Page 1 of Hot Girls Read Book Club

I PRINTED TWENTY flyers—twenty-three actually, before the ancient printer in the corner of the library smudged the words Hot Girls Read Book Club so badly, they were practically illegible.

At the memory of the smeared ink, I drag my thumb over my fingertips in an effort to rub away the lingering smudges on my skin before straightening the stack of discussion questions on the table in front of me for the third time and checking my phone.

Six fifty-eight.

The first meeting starts at seven.

The community room looks exactly how I’d imagined it would. A large blonde maple table shines under the overhead lights, surrounded by matching wooden chairs that I dragged from smaller tables in the main library space.

Name tags, small notebooks, and pens sit in front of each.

Ten open seats feel ambitious for a first meeting, but we’ll see how it goes. The last thing I want is for someone to show up and there not be a seat available.

How embarrassing for me as a host.

Coffee in a cardboard catering box from the café down the street sits next to a pile of store-bought cookies I transferred onto a plate to make them look homemade.

I readjust the little sign I spent way too long making at the center of the table, making sure the letters face the doorway.

HOT GIRLS READ BOOK CLUB

A book club for romance readers.

A place to talk about how much we LOVE love.

A room full of women across all ages, sitting around, bonding over our favorite tropes and becoming friends in the process.

My stomach twists while I wait.

I don’t actually know if anybody is coming tonight. There’s exactly one like on my Facebook event post, but that’s from my mom down in Florida. There are no comments or RSVPS from anyone here in town. So basically, there’s been no response at all.

I stare at my hands, working my fingers against the stubborn ink stain that just won’t budge.

Maybe I made a mistake moving here.

Maybe John was right about me, because it’s been three months, and I still have no friends.

Maybe starting a book club in a small town where I know absolutely no one—

The door swings open.

My eyes flick up slowly, unsure how to respond to who—no, what—I’m seeing in the doorway.

He’s tall, like, almost-has-to-duck-through-the-frame kind of tall and broad-shouldered, wearing grease-stained coveralls and work boots that have seen better days. His dark hair is swept back away from his forehead, revealing salt-and-pepper strands at his temples. Deep brown eyes travel around the room in confusion.

Not what I was expecting, but everyone is allowed to like romance, and who am I to say large, burly, blue-collar men can’t get lost a good rom-com in their free time?

I jump to my feet and cross the room.

“Oh my God, hi! You came!”

The man before me rears his head back a touch as I close the distance between us. His mouth parts like he’s about to say something, but I’m too excited that someone actually showed up and don’t give him a chance to speak.

“You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

He drags one of his large hands over his jaw.

“You’re here for the book club, right?”