Page 10 of Summer Magic

“Make it out to Doris,” she says. “I’d say I’m your biggest fan, but that may sound a bit Kathy Bates-ish.”

My head jerks up to look at her. That’s when I notice the shirt she’s wearing. It says, “My Weekend is Booked,” and there’s a picture of books on a shelf. Each one has a title, and one of them isFire and Ice.This lady is a hoot, and I can’t help but laugh.

“I love your shirt,” I say before looking back at her book to sign.

“Thank you,” she says. “I made it specially for today.”

I finish signing my name, then hand the book back to her. “Thanks for coming,” I say, and that’s when I notice Olivia in the background behind her, setting boxes of cupcakes on a table.

“Will you sign my shirt as well?” the lady asks, pulling my attention back to her.

“Uh, sure,” I reply. “Do you have a permanent marker I can use?”

The lady pulls something out of her purse and hands it to me. It’s a black Sharpie marker. “Sign right here, aboveFire and Ice,” she says, pointing to where she wants my signature.

It’s right on her breast.

“Okay.” Hesitantly, I quickly try to figure out how to sign her shirt without copping a feel. Holding the marker strategically, I carefully sign my name on her shirt.

I click the lid on the marker and hand it back to her with a smile.

“Thank you!” she exclaims, grinning from ear to ear. “It was so nice to meet you!”

“Same to you,” I reply before she walks away. Looking in the distance, I see Olivia, and all I want to do is go over to her.

But then my view is blocked by another fan with my books in her hands.

Fuck.

Remembering I need to be cordial to my fans, I force a smile as I sit back in my chair.

“Hello,” I greet her, and she smiles back as she sets her books on the table.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Her hand flies to her chest. “You’re the whole reason I came here. I drove all the way from Portland.”

“Wow, thank you. Who should I make the books out to?” I ask, wanting to get this over with so I can take a break and find Olivia.

“My name is Twila,” she replies.

I go about signing her books, then hand them back to her with a smile. “Well, thank you for driving all the way here. It was nice to meet you.”

“Can I give you a hug?” she asks sheepishly.

This is a first. I don’t want to be a dick, so I oblige. Standing, I reach across the table and hug Twila. Looking over her shoulder, I see Olivia again. She turns her head right at that moment, making eye contact with me. However, it doesn’t last long. Her friend says something to steal her attention away.

I pull away from Twila, thank her again for coming, then put one finger up to the next person in line, letting them know I need a minute.

I take the few steps over to Diane, and she looks up from the books she’s unboxing. “Oh, hey,” she says. “What’s up?”

“I need to take a quick break,” I say.

“Okay, no problem,” she says. “Go ahead, and I’ll tell the people in line you’ll be right back.”

“Thanks,” I reply before briskly walking away in the direction of Olivia. As I walk across the room, I hear a few people say my name and point at me, seemingly recognizing who I am, but I beeline it over to the cupcake table.

“Olivia!” I call her name when I’m within a few feet of her. When she turns, her face lights up in a smile when she sees me.

“Hey,” she says. “How’s it going?”