Noah:Seven it is. See you in a few hours, Jules.
I could hear the way he said my name as I read that. Gracious. It really had been a while.Friends,I told myself.
The other text notifications were for the group chat. Looked like someone had named it the Coven. Nice. They had just started and were rolling in.
Ivy:Ladies, Emma, Grace, and I have been debating the May romance book club book, and we have a selection!
Maeve:Ooohhh, I’m excited to hear this, but I also forgot what April’s is and we meet next week, right? Someone help a girl out.
Allyson:It’s Pippa Grant’s newest book. You could have just asked me. I’m across the café from you.
Maeve:Now where would the fun be in that? And what if someone else forgot? Problem solved. Ohh, Jules, you’re invited next week even if you can’t read the book that fast. We don’t shame nonreaders. We host it at the library, one of our houses, or the bookstore. Sometimes at the brewery if a lot of people RSVP. We even have outings as a club when the occasion arises.
It took me a hot minute to place the sensation in my chest, but I got there. Happiness. A sense of belonging. My eyes welled up with tears in gratitude that my mom and Lou had seen what I couldn’t and helped me to do something about it. I should be able to meet with them next week as long as it was after work. Sue was understanding and all, but I needed to give her my full attention during working hours. Hell, I knew that next year my tax season would likely not feel as chill as this one—I was soaking it up while I could. And Lord knew I loved Pippa’s books. I hadn’t read her newest release; I’d even missed that she had one out. Was it in Copper Valley? Either way, this was a social gathering I could get behind.
Me:I’m in. Tell me where and when for this month.
Ivy:Now can I share our May title? We’ll text you about it again in three weeks so some people can read it last minute, per usual. Not naming names or anything.
Maeve:I resemble this text.
Grace:Good Lord, ladies, let Ivy get this out.
Emma, Allyson, and Ivy liked that message.
Ivy:Thanks, Grace. We’re going with book two in Jules Jenkins’s small-town romance series, Sleepy Valley. We read the first one last fall. Jules, have you read her first book? Ordoes that give you enough time? Though like Maeve said, we don’t shame if you just want to show up and chat.
Maeve:Unless it’s me.
I stared at the texts in horror. They’d read my first book and were going to read my second in May? It was one thing to leave out that I wrote romance when it didn’t come up—was I going to outright lie to them? But if I didn’t, was I telling Lou? My mom?
Shit. Shitty shit shit. Part of me wanted to fire off a text that said,guess what…The other part of me knew immediately that I wasn’t ready. I closed my eyes and took a centering breath. Then another one.
Nope, I couldn’t do it. These ladies would just have to forgive me later, but this was not the day. I sent out a prayer to the universe that they’d understand and promised to work toward a time where I would own up to my books, being a giant chicken, and fired off a reply.
Me:Sounds good. I’ll get Pippa’s newest. Just let me know when we’re meeting.
Someone was texting immediately, and then Emma’s whooshed in.
Emma:We meet the second Sunday of the month most of the time. Locations rotate like Ivy said, but this month is at Allyson’s. Again, that’s only a few days away, so no worries if you can’t read the book by then.
Me:I love Pippa, and reading obsessively is my superpower. I should finish no problem.
Sliding my phone to the side, I ignored the other messages I could see popping up. I hated how guilty I felt about holding back. I knew they’d be understanding, but I wasn’t ready to tell my family. And honestly, part of me didn’t want to hear how they felt about the first book of mine that they’d read or the one next month. Maybe I could skip May’s meeting and rejoin for June? My stomach turned.
Noah would be here in a couple of hours. I glanced around my writing space and noted a stack of my books, notebooks full of ideas, and a few writing resources scattered over the cushion. Yep. All this needed to go.
Outside the window, a male cardinal watched me with what I took to be a knowing look.
“I know, Red. I’m an idiot.”
The bird gave me a nod and flew off, surely to tell his friends that I didn’t know what I was doing. I shrugged—what was a girl to do? With that, I started clearing my writing nook so I could get ready for dinner with Noah. That was sure to settle my nerves.
Chapter 8
Secrets Revealed
Noah
