Page 114 of Jackass
Rayne smiled at Ryder’s acknowledgement.
“Did you have a time in mind for when you would like to do it?” Ryder asked.
“Well, the next book is coming out at the beginning of November, so I was hoping to do it the week of the release.”
“Can I ask why you want to do it here? If I’m not mistaken, you are from New York. Why not hold a signing there?”
“I am from New York, yes; however, I no longer reside there. I have always been drawn to small towns. Maybe that’s a byproduct of being raised in the busiest city in the country. I also do my own marketing. I know my books are popular, so I want to bring something to the small towns in America. I have a pretty big following on social media, so by letting people know where I am, it will bring a lot of business to whatever bookstore I’msigning at.”
“She’s not lying, Ryder. I have seen pictures from some signings she has done. People will flock here. It will be great for business. Don’t be stupid, tell her yes!” I urged him.
This would be huge for his store. Rayne Perry was an upcoming romance author. Her characters ranged from sweet cinnamon rolls to alphaholes. Even with only five books released, she was well on her way to becoming a household name.
“The beginning of November doesn’t give us much time to get the word out.”
“Ryder, we can put the information on your Instagram and TikTok,” I explained.
“I don’t have either of those. I don’t have time for that shit.”
“Oh my God. Let me set them up. You won’t have to do a thing. I will take care of everything,” I said. “Miss Perry, I am so sorry. Give me just a minute to get him to agree and we can work out all the details.”
She smiled warmly. “By all means, work away. And please, call me Rayne. With your enthusiasm, maybe I should hire you to do my Instagram.”
“Oh my God, don’t tease me!” Turning back to Ryder, I asked, “Well?”
“Sam, I can’t pay you.”
“I am not asking you to pay me anything. Jack made me quit my job at The Diner because of all the shit going on, and I am going stir crazy. Let me do this, please.”
Rayne and I looked at Ryder expectantly.
“Fine, do what you need to do,” he said, waving his hand at me. He then focused on Rayne and declared, “Miss Perry, I would love to have you do a book signing in my store.”
“Wonderful. Shall we decide on a date?” she asked.
“I will let you work that out with my social media marketer here,” Ryder replied, pointing at me. “I am going to go check on the girls. Sam, here is the calendar. Anything that doesn’t have something written in is an open day at the store.”
Ryder handed me his book and walked toward the children’s section to see how the girls were doing.
“This is so exciting. Who is the next book about? Please tell me it’s Christopher. I just love him. He so deserves to find his one.”
Rayne just laughed. “It isn’t Christopher. He still has a little growing up to do. This next one will be Samuel.”
“Samuel. Oh, he’s an asshole.” My hands flew to my mouth. “Oh my God, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. He is an asshole. I made him that way,” she said with a wink.
I loved this woman. I couldn’t believe I’d met Rayne Perry and was helping her set up a book signing.
“Let’s sit over here and we can work out the details,” I offered, gesturing to a small table and chairs set up in the corner. “Hey, Mimic, is Charlie ok?”
“She’s good, Momma, don’t worry about her. She won’t leave my sight,” he replied, never taking his eyes off my daughter.
Mimic and I had a rocky start. He apologized for the way he spoke to me, and I apologized for lying to him. When he told me what happened with his mom, my heart broke for him. He wasn’t a bad kid, he just needed a little love and care.
Rayne followed me over to the table, and we sat down and worked out the details for the book signing.
“Thank you so much. I will see you in a few weeks. I have some promotional items I can send to the store ahead of time. Some posters you can put up, stickers and pens etcetera that you can put out for customers for free. And can I call you as it gets closer to work out a few more last-minute ideas before the big day?” she asked.