“How’d you two meet? You and Cheryl.”
I grinned. “Writers’ conference in Vegas. Oh, we’d talked online for a couple years before that. One of those writers’ groups where people try to encourage each other and exchange information and whatnot. But Las Vegas was the first time we met in person.”
“Sounds like a story.”
I laughed. “Oh, it is.” The shenanigans of that week were legendary in our small circle of writerly friends. “But it’s a story for another time, I think,” I said, glancing at my watch.
“Sorry.” He set down the empty wine glass. “I didn’t mean to keep you up so late.”
“No worries,” I said with a smile. “I just want to attend the first class of the morning. It’s on what’s hot in historical romance. Eight o’clock comes rather early.”
“Sounds right up your alley,” he said with a smile.
I walked him to the door feeling suddenly fidgety and awkward. My heart was pounding in my throat, and I felt overly warm for the chill of the air-conditioned room.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Viola,” Lucas said, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. I shivered as his fingertips skimmed the side of my neck. He leaned down to brush his lips across my cheek, only I started and his mouth landed on mine instead. I could have melted right there on the spot. “Sorry,” he murmured, pulling back. Was it my imagination or was his move on the reluctant side?
“Uh, don’t be,” I said, trying to get my brain back in gear. His kiss had left me...breathless. Fuzzy headed. And a little dizzy. And it had only been the merest brush of lips. What if he kissed me properly? Talk about nuclear meltdown.
He gave me a lopsided grin. “Tomorrow.”
I nodded, and he was gone. Out the door and melting into the night.
I SPENT THE REST OF the night tossing and turning, unable to think of anything but the sort-of kiss between Lucas and me. It had been a long time since a man had affected me like that. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I was used to being alone. Used to making my own decisions. I wasn’t sure I wanted a man mucking up my life.
I told myself not to be ridiculous. After all, Lucas hadn’t even meant to kiss me on the mouth. He’d meant to kiss my cheek, and cheek kisses didn’t mean anything. I was getting way ahead of myself.
By five a.m., I finally gave up and took a quick shower, downed a cup of coffee and a carton of yogurt, and threw on another maxi dress. This one in more demure shades of brown and teal. Then I made my way to the resort business center. It was a matter of minutes to plug in the thumb drive and print off a few pages of the manuscript.
By the time I finished that, it was only seven o’clock. The class started at eight. Would it be considered rude to visit Piper this early in the morning? Probably, but frankly, I didn’t care. I was on a mission!
Fortunately, I needn’t have worried about waking Piper. I found her at the lobby bar, working on a massive mug of steaming hot coffee. She looked as sleep deprived as I felt.
“No Jason today?” I asked cheerfully as I slid on the stool next to her. I indicated to the bartender that I’d have what Piper was having.
“It’s not like we’re attached at the hip,” she growled, not looking at me. There were tight brackets around her mouth which I hadn’t noticed before. I could see dark circles under her eyes and the clench of jaw muscles.
Okay. Not a morning person, then. Or maybe something else was going on.
“You going to the eight o’clock?” I asked.
She grimaced. “I’m not here for the conference. Or didn’t you realize that?” Her tone was snippy. I resisted the urge to snipe back.
“Ah. Jason brought you as a...ah...companion. Maybe to make Natasha jealous?”
“Idiot. Why are men always such idiots?”
I didn’t answer that. For one, I figured she wasn’t looking for an answer. For another, I didn’t think she’d much like what I had to say on the subject.
“Piper, I have a favor to ask you.”
She gave me a glower. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” I slid the pages I’d printed across the bar. “I was given a copy of Natasha’s last book. Here are a few pages. You know her work better than anyone. Tell me what you think.”
Piper heaved a long-suffering sigh, but curiosity must have gotten the better of her. She picked up the pages and began to read. She wasn’t even halfway through the first page when her face went first white, then red.
“Why, that—”
”Bitch?” I offered helpfully.
Piper nodded emphatically, her nostrils flaring with hatred.
“So, it is stolen,” I said. “I’m guessing you’re the one who wrote it.”
She turned toward me, eyes wide. “How’d you guess?”
“Your reaction. I mean it was clear Natasha didn’t write this. I’ve read her work. No way she came up with this. It’s too beautiful. Too emotional.”
Piper perked up, looking almost chipper for the first time since I met her. “You really think so?”
“I know so. Why didn’t you try to get it published? Or publish it yourself? It’s clear you have the talent.”
The anger was back. She shoved the papers at me. “Natasha. I thought she’d give me good feedback, you know. She is, was, a best seller, after all. And it was before me and Jason.”
I nodded in encouragement, carefully sipping from my own mug.
“Instead, she told me it was a piece of garbage, and I should give up the ludicrous dream of writing.” Piper’s jaw tightened. “I might have known she’d steal my work. This is pretty much word for word.”
“You didn’t know about it, then?” I found it hard to believe, but then again Piper wasn’t Natasha’s PA anymore. Plus Natasha could be sneaky.
“Of course not, or I’d have sued the—”
“Bitch,”
