“That bad?”
“Just wasn’t quite the turnout we’d hoped.”
“I’m sorry. But hey, don’t worry about it. Your job is to write, theirs is to take care of sales. Your new book is amazing. If that publisher can’t sell it, maybe you should just find someone else.”
Even in adulthood his baby sister thought he could do no wrong.
“The business is changing now, though. According to my agent, I need to connect more with my readers. She keeps trying to get me on social media.” He wrinkled his nose.
“Well, I actually agree with her on that one. You arewaybehind the times. A real techno dinosaur.”
“Not behind, I just prefer my privacy. I know that kind of makes me an anomaly in our generation,” he laughed.
“Hey, enough about work, hurry up and get changed out of that old man history professor vibe you’ve got going on,” Melanie urged, her nose wrinkling at the sight of his jacket. “Everyone’s here and we’re just about to eat.”
“Great, I’m starving. Let me just drop my stuff up and get settled in.”
The chateau was rustic in the most literal sense of the word, and all of the ceilings were made of exposed dark wooden beams. Though the open fire and twinkling lights of the Christmas tree in the living area made it wonderfully welcoming and festive, especially for family gatherings.
Jake took off upstairs to his usual room, the same one he stayed in every year.
Putting his suitcase on the bench along the end of the bed, he hurried to unzip it and retrieve his slippers for starters, so he could get out of these constricting leather shoes.
But upon opening the case, Jake knew immediately that something wasn’t right. He most certainly didn’t pack a pair of sparkly, four inch heels. Nor a pearl-studded clutch. Or an entire department stores-worth of colourful bikinis…
What the…?
‘You’ve got to be kidding me…”
He’d picked up the wrong bag at the airport. At the realisation, a panic ignited with such force that his heart began to beat rapidly.
Jake tried to calm himself so he could think. He quickly zipped the bag back up, almost as if he was doing something illegal, and raced back downstairs, signalling his sister out to the hallway.
“My bag - I grabbed the wrong bag at the airport,” he whispered loudly to Meghan, trying her utmost to stay out of earshot of any others.
She gave him a curious look. “OK, I’m sure we can call the airline. They probably still have yours. Calm down.”
“I can’t calm down! Is Heidi in there?” Jake indicated the living room as he paced back and forth, his mind racing.
“No, she’s in town with Mom - why? Oh, no!” Meghan suddenly realised the seriousness of the situation. “You don’t mean to tell methatwas in the…”
“It was.” Jake looked around wildly. “Which is why I have to get that bag back. Now.”
Chapter 8
Alittle later Ally was greeted by the most wonderful cooking smell as she entered Lara’s kitchen downstairs.
Her friend stood by the quartz island in the middle of her massive gourmet kitchen, looking all the world like a culinary professional.
Besides the jaunty elf hat she was sporting, and Ally had to giggle at the sight.
Lara pulled a steaming hot flatbread pizza from the oven and set it in the middle of an impressive spread of delicious-looking salads and dips. She then drizzled olive oil out of a very fancy green bottle over the mushroom and goat cheese pizza toppings.
“Hope you’re hungry…” she sang as Ally got closer.
“Starving. Though I wish you hadn’t gone to so much trouble. When you said pizza in the car, I just assumed…”
“That I’d be serving you junk? Like I would do such a thing.” Lara grabbed half a lemon and squeezed it over a large bowl of baby arugula, topped with freshly shaved parmesan.
