100 Lifetimes of Us (The Romantics #1)

by Maggie C. Gates

“Were you traveling for work?” my dad asked Annie as he grabbed the plate of finished jiǎozi and replaced it with an empty one. “Yes,” Annie said with the kind of calm that was more nervous than placid. “What kind of trip was it?” he prodded. “I wouldn’t think a bakery owner would travel much for work.” Annie let out a shoddy breath. “It wasn’t for the bakery.” My mother’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh?” Beneath the table, Annie reached for my hand. “I… I write books. I own the bakery but I’m also a romance author. I was traveling for book signings in Dallas and Chicago.” The table went silent and Annie looked like she wanted to run for the hills. The regret of spilling her secret was all over her face. Emma’s eyes darted between the two of us. I could see her mentally putting the puzzle pieces together. “Wait.” The dumpling in her hand went flying and landed with a splat on the floor. She grabbed her phone and scrolled furiously through her social media feed before landing on a photo of a redhead sitting behind a signing table. She stared at the screen, then looked up at Annie to study her features, then back at the screen. “You’re Whitney West?” she whispered. Emma looked down at the screen again. In the background, she studied the man in the suit behind Annie—er—Whitney. She looked at me. “And you’re—” I dropped Annie’s hand so I could wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into my side. The kitchen chairs creaked as she tucked herself into my ribs. “I was hired to keep h...