Page 83 of The Write Midlife

Melody sidled up to him, a triumphant grin on her face. "I'd say that went well, wouldn't you?"

Nate pulled her close, not caring who saw. "It was perfect. You were perfect."

By the time the last of the Vox Libris authors and employees filed out, Nate felt a weight lift from his shoulders. They weren't out of the woods yet, but it was a start.

Melody squeezed his hand. "We did it," she whispered.

Nate turned to her, marveling at how far they had come.

"Come on," he said, tugging her towards the door. "I think this calls for a celebration."

Melody's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh? What did you have in mind?"

“A hotel room at the Cascadian, that I’ve already booked. A bottle of wine. Oh, and the first page of that cheese shop romance I heard might be sweeping the nation soon…”

“Oh my God, the cheese shop romance. You didn’t…”

“You’re goddamned right I did. Already started on the first page. You are now looking at the master of fromage-mance.”

“Fromage-mance?”

“It’s my new advertising term. Don’t steal it.” With a grin, he leaned in close, his lips brushing her ear. "How about we go back to my office and... brainstorm some new marketing strategies?"

She laughed, the sound like music to his ears. "You cheese romance-writing, smooth-talking fiend, you. How could I say no?”

As they left the boardroom, hand in hand, Nate couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement for what lay ahead. They weren't just changing the face of publishing—they were writing their own love story, one chapter at a time.

Vox Libris was just the beginning. With Melody by his side, Nate was ready to take on whatever plot twists life threw their way.

And if the past few months had taught him anything, it was that sometimes the best stories were the ones you never saw coming.

FORTY-FOUR

EPILOGUE

Nine monthsafter launching Vox Libris, Melody found herself exactly where this whole adventure had started—in a writing group, defending her unconventional approach to romance.

Except this time, her harshest critic was sprawled in the chair next to her, wearing that infuriatingly sexy smirk that still made her knees weak.

"I'm just saying," Nate drawled, his blue eyes twinkling with trouble, "there might be health code violations involved in that particular scene."

Melody resisted the urge to throw her manuscript at his head. "It's a cheese shop romance, darling. There's going to be some creative use of the storage room."

Their writing group—a mix of Vox Libris authors and local aspiring writers—erupted in laughter. They were gathered in the back room of Caffeinated Dreams, where the owner Cassie kept a special table reserved for them every Thursday night. The familiar scent of coffee and fresh pastries mingled with the creative energy buzzing through the room.

"I have to side with Melody on this one," Jessie, their resident mystery writer, chimed in. "If you can have murder in acheese shop—which I've written, by the way—you can definitely have sex in one."

"Thank you!" Melody gestured triumphantly at Jessie. "See? She gets it."

Sporting a five o’clock shadow on his chiseled jaw, Nate leaned back in his chair, loosening his tie. He had come straight from the office and somehow managed to look even more devastating than usual in his slightly rumpled state. "I'm not arguing against the sex. I'm just concerned about food safety regulations."

"Only you would worry about FDA compliance in a romance novel," Melody teased, nudging his foot under the table.

He caught her ankle between his, sending a jolt of heat up her leg. "Someone has to maintain standards around here. I mean, you did already tell those independent movie producers for Olivia and Jake’s story that the title ‘Fast and Furious Fornication’ wasn’t a bad idea."

“Correction: I told them it wasn’t ‘awful.’ Two different words. And I had to throw them a bone! No, uh, pun intended.”

The rest of the group launched into a spirited debate about the logistics of book-to-movie adaptations and various workplace romances. Melody tried to focus on taking notes, but it was hard with Nate's foot slowly traveling up her calf.