Essence of Gravity: Small-town Sweet Romance with a Hint of Magic by Maria Hoagland & Lorin Grace

Author:Maria Hoagland & Lorin Grace [Hoagland, Maria & Grace, Lorin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Leaves Press
Published: 2022-05-03T04:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

The tent sign on the sidewalk outside the bookstore gave Daniel a surge of excitement. “Red Leaves Books welcomes bestselling author Grantham Robbins. Oct. 5, 7 p.m.”

Truth be told, Daniel had been avoiding Hawthorne and the bookstore ever since his cousin’s wedding, when Claire had cut their dance short and then abandoned him at a table with strangers. She’d avoided him the rest of the evening, so he’d been trying to respond in kind. Though he liked to think of it as self-preservation rather than retribution. She wouldn’t care anyway, but as much as he longed to see her, he wasn’t ready for that kind of rejection again. But when his favorite fiction author was scheduled to speak in person at his favorite bookstore less than an hour from his home, Daniel couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend.

The wedding wasn’t the entire reason Daniel had stayed away. Things at school and work had gotten busy as the semester progressed. Add in that he was actively on the job market, and his time was limited. The commute from the city alone made for a good enough excuse, if he was looking. What he wouldn’t admit to was the niggling insecurity in the back of his mind. If he was so completely forgettable that Claire didn’t remember their previous interactions, he needed to accept that she wasn’t interested. That was fine. He would forget her too. But he couldn’t pass up his favorite author.

With a fortifying look at the image of Grantham Robbins’s latest book, Ominous Mutiny, Daniel sucked in a breath. He could convince himself he didn’t care about Claire, or at the very least he could pretend he didn’t. With determination, he reached for the red double doors and pulled on the right-hand one, releasing a potpourri of familiar scents: old books mixed with sweet baked goods over a base of fresh herbs. He breathed it in and stepped over the threshold into the crowded shop.

Only a few minutes before Grantham Robbins was scheduled to take the lectern, Daniel counted himself lucky to find a seat. The man was surprisingly young—maybe five years older than Daniel—yet he had nine published bestselling spy novels, almost as many major motion pictures, and an international franchise of luxury escape rooms.

As interested as Daniel was in hearing what Mr. Robbins had to say, he found his gaze returning again and again to Claire, who sat off to one side behind the speaker. When he did manage to look away, his eyes would drift back and she’d be staring at him. Maybe she wouldn’t avoid him tonight. Every time their eyes met, his heart whirred with anticipation. He found himself wishing the time would speed up so he’d have a chance to speak with Claire again.

He worked to focus on the speaker. This was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he shouldn’t wish it away. He shifted slightly so he’d have to turn his head to look at Claire.

“Never give up because great things take time,” Grantham Robbins said, among a host of other advice.

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