“The last few months have been crazy so I’ve barely had time to read. But I did download the new Caitlyn O’Leary book the other day.”

“No shit!” Letty clapped and her gaze went to Brooklyn. “See? Totally meant to be.”

The back door opened and Asher stepped into the house with a smile. I took in his beanie-covered head and snow-covered boots and almost laughed. What a stark difference from the mild winter we were having back in California. The beaches were no longer filled with tourists but the locals who were used to the frigid Pacific were still surfing.

“Yep. Meant to be,” Brooklyn agreed.

“What’s meant to be?” Asher asked.

How in the heck had I missed the huge wall of windows? Last night, sure, it was dark outside and there was only one standing lamp illuminating the space. But now, light streamed through them, revealing a huge deck that looked like it was freshly shoveled which would explain what Asher was doing outside. Beyond that stretched a wooded area, and off in the distance I could see the top of a huge snow-covered mountain.

It was a winter wonderland.

Holy shit, Asher had the most beautiful view I’d ever seen.

“You and Sloane.” Letty’s answer snapped my attention back to her. “She’s reading Caitlyn O’Leary’s new release, Her Unflinching Hero.”

Asher’s hands came up and covered his ears before he proclaimed, “No spoilers! I haven’t started.”

So, my jaw might’ve hit the unfinished, dirty wood planks. My eyes might’ve also widened five times their normal size. And I was pretty sure I was sputtering when I blurted, “What?”

“Oh, Asher didn’t tell you he belongs to a book club?” Letty grinned. “All the guys do.”

“You read Caitlyn O’Leary?” I asked Asher.

“Do I read Caitlyn O’Leary?” he scoffed. “I finished the Night Storm books and went straight to Omega Sky, and I never miss a livestream with her and John.”

“John?”

“Oh, girl.” Asher laughed. “You can’t call yourself a fan if you don’t know John.”

I glanced at Brooklyn who was shaking her head in amusement.

“Don’t listen to him. He had no idea who John was until he came to Smutties one day when me and Letty were watching one of their lives and John was doing a read-thru of one of Caitlyn’s books. John is Caitlyn’s husband. He’s hilarious and gives Caitlyn shit nonstop.”

“Smutties?”

“That’s the name of my bookstore,” Letty proudly told me. “Only smut books on my shelves.”

“Oh my God, I can’t wait to see it.”

“Then grab your purse and let’s roll,” Brooklyn invited.

Without warning a memory of the day I met Elise filled my mind. She was my waitress and since I was eating alone, I was reading a book and as it turned out she was reading the same one. We instantly hit it off. I stayed at my table well after I’d finished eating and between checking on her tables, she stood beside mine and chatted with me. When it was time for me to leave we exchanged numbers. From that day on, we talked every day. That was, until the morning I woke up and realized she never made it home from the club.