Page 24 of Plot Twist

‘Seriously, let’s get this writers’ retreat on the road.’

Riley hung up his keys and pulled off his hoodie, revealing a tiny section of his tanned stomach.

Focus, Becca.

‘Relax,’ he said, as I followed him into the kitchen, my bare feet cold against the wooden floors. ‘I only called in to let you know where I was going, in case you wondered. It’s no drama if you want to stay in your room, sleep or whatever you want. It’s not boot camp.’

He flicked on the kettle.

‘Book camp!’ I exclaimed. ‘That’s a great idea. We could start with drawing up a timetable of what to do when, like I do with my pupils in school. Lesson planning is my forte.’

I felt geekishly enthused by the notion of drawing up a timetable and ran to grab my notebook from the office. As I came back and laid it out on the kitchen table, Riley smiled.

‘Works for me,’ he said, as I made a start on mapping out what we’d talked about at the dining table: discussion time, writing sprints and slots and tea/lunch breaks. Riley passed me a coffee and gazed at my efforts over my shoulder.

‘Do I need to ask to use the toilet?’ he teased.

‘Yup,’ I replied. ‘And you’re only allowed to talk just now because it’s “discussion” time. Silence during sprints.’

‘You’re strict,’ he remarked, sitting across from me as he sipped his coffee.

‘You better believe it,’ I replied.

‘I have an event to schedule in,’ he said.

I arched an eyebrow. ‘We’re only just getting started here and you’re asking for a break?’

He grinned. ‘I’ve been asked to an author event at a bookshop in Dublin in a couple of weeks. It’s part of a literary festival. I’m not the main act– some bigshot thriller writer is the big attraction, but it’ll be great. Fancy it?’

My mouth fell open. ‘Fancy it? Oh my God, yes please! I’d love to come!’

I sounded like a complete fan girl. Way to play it cool, Becca.

‘Grand,’ he said. ‘My agent, Katrine, is coming, so you’ll get to meet her; she’s based in Dublin.’

‘Check me out. I’ve just arrived and I’m already planning on living it up with the great and good of the literary world in Dublin,’ I said, trying to stop myself from jumping up and down. ‘Although of course, I know you’ll be far too busy being famous to speak to the common folk like me. But yes, I’d love to come and see all you real writers in action. You can definitely have permission to be absent that day. I’ll add it to our long-term timetable.’

Riley laughed. ‘You know, I love what I’ve read ofQueen Beeso far. You’ve got a really modern, distinctive voice. I’m sure Ivy will love it when she’s a bit older.’

My heart fluttered a little.

‘Well, I am obsessed with Alice and Leroy. Their story just lit up my life. Your story, I mean.’

I truly had gushed over the romance story and the will they, won’t they tension he’d built between the two characters, Alice and Leroy, who had been each other’s first loves, much to the disgust of her strict parents. They split up due to the family pressure and Alice went on to marry someone else, but Leroy never did. The pair eventually met again while Alice was caring for her terminally ill husband.

‘A second-chance romance.’ He smiled. ‘It’s a trope.’

‘What do you mean?’ I frowned.

‘You haven’t heard of it?’ Riley asked, setting his laptop aside and sitting forward, with a semi-smile on his face. He was the master of that small smile that would put anyone at ease. ‘It’s a genre of romance. When a couple learn to love again years after their first encounter or after they’ve broken up. You also have other romance tropes, like opposites attract, fake engagement. All the stuff you see in films.’

‘Wait, wait, wait.’ I frowned, sitting forward in my seat. ‘Are you telling me you romance writers all have these magical formulas up your sleeves to write best-selling books? Why don’t I know about this?’

He threw back his head and laughed. A hearty laugh, like he was really enjoying our conversation. Riley, the romance writer, liked having me in his house. Someone was enjoying my company. I beamed inside.

‘You do know about it.’ He smiled. ‘Everyone does, really. There’s also the whole “one bed” trope, where a pair, usually one that don’t really like each other much, end up in a situation where they’ve got to share a bed.’

I laughed. He was right, I’d read a book where that had happened. It was a thing.