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Back Long Story Short Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. THANK YOU!
  56. MORE FROM VICTORIA WALTERS
  57. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  58. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  59. ALSO BY VICTORIA WALTERS
  60. Boldwood Ever After
  61. About Boldwood Books

My eyes drifted to Jake, who was talking to the authors beside him as everyone got ready to start the panel. The doubts I had niggled more. He was charming and he knew I loved his books. I’d even admitted earlier that he was my favourite romance author. Was he using my longing for a happy ever after to get me into bed? He knew it had been years since I’d had sex as well. I tried to remember the way he looked at me and how that kiss between us had felt. That had been real, hadn’t it?

‘It’s pretty heartless,’ Davis added. ‘I’d never lie to a woman like that.’

I tore my gaze from Jake to give Davis a disparaging look. ‘No, you just give them a cheesy chat-up line.’

He shrugged. ‘At least I don’t pretend I’m after something special like Jake does just to use women. You don’t deserve to be treated like that.’

The panel chair called for quiet then so Davis had to shut up. I crossed my arms and exhaled slowly to try to calm down. The problem was, I wasn’t sure if I was more pissed off with Davis Mulberry or Jake or myself for kissing Jake last night. It had been an electric kiss. And I wanted to believe that Jake was a hopeless romantic like me. But all I really knew was that he claimed to love romance but was keeping a secret about why he allowed the world to think he didn’t.

‘Jake, why don’t you start?’ The panel chair pulled me out of my thoughts. ‘What is a meet-cute for you and how can people wanting to write a romance novel create a good one?’

‘Well, meet-cutes are basically the inciting incident in a romcom. A meeting between who will be the two love interests, setting the tone and course of their journey to a happy ending,’ Jake said. He looked over at me. ‘I think if you want to write a good one, you need to make it memorable, make it funny or cute, and establish some conflict so readers want to see what happens to the couple who have just met.’

I tried not to let his words affect me, remembering what Davis had just said, but it was hard when they were accompanied by such a smouldering stare in my direction. I had joked we had a meet-cute when I was sprawled on the floor in front of him at Heathrow but I realised our meet-cute was Jake overhearing me talking about my love life to Liv at work, and getting into the lift with me afterwards.

Meet-cutes could lead to a happy ever after or they could lead to heartbreak.

And I had no idea which one I might get if I kissed Jake again.

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