Free The 2014 R.L. Mathewson Chronicle Collection by R.L. Mathewson

bed behind him.
                With a sigh, he stood up and headed for the hotel room’s door, bypassing all of Jamie’s old hiding spots, the bureau, the trashcan, the suitcases, the tub, toilet and finally the safe.
                “Wait!” Jamie cried, rushing up behind him as he yanked the door open and stuck his head out, ignoring the startled housecleaner walking past their room as he looked down to the right of the door and muttered a curse only to release a more vicious curse as he looked to the left of the door. Grumbling about twelve step programs for sugar addicts, he stepped back into the room and slammed the door shut.
                “Tell me that you really didn’t go through what appears to be a dozen cans of soda and about fifty pounds of chocolate and junk food,” he pleaded, pressing his forehead against the door as he waited for his wife to come up with some piss poor excuse that would make him feel better.
                “I love you?” she said a minute later with what sounded like a hopeful smile.
                “Why?” he asked hollowly, raising his head only to slam it lightly back against the door, more angry with himself than he was with his wife for her junk food obsession.
                He should never have fallen asleep until he’d made sure that she had, but he’d been so damn tired by the time they’d finally managed to make it back to their hotel room this morning. It had been a long week of traveling and meetings and he would have liked nothing better than to curl up with his wife in their own bed and slept the weekend away, but they couldn’t miss Book Bash.
                While Jamie was doing a lot better with meeting new people and seemed to enjoy doing book signings now, they still weren’t her favorite part of the job. It usually took him a pound of baked goods, a bottle of soda and a half-pound of chocolate to convince her to attend a book singing, but that wasn’t the case with Book Bash.
                Last year the first Book Bash had been held and Jamie had reluctantly attended after the customary sugar payment. After he’d dragged her from their room all the way down to the meet and greet for the authors, he’d been prepared to keep her adorable ass there with the chocolate bars he’d hidden in his jacket pocket when Maryse Couturier Black, the woman behind Book Bash, walked over and greeted Jamie with a warm smile.
                Before his eyes, he’d watched as his normally nervous wife, relaxed and in less than a minute she was smiling that smile that she normally reserved for those times when it was just two of them and she could relax. It was the first time that she’d willingly stayed the entire time for a meet and greet without chocolate being involved. She’d smiled, laughed and seemed to have a genuinely good time. It didn’t hurt that R.L. had also attended the signing and had dragged him and Jamie to join her table.
                He’d been even more surprised when Jamie decided to tag along with R.L. to hang out in the signing hall to greet the readers who were registering early. They’d hung out with the readers, laughed and joked with them and really seemed to be enjoying themselves. The next morning had been an even bigger surprise when she’d dragged him out of bed, anxious to make it to the signing on time.
                They’d shown up just in time to catch R.L. switching nameplates on a table so that she could sit next to Jamie. The signing had gone smoothly, better than good actually. Jamie had been able to relax and he ended up having a great time as well, enjoying himself more than he usually did at signings. The event had run smoothly, better than most, leaving him with nothing to do but spend time with his wife, talk to some of the authors and get to know Maryse and her husband. Later that night they’d attended the after