"Ground rules?"
"Yes, like no fondling the women during the signing, and no going home with anyone." I'm sure my rules sounded ludicrous. It wasn't like I could dictate who Alec could and couldn't flirt with, let alone who he slept with.
"Uh, Nicole. I think Alec knows the boundaries of being professional."
"Fine. I just want to make sure he understands we're promoting my book. Not finding him a date," I snapped, taking out my aggravation on her. I ended the call abruptly before I could say anything else stupid.
The rest of my week passed in a flurry of activity that was broken up by bouts of self-doubt. Wicked Lovely had been sent to my editor, and I decided to take the week off from writing to prepare for the signing that weekend. Olivia came over midweek to help me pack my inventory and sort through my swag. Neither of us mentioned Alec.
Instead, we talked about how since Indie Booklicious Con was being held in Orlando, this would be the first significant signing my family would be attending. I was nervous about their expectations. My reader following was slowly growing, but there were plenty of other authors at the signing who had diehard fans. I had to remind myself that this signing was about the new series. It was about putting myself out there.
I couldn't help teasing Olivia about seeing my brothers. It was common knowledge in our household that Tony had been crushing on Olivia for years. She had shot him down numerous times, claiming she wouldn't let some guy ruin her friendship with me. Dating Tony would inevitably do that. Tony remained persistent and never let an opportunity to flirt with her slide by. This Saturday would be interesting since we were all going to dinner after the signing and Taylor would be joining us.
Olivia laughed it off, but I knew her well enough to know she was also nervous about Saturday. At least it wouldn't just be me who might become frazzled.
Friday night Olivia and I headed out to hang out with some of my blogger and author friends who had arrived a day early for the signing. It had become a ritual of ours to get together anytime we did the same events. There was an organized mix-and-mingle party at the hotel where the signing was being held.
To save time in the morning, our plan was to drop off my stuff for the signing tonight since we'd be there for the mixer anyway. The hotel lobby was abuzz with groups of convention-goers scattered around the large room talking and gossiping about everything from the latest books they had read to who said what and why on social media. Over the last year that I'd been attending these types of events, I had come to realize writing was such a solitary experience that when you got a bunch of authors and book lovers together, a pent-up noise explosion was sure to follow. At times it could be overwhelming, but for the most part it was fabulous hanging with so many people with common interests.
"You want a drink?" Olivia asked, scanning the room for the bar.
I shook my head. "You go ahead." I had spotted Melissa across the room and wanted to chat with her.
"You sure? Not even a Coke?"
"Maybe in a little while."
"Okay. I'll be back in a few."
I nodded. "I'll be with Melissa and Tracey over there," I said, heading toward two of my friends I had met through Facebook. The idea that I had met so many people online was funny to me. It reminded me of the dating sites I would see commercials for on TV, but for friendships.
"Nicole!" Melissa greeted me in her normal exuberant way, giving me a tight hug. "What took you so long to get here?"
"I had to drop off all my crap in the ballroom," I answered, giving Tracey a hug. "When did you guys arrive?"
"I got here a couple hours ago," Tracey answered.
"Me too," Melissa added, taking a sip from her drink. "Is it always armpit hot down here?"
"This is nothing. Wait till August. When you live here you learn to go from one air conditioned spot to another."
"My family came along so we could visit the Mouse House. My kids have been dying to go to Disney, but we're going to be like fried eggs out there," Tracey said dryly.
Melissa and I laughed. By the time Olivia joined us, we were all comparing the good and bad of our home states. Eventually, more and more people joined our group until we had about a dozen different conversations going on. The tension I had been feeling during the week began to sap away, and for the rest of the evening Alec became an afterthought.
Our late night made it hard to get up the next day. Olivia and I were grumpy and barely spoke until I drove through a Starbucks and picked us up a couple of coffees. The caffeine didn't help my nerves, which were already on edge. Alec may not have been on my mind last night, but this morning was a different story. The thoughts bounced around my head like a ping-pong ball on crack, painting different scenarios of how our interaction today would go.
Would he say something about that night, or pretend it never happened? The last thing I wanted was to create a scene and become the topic of the latest gossip in everyone's Facebook groups. As long as Alec and I both acted like professionals, the day would work out fine.
The closer we got to the hotel, the more anxious I became. My stomach was tied in knots. If I didn't have Olivia with me, I would have considered skipping the event. Luckily, she was my rock and would drag me inside if she had to. Not to mention, my family and readers would be disappointed.
"You okay?" Olivia asked as I pulled into a parking spot. Her voice startled me. I didn't realize I had been gripping the steering wheel like it was a life preserver.
"I'm fine," I lied, opening my door and forcing my body out of the jeep.
Olivia carried our coffees while I signed us in and collected our ID lanyards from the convention's registration desk. People from different directions waved and called out greetings to us as we headed toward the large banquet room to set up. Inside, dozens of authors scurried about like busy bees organizing their tables with books, swag and other types of merchandise to sell. Tall banners were being assembled and placed prominently around the room. Some of the authors were quite creative with their displays.
Olivia and I were currently fighting with the stand for my vertical banner when the subtle scent of Alec's cologne caught my attention. I realized how sad it was to be able to recognize him by his cologne, but the smell seemed to be engrained into my senses. Of course he would walk up when I was bent over with my ass in the air.