Our server’s eyes lit up, and he directed her attention to the bottom of the list, which he definitely did not need to do. However, she didn’t take his advice and chose one instead from the middle of the list, a 2006 Vina Cobos Marchiori Vineyard Malbec from Perdriel, Argentina.

“Bottle or glass?” the server, whose name tag read BENJAMIN, asked.

“Bottle,” I said.

Benjamin gave a pleased nod, and as he returned to the kitchen, Christie said, “Are you sure?”

“We don’t do this enough. Just the two of us. It’s been too long. Now, tell me about your weekend.”

52

The people milling around the Mystorium settled into their chairs.

The crowd had grown since Tessa had taken a seat, and Rebekah had run out of folding chairs. Tessa gave up her chair to a gray-haired lady who looked a little unsteady on her feet and kind of reminded her of Patrick’s mom, whom she’d met a couple of months ago at the wedding.

“Are you sure, young lady?”

“Yeah. No problem. I promise.”

As Tessa went to stand in the back, a man entered the bookstore, and she recognized him right away from the photo on the back flap of his book jacket as Timothy Sabian. He didn’t look a ton older than her, though she knew from the author bio in the book that he was in his late twenties.

Okay, yeah, he was cute. Too old, probably. No—definitely too old. But still cute.

No wonder Rebekah had a thing for him.

The people in the audience smiled at him and whispered to each other as he passed.

“That’s him,” the woman two rows up from Tessa said admiringly to the man beside her.

Tessa wondered what it would be like to be famous like that, even in just a little corner of the world.

Probably flattering and annoying—both—at the same time.

You want the solace of privacy but can’t find it, and your fame gets in the way of every friendship you have because you could never really know what the friendship is based on—a desire to be with you or to be seen with you.

Rebekah spoke briefly with Timothy, then led him to the table up front and welcomed everyone to the signing. “So, I’m super-excited that we have an amazing author with us tonight. I’ve read all of his books, and if you haven’t read them, you’re gonna love ’em. Seriously, they’re fabulous. Timothy Sabian has written seven bestselling novels, all of which have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. He’s imaginative, provocative, brilliant, and knows how to send a chill down your spine, and I’m glad to introduce him to everybody here. Please give a big hand to Timothy Sabian.”

++++

Sasha eased out of the executive car and looked around.