“Yep. They come into Gem’s general email inbox, and I print them out. Usually I just copy/paste them into one document, and then cut them so they fit in the fish bowl with the handwritten entries.”
“Can you show me the emails from last week?”
Laramie hands me a coffee, then her fingers fly over the screen used as a cash register. “Here,” she announces, rotating the screen so I can see. “The top four emails are the most recent.” She points at the chalkboard behind my head. “Including the one you chose.”
I see it right away.
AVeryQuestionablePoet.
My hand goes to my stomach. I drag in a breath. Laramie’s eyebrows pull together in concern. “Are you ok? Should I call your sister?”
I shake my head. “I’ll be alright. It’s just… I know this person. AVeryQuestionablePoet. I know him.”
Laramie, who knows nothing of what I’ve experienced in the past few years, seems to understand the gravity of the situation. She nods solemnly. “Is the poem meant for you?”
“I think so.”
Someone walks up to order. Laramie rotates the screen back to her. I float away, out to the space where I’m hosting the bridal shower, and force myself to focus on the finishing touches. I straighten chairs, tweak the photo board, rearrange the flowers on the gift table.
The entire time I think about Gabriel. About his poem.
Guests arrive, and the bridal shower is underway. In the back of my mind, lurks Gabriel.
Cam and Daniare hamming it up. Or, Cam is. Dani prefers to let Cam have the spotlight, but she can’t escape it entirely today.
They’re opening gifts now. They’ve lived together for a while, so the gifts are more fanciful. Not a hand mixer or knife sharpener in sight.
Jill in-person is just as terrifying as she is in electronic form. She’s quick, witty, snappy, and though she is petite, her aura towers ten feet tall.
She has just sat down beside me and announced today we’re going to mix business with pleasure. Her eyes are intense as she says, “The last few chapters you sent over were killing me. My stomach is in knots. Is she going to forgive Gabriel?” She holds her hands out to the side, eyebrows lifted.
“I haven't decided yet.” The answer is true for both me, and my character.
“Great job, because I’m on tenterhooks.” She taps the center of her lower lip, eyes scrunching. “I wonder about the divorce though.”
“What about it?”
She shrugs. “There’s something missing. I went back and reread the scene and it left me thinking there needed to be something more to it. Why does Gabriel divorce Avery?”
“Because he’s sitting in prison feeling ashamed and he thinks he’s showing her mercy.” It’s awkward talking about myself in the third person.
Jill’s head moves slowly back and forth. “No. The book needs a better reason. Something more tangible. Gabriel’s character needs something that forces him to make a choice like that. Maybe he’s in a fight with an inmate, or someone comes to visit him.” She makes a clucking sound with her tongue. “Think on it.”
“I will.” I’m not sure what to say. Not only do I have to make the right choice for me, but for my characters, too. Are they the same thing?
Cam sinks down into a seat beside Jill, her grin stretching the length of her face. “I bet you both feel you already know each other pretty well.”
“We were just discussing Avery’s book.” Jill swings her shoulders to face Cam. “Have you read it yet?”
“She read the first half to me, but I’m not up to date on the rest.”
Jill’s eyes light up. “Maybe you can chime in on something. I think Gabriel needs a better reason for having divorced Avery. Something is missing from it all.” She surveys Cam. “Thoughts?”
An odd emotion flits across my sister’s face. Her gaze meets mine for a fraction of a second, then skitters away. “Hmm,” she says. “I don’t know. Better let Avery handle it. She’s the creative sister.”
I hear it, and I see it. Camryn’s higher pitch, the unease in her posture.
Jill doesn’t know Cam well enough to catch any of this. She chatters on, moving from my book to the upcoming wedding. I smile and nod where needed, but I’m not paying attention to what’s being said.
