Chapter 19: You're Going To Do Great

Everything was all well and good at the donut shop until they were back in the parking lot and a little boy got hit by a car backing out as he chased after a stray cat. Nathan panicked, not knowing what he was supposed to do with only one arm, but he couldn't stand back and let it happen a second time.

What he ended up doing was walking behind the car as the boy passed because he was tall enough for the driver of the car to see him out the back window. The car immediately stopped so he could get by and keep chasing the cat until his mother caught him and scolded him for running ahead.

Sierra eyed him shrewdly after that. "Why did you step behind that car? Mine is the other way. You had no reason to do that."

Oops. Nathan forgot she was with him for a minute. She had a smear of powdered sugar from her jelly donut on the side of her mouth since she had been eating as she walked and it distracted him as he tried to think of an appropriate answer that wouldn't peg him as crazy.

"Uh…I figured the driver wouldn't see that kid coming but would see me?"

He cursed himself for making it sound like a question because he was unsure. That powdered sugar was still throwing him off for some reason.

"What if they didn't? You're still recovering from an accident!" Sierra scolded. "Honestly…sometimes I wonder if you have a death wish. You can't save everybody, you know."

Nathan knew that better than anybody. But he still had to try.

"I don't have a death wish. I just…can't stand by if there's something I can do. I didn't get hurt this time so I don't see what the big deal is. I'm fine and that kid is fine."

She sighed but dropped the subject. "Whatever. It's your life; feel free to throw it away if you want to. Let's go."

He didn't think of it as throwing his life away but he didn't want to keep arguing with her. His hunch that she didn't like him increased but, unfortunately, he needed to keep relying on her for the foreseeable future. Rideshares were expensive and he already had to use them for his meetings with the personal injury lawyer.

When they were back in the car Nathan put a reminder in his phone's calendar that Sierra was coming to pick him up Wednesday morning for about an hour in advance. He knew he wouldn't remember to put it on a sticky note once he got home because she would be out of his sight.

He wouldn't have to do this much longer. Since she clearly disliked him and was only helping him out due to a sense of guilt their association would stop as soon as he was able to drive again. After a few more weeks it would be all over.

===

Their pattern of continuing largely not talking on their drives to and from the physical therapy office carried on until Nathan was able to drive himself again, as predicted. He thanked her for all of her help and then they stopped talking altogether.

His arm had most of its old range of motion back even if it was still sore. As he kept at his arm exercises, it continued to get better. By the time his book came out, he was able to do signatures again to the great relief of his editor.

He still felt a bit awkward about interacting with fans en masse but there was nothing he could do about it. He already figured out a generic way to personalize signatures so everything should be fine. Hopefully.

"You're going to do great!" Jordan said optimistically as he clapped a hand on Nathan's good shoulder.

They were already sitting at the table the bookstore had set up for them. The store hadn't opened yet for the event but he could already see the line in front of the door stretching all the way around the block. That was completely insane!

He had been advertising for this event on his professional Facebook page (he didn't bother with a personal one) and Instagram account for weeks to hype up the new book but he hadn't expected this sort of turn out. He supposed the publisher's marketing department's efforts must have contributed to this as well. There were also posters of his book cover advertising the event in the front windows of the bookstore.

Nathan took a deep breath to steel himself as the doors opened and eager fans began pouring in. There were stacks of his new book available for purchase on nearby tables.

He would be hosting a question-and-answer session about the book first. Then people would have the chance to buy a copy of the newest one before coming over to his table to get signatures. He was the most worried about the Q&A because he had never been good at public speaking.

This event wasn't only about marketing the book. It was about marketing himself so his fans would continue to support him. And that was absolutely terrifying.

'I can do this,' Nathan attempted to convince himself. 'I need to act like I'm talking to someone I'm comfortable with, that's all. I can pretend Amber's in the audience and I'm focusing on her.'

Jordan and the owner of the bookstore were speaking and he tried psyching himself up. His part in this mess was about to begin. When he realized he had been introduced he pasted on a smile and forced himself to remain calm. It was showtime.

"Hi, everyone! I'm glad to have you with me today to discuss By Day and By Night. This is my first time doing this so we'll all get through it together," Nathan said.

Several people in the audience laughed, which was encouraging. He continued. "To get started, I thought I would talk a little bit about my writing process and then I can answer any questions you may have—as long as they don't involve spoilers."

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