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She could blame her vantage point. She was seated at the signing table, next to the podium, where she was facing Chris. But she could watch the audience if she turned her head. It was just so damned hard to do that when he was standing up there, bathed in light, his voice seeming to come from the speakers all around her.
Mine.
That’s what her brain kept saying. Her brain and other body parts.
Mine, mine, mine.
There was no note of propriety in the words. It was the giggling chant of a gleeful inner girl, turning cartwheels with delight. He was hers.
Chris was talking about the book, and she was struggling hard to pay attention, but all she could hear was his words from earlier.
I’m going to be completely selfish right now and admit that I would never, in a million years, want to give up the chance to spend time with you, to get to know you better… to fall in love with you.
After Anthony, Daphne hadn’t given up on love. She’d known there was someone out there for her, but it became that much harder to open up and take a chance. Holing up in the wilderness and taking a break from dating was a lot easier when your choices were Robbie and, well, Robbie.
Chris was worth taking that chance on, and now she could only stare at him and try not to think of a couple hours from now, when she’d have him all to herself.
For now, she’d share him with this audience, and when she could pull herself away from starry-eyed gaping, she could see just how wonderful he was with them. Articulate, charming, witty, even modest now that he’d thrown off the jerky parts of the Zane persona for good. Chris was being himself up there, and the audience loved it.
Would Daphne be able to measure up? Would readers be as captivated by her once the truth came out?
It wasn’t just that she lacked that jawline, those biceps, that wavy dark blond hair. It was that she lacked the confidence to stand up there and talk about her book and presume anyone gave a damn. But she’d need to develop it, and this was how she’d do that.
She’d look out and see the barely teen girl clutching Edge in both hands. She’d see the college-aged one reading it, still on the first few chapters but too engrossed to even glance at Zane. She’d see the two women in their forties, whispering excitedly and just when she thought it was about Zane, one would crack open the book to show a part she’d bookmarked. She’d see the man standing at the back with two copies in his hand, for himself or loved ones, it didn’t matter.
She could do this. She would do this.
Being in the spotlight would be hard, but this part would make up for it—getting out here and meeting readers and letting them know how much they mattered.
Following Sakura’s advice, the event was structured as a very short talk followed by a longer Q&A period. At first, no one seemed to have questions, but once a few got up the nerve to ask—and weren’t immediately incinerated for their burst of extroversion—more put their hands up and then more and more until Sakura noticed some of the audience getting restless and called for “one more question from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet.”
Chris answered that, and while the staff gave instructions for the signing line, he came over to sit beside Daphne.
He leaned in. “How’d I do?”
“Amazing, as always.”
He grinned, his face lighting up, and he leaned closer, hand grasping her arm in a quick squeeze. “Now we see how fast I can sign?”
“I’ve got my timer.”
Another grin and another arm squeeze, and Daphne noticed they’d caught the attention of some attendees, who whispered and pointed, and if any were disappointed to discover that Zane Remington had a girlfriend, they didn’t show it.
CHRIS
The last person stepped up. It was a staff member. All the staff had waited until the end. Some obviously were just adding to their collection of signed books, but this one—a teenage girl—smiled shyly and pushed the book forward.
“It was great,” she said. “Really.”
“Ask him!” one of her colleagues shouted.
The girl rolled her eyes. “He’s not going to tell me.”
“She wants to know who Theo ends up with!” the colleague called.
“Ah. That is an excellent question. I believe Daphne here knows the answer.” He glanced over. “Who does Theo end up with, D?”
“Whoever is the best choice for her as a person,” Daphne said. “Whoever challenges her to grow and trust herself the most, and whoever supports and trusts her the most.”
