The woman paused and so did the man behind her, looking her up and down, assessing.
“Yes?” Daisy asked warily. “Do I know you?”
“I’m Caley.”
“Yes.” She still looked puzzled.
Caley blushed. Idiot. “You know me as CJ?” She made it into a question in case she was wrong.
“CJ?” Daisy squealed. “Oh my God! How did I not know it was you? Why did Doc not tell us!”
“Tell you what?” Issy asked, coming over.
“That she’s CJ Bennett!” Daisy said. “I would have come to the hospital if I’d known. Oh, CJ your house. All your stuff. Your laptop!”
Tears started to roll down Daisy’s face and a comically horrified look filled the face of the man behind her, who could only be Jed.
“You’re CJ Bennett!” Gigi gaped at her. “I love your books so much.”
“Wait, you’ve read her books?” Issy asked. “That’s your pen name?”
She nodded, embarrassed.
Daisy moved away from Jed who had been hugging and talking to her quietly. Abby moved over and she sat next to Caley.
“Of course!” Gigi answered. “You mean, you haven’t?”
“I haven’t been allowed to yet,” Issy said dryly. “And she’s never told me the name she writes under.”
She blushed slightly.
“They’re amazing books,” Gigi said.
Caley shook her head, looking over to Daisy. “I should have put it all together. I knew when Issy mentioned JSI that I’d heard of it before. I don’t think you ever mentioned the name of the ranch you lived on and it just didn’t click. I can’t believe you live here.”
“And now so do you! Imagine what we can get done together.”
“Get done?” Issy asked.
“Issy?” Jed asked, his lips twitched.
Issy glared at him. She looked up at him, worried that she’d messed up by calling him that. But he must have caught her thought because his face softened.
“I’m CJ’s editor,” Daisy explained.
“Caley,” she said softly. “Call me Caley.”
Daisy sniffled. “Oh, Caley, I’m so sorry about your home.”
“It’s all right,” Caley said, looking out at them all, feeling more at ease than she’d have thought possible considering they were a room full of strangers who knew her deepest secret. “It seems I have a new home.”
* * *
I want to share her.
Fuck Archer. Just fuck him. How could he just lay that on him? Share her? Was he fucking kidding? Why would Issy do that?
Except maybe…maybe this wasn’t about him. His brother was miserable. That was easy to see. Issy had the girl. He could keep Archer from her.