Page 75 of Not on the Same Page

“What?” I spin in my seat and, sure enough, Casey is picking up his coffee from the counter and waving at the barista.

“Oh my god.” Isabella cackles. “That’s why you were acting so weird the last time he was in here.”

“Will you keep it down?” I whisper with as much urgency as I can.

“Why? It’s not like he doesn’t know you’re practically in love with him.”

He doesn’t know that, actually. I’m not even sure I know that. And I’m getting a little wary of these people throwing around the L-word lately.

“Oh, hi, Casey!” Isabella lifts her arm and waves like a maniac. “Imagine running into you here.”

My cheeks are on fire now. “What are you doing?” I grind out.

Finally, she lowers her voice so he can’t hear her. “Calm down. It’s not like we’re in high school and you have a crush on him. Don’t you want to see your lover?”

“Please don’t ever use that word again,” I grouse.

“Good morning, ladies.” Casey’s deep voice resonates behind me. “Mind if I join you?”

Isabella waves at the chair next to me, still sporting an obvious smirk. “Please do.”

As Casey sits, he makes sure to brush against my leg under the table as he does. He flashes me a smile that does very little to quell the blush rising on my cheeks.

“Hi,” he says to me in a softer tone.

“Hi.”

We might not be in high school, but I sure feel like a schoolgirl when he looks at me like I’m the only person worth looking at in the room.

“I didn’t know you frequented this coffee shop,” Isabella says suggestively.

He takes a breath and drags his gaze away from me to her. “Only when I’m in the area,” he says. “I’m glad I ran into you, actually. I wanted to talk to you about the submission you sent me. Have you had any other offers?”

Isabella quickly shifts into a more professional demeanor, straightening up and wiping the smirk off her face. “Not yet, but there was some interest from Halo Sun. I’m not sure why they’re dragging their feet.”

Casey stiffens next to me. I doubt Isabella notices, but I clock it. He did this before, when I mentioned the new Morgan & Danielson imprint. And I was going to ask him about it then too.

“I’m going to send you an offer today,” he says firmly.

“Really?” She straightens in her seat. “That’s fantastic. We’ve been on submission for months.”

“I have some slots open for fall, so I’d like to move fast on this one if your author is up for it.”

She nods enthusiastically. “I’m sure she will be.” Picking up her phone, she says, “Oh, that’s her now. Excuse me. I’m going to tell her the good news.” And before anyone can say anything, she rushes out the door, pressing her phone to her ear.

As soon as she’s outside, she removes the phone from her ear, leans against the wall, and starts scrolling.

“Her phone didn’t even ring,” I mumble before turning to find Casey already watching me with a gleam in his eyes, leaning forward as if he’d rather drink me than the coffee in his hand. “What was all that about Halo Sun?”

He deflates slightly, but only a little of the heat leaves his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“That’s the second time I’ve seen you get weird when they’re mentioned.”

Casey drinks his coffee in a clear tactic to buy a second before responding. “They’re new, and so is Starlight.”

That’s not the full story, but just like he hasn’t pushed me, I won’t push him.

“I hope you don’t mind,” I start to change the subject, “but I told Isabella about us. I think that’s why she’s pretending to be on the phone.”