorders.

I just hadn’t quite expected what a workout signing a couple hundred books would be.

I had to start working out my weak book-signing muscles.

Maybe I should start doing exercises with Jake.

I flopped over on the couch, stretching to reach my phone. I pulled it close as I lay there, checking the text. Sophie had messaged earlier to say she was picking up dinner to celebrate my launch tomorrow. I thought it might be her again, letting me know she was on her way home.

But instead it was…

My heart dropped into my stomach, and I sat up immediately.

It was from Liam. I hadn’t heard from him…Well, the last time would have been that afternoon at Jake’s when I’d walked in to find him there, helping Jake with his PT. After that day, I’d been a lot more careful about barging into the apartment, making sure to text Jake beforehand.

My pulse thundered as I read the text.

Hey, Gretel. Spent the day thinking about you .

After that, he attached a series of photos. I blinked back the tears I could feel building. I wasn’t going to cry over this man any more than I already had. I frowned, zooming in on the photos. Was that…Yeah, it was.

He’d taken all the copies of Heart and Hustle he’d bought and arranged them in ridiculous scenarios around his mansion.

The first photo was the books stacked in the shape of VeriTV Studios.

He’d taped a small piece of cardboard to the display.

It read “Writer’s Alley.” In the next photo, the books were personified, set up like an audience on a couch with bowls of popcorn, watching High School Musical .

Beneath the photos, he wrote: Finally got some quality reading material around here.

I huffed a laugh despite myself. Did it change anything between us? Absolutely not. But even though we weren’t exactly on speaking terms right now, I could appreciate a small, silly gesture that told me Liam was cheering me on in his own ridiculous way.

Thanks , I typed back to be polite. But what I really want is for these books to inspire lots of new readers. Those displays, as cute as they are, aren’t going to lead to the book being read.

I know , he replied. Those displays were just for you. I’ve already dismantled them and got them packed up to donate to the Boys and Girls Club. I think that’s the perfect audience for your story. I’m sure you’ll inspire a lot of kids to follow their dreams .

My breath caught as I read and re-read his text.

They really are something special , he wrote. And so are you .

Tears welled behind my eyes again. God! Was I ever going to be finished crying over this man? His message made my heart ache for him, but at the same time, I had to remind myself those were just words.

Liam was full of words. He could spin them any way he wanted and call me special, but when we’d actually been together, he’d never treated me like I was special. His actions were what really mattered.

He’d spent the entirety of our relationship proving to me that I didn’t matter enough to come first in his long list of priorities. So no matter how sweet he was being now, I couldn’t let myself forget that.

I’m sure the kids will enjoy them , I wrote. Thanks for the donation.

Can we talk? he wrote. Maybe meet for a coffee?

I answered, I don’t think so.

Mia…please.

I swallowed hard. I had to admit there was a part of me that wanted to say yes. Maybe this time, things would be better. Maybe this time…

But no. I couldn’t let myself be swayed by one grand, silly gesture.

In the end, what had Liam actually done?

Just shelled out some money, as if that would fix things.

He hadn’t apologized, hadn’t told me he’d changed, hadn’t done a thing to show me that a relationship between us would be different if we tried again.

And if all I was going to get was more of the same, then no.

Hard pass. The first viewing was bad enough—I didn’t need reruns.

I picked up the phone to send him one last text.

There’s nothing else to talk about.