Chapter 35

“Don’t listen to him,” the woman had said, glaring daggers through Graham. “He wouldn’t know decent literature if it hit him over the head. The only stories he’s capable of reading start with the phrase ‘Dear Penthouse’.”

It shouldn’t have amused John as much as it did. But it did. And with his mood elevated by not one supportive fan, but two, John was able to smile and make a decent show of talking through most of the night.

Regardless of his ability to call the event a success, when the guests finally started to leave, and John received a round of hugs from his new associates, and the number of people remaining dwindled to an amount sufficient for him to slink off unnoticed, John did so without hesitation.