Page 2 of The Ruse of Romancing

What none of us had anticipated was just how well Of Curses and Pomegranates would perform.

My gender-swapped, magic-packed retelling of Hades and Persephone galloped up the best-seller charts as audiences fell in love with Hypatia and Petros’s enemies-to-lovers vibe, witty banter, and insane chemistry.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if I hadn’t ended the book on a cliffhanger.

And while I’d technically outlined book two before we published book one, now that it was time to follow the outline, the words wouldn’t come. Which was especially rude since I’d quit my day job based on book one’s success, adding a level of pressure to book two that was nearly suffocating.

“You ready to head to the airport?” Avery asked, ignoring the open suitcase on my queen-sized bed that contained three shirts, a pair of joggers, and one tennis shoe.

“About that,” I said, walking to my dresser and pulling out more clothes.

I wasn’t sure how long I would be gone so it was next to impossible to know what and how much to pack, but I made sure to grab a swimsuit and a couple sweatshirts for good measure.

On the way back to the bed, I stooped down to pick up the missing tennis shoe from the floor before putting my armload into my suitcase.

“I was thinking. I don’t feel good about leaving, not with you and Mr. Wet Blanket so recently broken up.

” At this, I turned to gauge her reaction.

“Who’s going to help you cancel wedding things? And what about—”

Avery held up a hand, cutting me off. I tried not to notice her empty ring finger, something that was harder to do than anticipated.

The garish heirloom engagement ring from her ex-fiancé’s family had sat on her hand for over a year and, while the ring had never fit Avery and her personality, it still felt weird not seeing it.

“First of all,” Avery said, giving me a stern look and holding up a single finger, “you know very well his name is Eric.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a wet blanket,” I muttered under my breath, adding socks to my suitcase.

Avery shot me a scolding look but didn’t acknowledge my comment. Instead, she continued her list, holding up another finger.

“Second of all, you need space and time to write. You are not canceling this trip.”

I stepped toward her, clutching a ratty sweatshirt that really needed to be retired but was too comfy to get rid of. “But you need—”

“I need you to write a killer book to finish your duology and establish Rose & Quill as the up-and-coming publishing house. Mom and Grandma Sue can help me with cancellations,” Avery said, lowering her hand and sitting on the bed next to my suitcase.

Hercules took advantage of her change of position, settling his head in her lap, looking like a stern elderly man agreeing with her point.

“Are you sure?” I asked, handing the sweatshirt to Avery so she could add it to my bag as I went to retrieve toiletries from the bathroom.

I needed this trip. I knew I did. I needed a change of pace, a change of scene, a change of something if I was going to write this book. But I didn’t feel good about leaving my older sister home alone to deal with her recently broken engagement and canceled wedding by herself.

“I’m sure. Besides, if you finish the book fast enough, you can be my plus one on my no-longer-honeymoon trip to Italy.” Avery tossed me a wide, conspiratorial grin I didn’t trust. I knew she was hurting more than she was letting on, but I also knew she’d share her pain when she was ready.

“Fine,” I conceded, depositing my toiletries before returning to my dresser and pulling out the remaining hodgepodge of items I’d need for my trip.

My phone dinged from the nightstand, drawing both of our attention.

“Cousin chat or a flight reminder?” I asked as I worked, knowing Avery had my passcode and could check for me.

“Neither. Looks like last-minute instructions for the rental.”

“More instructions? What else haven’t they told me?” I moved to my closet and stooped to dig through my shoes, looking for a specific pair of sandals that were ideal for the beach.

Avery snorted a laugh that carried into my closet and made me grin. It had been too long since Avery had laughed easily.

“Just a warning that if you run into a gruff, bearded gentleman when you arrive not to be alarmed. Apparently, he’s the grandson she’s been trying to set you up with and he also works as the property manager.

There’s a note about how he refuses to shave, even though she tells him he’d have more dating success if he was clean-shaven. ”

While I’d never met either the owner or her grandson, it was the kind of comment I could picture our Grandma Sue making and it made me smile as I finally found my sandals and surfaced from the closet.

“I don’t know. Tall, dark, and bearded holds a certain appeal.” I mused.

“And it can hold all the appeal in the world you want, after you’ve written me an award-winning sequel,” Avery said pointedly. “Are you almost done packing? We’ve got to leave soon if we’re going to make it to the airport on time.”

I pivoted on my heel and did a quick sweep of my bathroom and closet. I knew from experience if I forgot anything, I could buy it when I got there, but it would be so much easier if I could just remember everything I needed the first time.

“What do you think are my chances of making it to my gate and onto my plane without Poppy pulling me into her shop to sign more books?” I asked as I came back into the room with a final pile of items to add to my suitcase.

While I adored my cousin, I wasn’t really in a headspace to navigate her enthusiasm.

Avery snorted, taking my clothes from my arms and adding them to my suitcase. “I think you have a better chance of winning the lottery.”

“I was worried about that.”

I sat at my gate, waiting for my flight and feeling absolutely ridiculous with my hair tucked up into a black baseball cap and a pair of oversized sunglasses perched on my nose.

While the light coming through the many windows of the Salt Lake City airport was bright, it wasn’t exactly bright enough for sunglasses inside.

But if the basic disguise worked for major celebrities traveling, I hoped it could help hide me from Poppy for another ten minutes until my flight started boarding.

There were many perks to flying first class and boarding first was one of them.

With Avery’s help, I’d made quick work of packing.

She’d driven me to the airport in record time, Hercules riding in the back seat, his head out the window the entire drive.

I’d passed through security quickly, to the point where I almost wished one of the security guards would need to search through my carry-on, anything to reduce the amount of time I’d be stuck waiting at my gate.

I was flying out of the A terminal, which normally wouldn’t have been an issue if it wasn’t for one fact: the store where Poppy worked was directly across from my gate, a near-guaranteed formula for her facilitating an impromptu signing.

It was almost as if the universe was trying to thwart my efforts to keep a low profile.

Most people didn’t recognize authors when they weren’t sitting at a signing table with a poster declaring who they were next to them, but writing the current top-selling romantasy book in the country increased chances of being recognized exponentially.

Typically, I could keep a low profile, but the handful of times I’d flown to out-of-state signings and talk show interviews had quickly taught me staying under the radar only worked when Poppy wasn’t standing next to me proudly declaring to the entire airport that “ the best-selling author, Danielle Baldwin, was in the store right now!”

I’d almost missed several flights thanks to her exuberance leading to multiple spur-of-the-moment signings and question and answer sessions.

I loved Poppy like a sister and could never repay her for the amount of publicity she’d created for me.

Honestly, Avery probably owed Poppy some kind of compensation for the number of books she’d single-handedly sold.

But I was already nervous enough about this trip without adding in the self-doubt that plagued me every time I stepped into the limelight as author Danielle Baldwin.

I glanced up to find a middle-aged man in business attire studying me a bit too closely for my liking.

I slouched down further into my seat, lifting the book I was pretending to read even higher to cover more of my face.

I glanced at my smart watch, only nine more minutes until boarding, assuming they started on time.

“Whatcha reading?” An all too perky and familiar voice asked from my left.

I gave a startled squawk, turning to find Poppy grinning like the Cheshire Cat in the seat next to me.

Her brown curls tumbled down her back, her flowy floral dress looking like it had come straight from the sixties.

She wore a large, amethyst pendant around her neck, with matching crystals hanging from her ears.

“Poppy,” I said, lowering my book and pressing a hand to my pounding heart, “you scared me.”

She gave a carefree shrug, propping her chin in her hand as she rested an elbow on the back of her seat, the gesture sending the scent of a unique, but lovely combination of essential oils my way.

I was always impressed by her ability to combine different aromas.

If I tried my hand at essential oils, I’d most likely end up smelling like an old lady who got lost in a swamp.

“I thought it was you sitting here when I walked past earlier, but then I thought there was no way my dear cousin Dani could possibly be in the airport right now without stopping to say hi to me before settling in at her gate. After all, the shop has books she could sign and so many customers who would love to share how they met the Danielle Baldwin while traveling. But sure enough, it’s you,” Poppy said sweetly, each word twisting the knife of guilt deeper into my stomach.

I winced, fighting back the urge to shush her as she said my name louder than everything else.

The businessman across from me was no longer pretending not to study me.

He was full-on watching our exchange, though I wasn’t sure if it was because he recognized my name or because a picture of Poppy could have been placed in the dictionary next to the term flower child .

“I’m sorry I didn’t stop, Poppy. You looked busy when I walked by.

” Which was only a partial lie since there had been people in the shop when I’d ducked past. “And I don’t have time to sign books today.

” This was more of a lie since I’d been hiding at my gate for twenty minutes, hoping to avoid this exact circumstance, but Poppy didn’t need to know that.

While I loved my fans and was grateful for their support, I wasn’t exactly feeling extroverted enough to really engage with strangers right now.

I was too stressed about my next book and how much writing I needed to do over the next several days.

“I’m just glad I caught you. I’ve been thinking about your trip since you texted in the cousin chat you were headed to Oregon today, and I have a gift for you!

” She patted her sides, trying to find her pockets in the many folds and layers of her dress.

“I made it last night, hoping to see you today.”

“You didn’t have to make me anything!” I rushed to say. The last time Poppy had made me a gift, she’d given me a tea blend to reset my digestive system. Based on the events that followed drinking a single cup, it had done its job and then some.

“Found it!” She declared proudly, withdrawing a bracelet of crystals from her pocket.

The piece of jewelry was far from my style, consisting of a combination of heart-shaped green crystals and oval-shaped reddish-orange stones.

I had no doubt there was someone out there who would immediately fall in love with the bracelet and the bold statement it made. Unfortunately, that person wasn’t me.

“Wow, Poppy,” I said, forcing enthusiasm into my voice. “Those stones are something else.”

Poppy beamed, snagging my hand and slipping the distinct bracelet around my wrist, the cool, smooth stones against my skin causing my arm to break out in goosebumps.

“It’s the perfect combination to cure your writer’s block!

The green stones are amazonite. It connects to your heart chakra and is ideal for positivity and resilience, which we both know you need with this book.

” She tapped one of the heart-shaped stones, her words coming out fast in her eagerness to explain her gift.

“The other stone is carnelian, which is kind of obvious since you’re a Virgo. ”

I hmm -ed in acknowledgment, having no idea what the reddish-orange crystal had to do with my zodiac as an August birthday.

“I promise it’s more than your birth crystal. Carnelian promotes—”

A voice came over the speakers, announcing the first round of boarding for my flight and I shot to my feet, hurrying to stuff my book and sunglasses into my carry-on. I straightened, giving Poppy a wide smile.

“That’s so sweet Poppy, but I’ve got to board.

Don’t want to miss my flight!” I bent to give her a quick hug, not giving her time to stand and return the gesture.

While I loved Poppy’s interest in crystals, I knew from experience that once she got going explaining different stones and their abilities, it was difficult to get her to stop.

“Travel safe, Dani! And don’t forget you owe me signed books when you fly home,” she called as I hurried away.

I gave her a wave over my shoulder, the giant bracelet weighing down my wrist. I would be slipping it off as soon as I settled into my seat, not that I’d ever tell Poppy. She had the world’s biggest heart, and I would hate to hurt her feelings.

I pulled up my boarding pass on my phone and waited for my turn to board, counting down the minutes until I’d arrive in Oregon.

Nerves danced in my stomach as the gate agent scanned my ticket and waved me down the jetway.

My laptop in my backpack softly bumped against my back with each step, seeming to remind me of the work ahead.

I’d find my inspiration there. I had to.