Page 22 of Whisper Sweet Nothings
“Speaking of Paris. I’m Lulu, and I’m the one getting married.” She stepped out of the booth wearing a black jumpsuit. Her hair was in a loose knot at the nape of her neck as she leaned forward and gave me a hug. “We’re thrilled that you’re going to join us. So, meet the rest of our little boozy book club—this is Emilia.”
Emilia slipped out of the booth next and hugged me as well. I knew she was Bridger’s girlfriend, and she owned the flower shop, from what I’d gathered. But Archer had mentioned that she was also an interior designer, and she’d decorated the casita for him.
“Emilia, it’s great to meet you. I heard you’re responsible for making the casita the cutest guest room I’ve ever seen.” I leaned forward and gave her a hug.
“Thank you. I loved working on that project. It’s such a charming space, and it’s got its own vibe from the main house, right?” she asked with a laugh.
“It sure does. I love it.”
“And this is Eloise,” Wren said as the last woman slipped out of the booth. They all started sliding back in as she smiled and gave me a hug as well.
They were a warm group.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “Melody told me that you fixed up her uncle Clark when he was broken.”
The table erupted in laughter.
I’d learned that Clark was one of the best hockey players in the NHL, and Eloise was the team physical therapist.
“Something like that, yes.” She smiled as she motioned for me to slide in beside Wren, and then she took the other seat beside me.
“So, Wren said that you’re a big reader, but we’re dying to know what you read,” Emilia asked.
“I read everything, really.” I shrugged, because I’d dipped my toes into a lot of genres.
“How about we cut to the chase. We’ve heard you’re an author, and we’re dying to know what you write.” Lulu held her hand up as Aunt Edith dropped off a mimosa for me. They were all sipping theirs, and we quickly paused to place our orders.
Lulu rubbed her hands together as if she was waiting for an answer once my aunt stepped away.
“I actually write romance.”
They all smiled.
“That’s our favorite genre,” Henley said.
“Okay, I have to confess…” Lulu reached for her mimosa and took a sip before continuing. “I googled you and I couldn’t find any of your books. So tell us how to find you.”
“I can’t believe you just said that. We just met her,” Henley said as she pressed her hand over her forehead.
“She lives with Archer. She’s practically family. She writes romance and we read romance.” Lulu shrugged. Everyone chuckled and turned to me, as if waiting for a response.
Thankfully, six plates of pancakes and eggs and French toast were set down, along with a few refills on the mimosas. It was the perfect distraction as we all dug into our food.
“Did anyone read ‘The Taylor Tea’ this morning?” Emilia asked.
“Yes. You’re the hot news of the week, Winnie,” Eloise said with a big smile on her face.
“‘There’s a new lady in town, and she’s just been hired by Rosewood River’s favorite single dad,’” Lulu said, her tone dramatic as she waggled her brows at me and glanced down to read whatever she’d pulled up on her phone. “They just added that little part in at the end, so everyone knows you’re here.”
“What’s ‘The Taylor Tea’?” I asked.
“It’s this gossip column in the local newspaper that my parents own. Some people hate it. Others love it. And we’ve all been in there at one point or another.” Emilia shrugged.
“And we don’t know who writes it?” I asked before reaching for my drink and taking another sip.
“Nope. And it’s not for lack of effort.” Eloise shook her head and winced. “We nearly got arrested for breaking into theRosewood River Reviewand trying to find out not that long ago.”
“We escaped easily,” Lulu said over a fit of laughter. “But back to the original question—how do we find your books?”
