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Bethany barked.
    “No. I think that’s the problem. He wouldn’t have. In fact, he loved it, Susan.”
    Susan smiled. “I’m glad.”
    Lydia filled the glass with ice and cold water from the pitcher kept in the refrigerator. She garnished it with a lemon wedge and handed it to Bethany.
    “You deliver it. I think he wants to meet you.”
    “Me?” Bethany took the glass and stared at Lydia. “Why?”
    “It seems as though our handsome author is a lover of the B-movie horror flicks.”
    Bethany growled. “They weren’t all B-movies.”
    Lydia laughed. “I didn’t mean it disrespectfully. He got excited when I told him you were coming.”
    “Why would you tell him?”
    Lydia shrugged. “Your name came up when I was telling him about the room. I told him you helped me design it.
    Bethany decided she was in sleep-deprived hell as she took the glass of water out to the Garden Room.
    She didn’t have to scan the growing crowd too hard to find him.
    Mrs. Talbot was making her move on him. She’d moved in so close that Kent Black was nearly pushed up against a wall.
    That’s when she knew he’d seen her. His eyes widened and she could almost hear his plea for help. Perhaps she’d let him sit there a moment longer, but he took it upon himself to get out of the situation.
    “Bethany?” he called as if they were old friends.
    She felt the blood drain from her head. She didn’t know him did she?
    He moved quickly around Mrs. Talbot and straight to her. “Hi, sorry, had to get away from her. I’m Kent. I know you’re Bethany. I’m a big fan. Not a stalker kind of person at all, just a big fan. I’m thankful for the water. That is for me, right?” She nodded and handed him the glass. “Thanks,” he said as he took the glass and began drinking. “She’s weird, that woman,” he whispered. “Thanks for saving me.”
    “Do I know you?” she asked softly.
    Kent took her arm and led her to the table at the front of the room. It was obviously a tactic to keep people from coming up to him, by keeping her close.
    “No. Sorry.” He set his water on the table and held his hand out to shake hers. “Formal intro now. Kent Black.”
    “Bethany Waterbury.”
    “I really like your work. I saw you the other day. I didn’t know it was you, but I saw you.”
    She narrowed her eyes on him. “You saw me?”
    “You were having coffee with some man. I think he was your brother.”
    “How do you know that?”
    His cheeks flushed and he wiped his hand over his forehead. “Oh, well, the coffee shop was full. I saw you looking for a table. I was going to invite you to sit with me. You sat with some man and then when you left, you smiled at me, and then said something to him about having lunch with Dad.”
    God, he was a crazy mess too, this man who kept her up all night.
    “You were watching me?”
    “No. I was working. I observe everything and everyone when I’m working.”
    She thought about meeting Jake at the coffee shop. It was packed. They’d sat by the window. She’d left and…
    “You were at the table by the door.”
    His eyes widened even more. “Yes.”
    “I do remember seeing you.”
    He was fighting some wicked smile, or his face was going through some transformation.
    “You remembered me?”
    “I do now,” she tried to be stern in her delivery. “I think they’re going to be ready for you to speak soon. It looks like everyone has filtered in.”
    “Right. Where are you sitting?”
    She looked down at her apron. “I’m not.”
    “Oh, right. You’re working with Susan.”
    “You’re very good with names.”
    He sipped his water and she could see a bead of sweat form on his brow. “It’s a gift. This speaking thing, it still takes some work.”
    “You don’t like to speak in front of adoring fans?”
    He chuckled at that. “Adoring? That’s nice. I get nervous. Happens all the time. I’ll start with my voice cracking and I’ll make some joke about a frog in there. They all laugh. I