The Healing Touch - Apryl Baker Page 0,32
knew better than to try to go back from that. It would make things worse.
Becca was not going to come willingly. She’d need to be coaxed into agreeing to discover where this might go. He just hoped he wasn’t about to do something that would cause the biggest regret of his life, but it didn’t feel like that right now. It felt right.
“Are you hungry?”
She didn’t even look at him when she spoke. “Yes.”
He pursed his lips. He could read the anger in the hostile outline of her body. Tough shit, sweetheart. He wasn’t apologizing.
His phone rang, and he grudgingly turned away and found it on the desk. Sara Jane Riley’s image popped up, and a real smile broke out on his face. She was a fellow author and a friend. She’d taken him under her wing when he’d first started writing and had shown him quite a few things and introduced him to all the right bloggers.
“Hey, doll. What’s up?” He saw Becca’s head snap up at his tone and her eyes narrow. She could pretend all day she felt nothing, but the anger in those baby browns of hers? It spoke volumes.
“I see you made it! Where are you? We’re all down at the Japanese place.”
“How do you know I made it down?”
“Your post in the Facebook group, duh!” He could imagine her rolling her eyes.
“Ah, that would be Becca posting on my behalf.”
“The infamous Becca.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure I can make it, honestly. We have a lot of work yet to do…”
“We?” Sara Jane interrupted him. “Who’s with you?”
“Becca came down with me.”
“Oh, we finally get to meet your PA? She’s always the sweetest person when I chat with her.”
If only Sara Jane could see his little spitfire shooting daggers at him right now.
“Yeah, she’s coming over tonight to help me. I have no clue how to set up a table.”
“I’m sure you’re both hungry. Why don’t the two of you come down and meet everyone?”
“Who all’s there?” He shot a sideways glance at Becca, who was stuffing bags with swag. He would not force her into a large group.
“Just us authors.” Sara mumbled something he couldn’t hear.
“How many people are there, Sara?”
“About twenty or so. Why?”
Too many for his girl right now. People would ask questions, and she’d be forced to interact. He’d put her through enough for one day.
“You know, I think we’ll catch up with everyone later tonight. There’s just too much work to do right now.”
Sara was silent for minute. “You sure?”
“Yeah. We’ll see you guys later.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Talk soon, baby doll.”
He laughed outright at her nickname for him. He always called her doll and she called him baby. Nothing romantic there; she was married. She said he was like a baby learning to walk in the author world. They’d said those words at the same time, and it clicked for her. She forever called him baby doll after that. Not something her husband appreciated. It didn’t sit well with Dimitri when he’d heard the man swearing at her. He may not talk to Sara often, but she was a friend, and he worried about her.
“Bye, hon.” He ended the call and grabbed his wallet. They did need to eat. “Ready to go find some food?”
“Who was that?”
Dimitri suppressed a grin. She was trying so hard not to sound jealous, but he heard it anyway. “Sara Jane. She saw you posted we arrived and invited us to come eat with everyone.”
Her expression softened. “Why don’t you go? I’ll find someplace that does delivery and finish this up.”
“No, babe. There is way too much stuff to do by yourself. I asked you to help me, not do everything for me.”
“The whole point of you coming to these things was to get to know the other authors, D. How are you going to do that if you don’t do some group things?”
“You’re here because of me. I’m not abandoning you in the hotel room to go hang out with everyone. If you came, I have a feeling you’d not eat a thing, and you’d be uncomfortable. So, we’re going to go find some low-key place where we can eat quietly. I heard Charleston has some really great seafood places.”
Becca’s ire started to flee in the wake of his obvious concern. This was why she couldn’t stay mad at him. He might be a jerk who loved to get her riled, but when push came to shove, he put her feelings first. She