Page 50 of The Write Track
“Is there a difference?” Nathan’s brow furrowed. “Do you not facilitate the sale of real estate?”
“I have a hand in the development too.”
“Oh.” Nathan bobbed his head in amiable fashion.
He really was a master at unhinging people. I had to wonder if he’d honed his skills on his father. That was my best guess.
“What buildings have you developed? I’ve done some research on Boston architecture—that’s always been a hobby of mine—and I would love to know which buildings you had a hand in.”
I was flabbergasted. He’d done research on Boston architecture? That had to be a lie. He was trying to irritate Preston. It was the only explanation.
“Oh, well, I don’t actually develop them,” Preston hedged. “I tell other developers how they can develop them.”
“That’s still cool,” Nathan assured him. “Which buildings did you give the inspiration for?”
Preston blinked. Then he blinked again. There was nothing he hated more than being backed into a corner after being a blowhard. Rather than answer, he turned his eyes to me. “So, how did you two meet?”
“At one of the early meetings for the author events,” I replied, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. It wasn’t a lie. How could I tell him that we’d only met the day he’d come back into my life, though? That would be a dead giveaway that we were up to something.
“Oh, nice.” Preston acted as if he were happy for us. “Was it love at first sight?”
“For me,” Nathan replied before I could. “I took one look at her and channeled a Warner Brothers cartoon character. Steam came out of my ears and hearts popped out of my eyes. I’d never had a reaction like that before.”
Several of the female authors at Preston’s table pressed their hands to their hearts. Heck, if what he’d just said about hearts popping out of eyes was a real thing, that’s what they would be doing now.
“That’s interesting,” Preston replied, his voice silky. He thought he was about to get one over on Nathan. I could tell.“Given your reputation—you’re quite the ladies’ man, by the way—I would think that you were above all that.”
Nathan pursed his lips. “I’m not going to lie.” Sincerity was practically dripping from his lips. “I wasn’t looking for anybody when Bella and I first met. Sometimes you can’t control that stuff, though. I mentioned to Brody that I felt something for her right away and that I thought it was odd. He told me to go for it.
“He’s been rather schmaltzy since falling in love with Bree,” he continued, not missing a beat. “He said when it’s right, it’s right. Something inside of you recognizes that spark in another person. It matches their spark.”
Brody’s eyes were the size of saucers, and I had to duck my head to keep from laughing. Obviously, this conversation was a complete fabrication. No wonder Nathan was so good when it came to writing the emotions of his characters. He could tap into a sentimental vein that most everybody else had to work hard to find. He just got it somehow.
“That’s so sweet,” Karen Kelly cooed from her spot across from Preston. She was looking at Nathan, so she didn’t see the quick glare Preston shot her. “I love hearing stories like that. It gives me hope that one day it will happen to me.”
“Oh, it will definitely happen to you,” Nathan assured her. “It’s all about finding the right person. The reason I jumped around the way I did was because I never felt that spark of connection with anybody until Bella. Then—bam!—it was like being hit by lightning.” He brought his hand down on the table and caused everybody to jump.
“Most people die when they’re hit by lightning,” Preston replied dryly.
“Not everybody, though,” Nathan replied, smooth as silk. “The ones who survive have a new appreciation for life. That’s exactly how I feel about Bella.”
My cheeks burned as multiple sets of eyes swung toward me. “What he said,” I supplied in a low voice, a nervous giggle escaping. “He’s better with words than me. Sorry.”
“She’s my shy little dumpling,” Nathan agreed, rubbing my back. “We’re working on her being more comfortable in crowds. Unfortunately, that’s part of the game. She never had anybody encouraging her before, so I consider that my main job.”
Preston’s eyes narrowed into slits of hate. “It all sounds lovely. Too good to be true, really.”
That was about as overt as he was going to get with an insult. I didn’t say anything. Of course, he wasn’t done.
“Has she bored you to tears yet with her horror-movie knowledge?” Preston asked, although it sounded like a challenge.
Nathan didn’t bat an eyelash. “That’s one of the things we bonded over. I mean, I write horror books. Why wouldn’t I be excited about spending time with somebody who loves the same things I love?”
“But… it’s gross knowledge,” Preston insisted. “She once, at a dinner party, reenacted a scene where a serial killer put two girls in sleeping bags and banged them against trees at the same time to kill them.”
He acted like I was the one who had killed them in front of an audience. The people at that party had asked what my favorite horror movie scene was. I was just being honest.
“Yeah, the Jason movie where he goes to space.” Nathan gave me a fond look, and there was nothing forced about it. “We have not talked about that movie, but now that I know she loves it as much as I do, I think I know what we’re going to watch tonight as foreplay.”
