before Bronze put her down for a nap. He left me in the common room with the others after I assured him I would be fine. They’d been nothing but friendly, and I honestly felt comfortable around them, even Copper. He would still be on my shit list if it weren’t for Layla.
She’d pulled me to the side and apologized for Copper’s behavior. “I won’t make excuses for what he did. I know as well as anybody how much of an asshole he can be. After he got it from Bronze, he came home to get it again from me. Like I said, I won’t excuse what he did, and I won’t tolerate it either, but I can promise you that his heart was in the right place. He just went about it all wrong.”
“Thank you for that,” I smiled. “Bronze basically said the same thing. I have three older brothers; I completely understand how irrational they can be, especially when they think someone has wronged their family.”
She laughed. “Oh, you have cavemen in your family too? Perfect. You’ll fit right in.”
She also told me that Copper had been warned to keep his distance from me. “I wanted to make sure you knew that and didn’t think it was because he doesn’t want you to be here. Just think of him as a naughty kid who’s spending the day in time-out.”
Two new women entering the room pulled me from my thoughts. One went to the kitchen while the other joined us at the table. “Sorry, I’m late,” she said, somewhat out of breath. “We had to stop by the bookstore and meet Luke to give him some paperwork.”
“Why didn’t you invite him to join us?” Layla asked.
“I did, but he was on his way out of town,” she explained and dropped into an empty seat. Her eyes landed on me immediately. “Well, hello,” she smiled knowingly.
I sighed. I knew that smile. Just when I thought it was smooth sailing, an Old Lady who was obviously some kind of law enforcement officer walked in the door and recognized me.
The other woman returned with her plate of food and took her seat. “Is Bronze’s friend here yet?” she asked and bit into her burger before looking up to glance at the faces looking back at her.
“Hi,” I waved with a small smile.
Josie’s mouth fell open, causing the bite of hamburger inside to fall out and land on the table with a loud plop. She looked at the wad of meat in horror before she disappeared underneath the table. “Why didn’t anyone tell me S.C. Lorcan was here?” she shrieked.
Shit. She recognized me. I hoped it was in a good way since she called me by my pen name, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Her reaction was completely unexpected, and I didn’t know what to do. “Uh, I’m not sure if that was a good scream or a bad scream. Should I leave?” I asked no one in particular.
Josie’s forehead and eyes appeared over the edge of the table. “No! Don’t go! Just…oh, this is so embarrassing. Can we please forget the last five minutes and start again?”
“What in the world is going on?” Leigh asked, though it wasn’t a question. “This is Sloane O’Shea.”
Tatum, who’d been laughing since Josie dropped under the table, waved her hand to get everyone’s attention. “S.C. Lorcan is a best-selling erotic romance author. Josie’s just fangirling,” she explained and turned her attention to her sister. “Stop acting like a ding-dong and come talk to her. Maybe you could invite her to the bookstore,” she stage-whispered.
“Wait a minute! I think I know you!” I exclaimed as realization dawned. “Are you JC with Blogging from The Bookstore?”
Josie emerged from her hiding place and returned to her seat, clapping her hands together excitedly. “Yes! That’s me!” She squealed. “Tatum! Look, it’s S.C. Lorcan!”
“I know,” she said and gave me an appraising look that left me feeling uncomfortable.
Cocking my head to the side, I studied her closely for a few moments, trying to decipher the hidden meaning.
Tatum turned toward me and gave me a pointed look. “My sister and I know who you are for two very different reasons.”
I knew exactly what she was implying and wished Bronze had returned from putting Blue down because I was about to tell everyone in the room exactly who I was—and was not. “Let me guess. Your sister knows me because I’m a semi-popular erotic romance author. But, you smell like a fed,