Epilogue
Lucy
The following month, Mood Reader is packed for Philly’s event, and Rose and her co-owner Mia are flittering around, making sure everyone has what they need and is all settled before the Q&A begins.
TJ places a kiss on the sensitive spot on my neck that I love so much. “You ready for this?” he whispers into my ear.
“Yeah.” I stand up straighter. “Yeah, I think I really am.”
He wraps his arms around me as Rose takes her seat in one of the armchairs at the front of Mood Reader. “It is an absolute delight to welcome one of my favorite authors to Cashmere Cove tonight. Philomena Grace is the bestselling author of five small-town contemporary romances set in the American South. She lives in Texas with her emotional support houseplants. She loves her writing group and nineties romcoms, and has recently embarked upon a personal journey—a quest, if you will—to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie.” The crowd titters. “So put your hands together and give Philomena Grace your warmest Mood Reader welcome.”
TJ and I clap along with the rest of the crowd as Philly walks out from behind the nearest bookshelf and takes a seat next to Rose. Mia hands her a microphone.
Cassie joins TJ and me from where she was with Philly behind the bookshelf. “You good?” she asks out of the corner of her mouth.
I can’t help but chuckle. “You guys must think I’m going to faint or try to bolt or something.” I flick my gaze between TJ and Cassie, dropping my voice to a whisper. “I promise. I’m good. I’m excited.”
I tune back in to Rose and Philly’s conversation. “Talk to us a little about your process,” Rose says. “What do you do when you get the seedling idea for a new story?”
“That’s one of my favorite parts of the process, actually. Those early days when the world is my story oyster. Anything is possible, and I’m brainstorming to my heart’s content. There’s something so freeing in that. And—” Philly gazes out over the crowd. Her eyes connect with mine, and her smile grows. “I’m blessed to have the best writing partners in crime. Two other well-known authors and I share the same agent, and we bounce ideas back and forth all the time.”
My pulse picks up.
“Can I ask who your writing pals are?” Rose leans forward.
“Of course.” Philly smiles. “Ava Reese and Beatrix Bell.”
Rose lets out a low whistle. “Does this mean you know the elusive Ava Reese?”
“I absolutely do.” Philly grins. “She’s the best. She’s actually here tonight.”
“What?” Rose squeaks into the microphone as the entire audience starts buzzing.
“That’s your cue, sweetheart.” TJ places another kiss behind my ear. “Go get ’em. I’m so proud of you.”
“Lucy Dupree, ladies and gentlemen.” Philly stands and holds out her arm, motioning me forward.
I keep my eyes on the stage, and I walk down the center aisle of chairs that Mia and Rose set up.
Rose’s jaw is on the floor. The audience is cheering as I join them. I catch some shocked expressions, but the overall mood is positive. It’s a relief.
“Are you kidding me, Lu?” Rose shakes her head. “All this time I was fangirling over Ava Reese, andyouwere—are—Ava Reese?”She shakes her head again. “Let’s all sit so we can discuss this. I have lots of questions for both of you.”
Mia appears with another chair and hands me a microphone, her eyes wide and sparkling.
I take my seat and, at the back of the room, spot TJ grinning widely. Cassie has her phone out. She’s recording this for my official Ava Reese social media pages.
Philly grabs my hands and squeezes, looking at me with question marks in her eyes. I love her for wanting to make sure I’m alright. I squeeze her hand back and smile. I knew this would be scary, but I’m actually more excited right now than anything.
“Lucy—er, Ava—welcome.” Rose laughs breathlessly. “Sorry, I’m floored. I’m afraid I’m going to totally butcher this.”
“You could never,” I tell her with a smile. Rose is one of the most capable people I know.
“First of all, I have to say thank you to Philly for letting me piggyback on her event. The real news of the day is how absolutely incredible her latest release is, am I right?” I look out at the crowd, and those in attendance cheer in agreement.
“Lucy definitely helped shape it into what it is,” Philly puts in. “It’s so nice to finally be able to give her some of the credit she deserves.”
Rose glances between us. “Why now, Ava? What makes this the right time to share your identity?”
