Page 67 of Will Bark for Pizza (Bluebell Springs #1)
FIFTY-SIX
KIRA
“You look like a rock star,” Lila squealed, clapping her hands together. “Do you love it?”
I stared at myself in the full-length mirror, stunned at the end result.
I couldn’t take any credit. The long, wavy hair and dramatic yet elegant makeup was all Lila’s doing.
Her talents knew no bounds, apparently. She found the formfitting black dress, too.
But not just any black dress—one that shimmered with my movements.
Discreet, but definitely a statement piece.
“You don’t think this is too much? It’s just a book signing.”
“ Just a book signing?” Lila scoffed. “Don’t you dare minimize this special day. Your fans have been waiting for years to meet you. Embrace your badassery, babe. Because you’ve earned this.”
My heart pounded in my chest, thundering in my ears.
Today was the day.
The grand re-opening of Brenda’s Book Nook .
And Diana Davenport’s first ever public appearance.
Though Lila refused to tell me how many tickets she sold, she did share that they were all sold out.
How many people were waiting to meet me? Twenty? Thirty? A hundred?
After today, my face would be plastered on social media. My identity would no longer be a secret.
As nervous as I was, I had to go through with this. The book club had worked tirelessly these past several weeks. So had my family, building the bookshelves so the store could be fully open today.
I still wasn’t convinced I was a household name in the book world, but Diana Davenport had made enough of a dent that she just might help save a very important bookstore. One that meant a great deal to so many in Bluebell Springs.
Anxiety or no anxiety, I had to be brave.
“Where’s Husker?”
“Beckett’s got him.”
“He was here?”
Disappointment hit hard, threatening to worm its way into my already rampant fears of the day. Why did Beckett stop by to pick up Husker but didn’t even say good luck to me?
“Turn that damn frown upside down, babe. Your lovesick puppy came looking for you. I chased him off.”
“Why?”
“Because you need to focus right now. And if I let him near you in this dress, it’d already be on the floor.” She fidgeted with my hair a little more, meeting my gaze in the mirror. A wicked smile spread across her bright red lips. “And anticipation makes for crazy good sex later.”
My cheeks flushed, but I didn’t try to hide the reaction. Lila knew nearly everything now. In fact, she helped me sneak over to Beckett’s cabin a couple of times since her arrival so we could have some alone time. I claimed it helped me relax, but we both knew I wasn’t telling the full truth.
I wasn’t just having a little friends-with-benefits fun with the man.
I wasn’t just falling for him.
When it came to Beckett Campbell, I was pretty sure I was all the way in love with him.
That scared the ever-loving shit out of me, of course. But I was working through the panic. One of these days, when things were more settled and the fate of the bookstore was stable, I might even be brave enough to tell him. Brave enough to take a chance on love again.
“You ready to go?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be for something I swore I’d never do.
” No matter what happened today, there was no turning back.
On the way out the door, I caught the faintest whiff of Mom’s floral perfume.
Whether imagined or real, I accepted it as the good omen I so desperately needed. “Let’s go before I try to run away.”