Page 9 of The Write Stuff

Bella nodded encouragingly. She might have been scandalized by Nathan pushing, but if I was going to volunteer information, she was all in.

“I wasn’t allowed in the hospital room when all of this was going on,” I continued. “I had to wait outside. The cops showed up at a certain point.” That memory made the anxiety in my belly threaten a revolt. “Aunt Eleanor⁠—”

I caught myself and corrected automatically. “Eleanor could have been charged with assault and battery,” I explained. “There were a lot of witnesses, obviously. My mother refused to press charges, though.”

“Do you know why?” Bella asked. She seemed far more sympathetic than Nathan, who was salivating for information.

“She would never say.” I blew out a sigh. “All she told me after the fact was that it was done and there was no going back. She didn’t want Eleanor to suffer. She just didn’t want to know her any longer.

“My mother has always been like that,” I continued. “She’s a firm believer in letting karma be the one who dishes out punishment. Well, unless you’re a serial killer or prone to violence against women and children. Then she’s weirdly pro-death penalty. She’s all over the place.”

That had Bella laughing. “I get it,” she encouraged. “Those issues are never easy. I like it when people think things through, even if it causes confusion.”

“Yeah.” I scratched my cheek. “So, to your original question, I honestly don’t know what caused the fight, Nathan.” That wasn’t entirely true. I had a sneaking suspicion I did know what had caused the fight. I’d just never heard it from my mother. “She doesn’t talk about it, and it’s too late to bring it up now.” I held out my hands. “I was too young to get the dirt then.”

“That is a total bummer.” Nathan wrinkled his nose. “I always assumed you knew all the really juicy stuff. Well, you and Huxley.”

The name froze me in place. Huxley Ambrose, my first crush. We’d been carted to convention after convention together as kids. Then, after the “Austin incident,” I’d never seen him again. He’d been in my life and was just gone, leaving the sort of hole I wasn’t certain would ever be plugged.

“If Huxley knows, he never shared it with me,” I replied on a shrug. “Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Bella assured me. “Maybe it was something minor, and they’re both embarrassed they let it derail their power partnership or something.”

“Yeah, I don’t think it was minor.” I couldn’t think about it too hard. It gave me a sour stomach. “Tell me about the reader event tonight.” It was time to change the subject. “What should I expect?”

“We can do all of that over dinner,” Bella replied as she stood. “Which reminds me, we need to get Sidney to her grandfather for a babysitting date and change our clothes. We are all meeting at the restaurant before the event tonight, so you’ll be able to meet a few of the other authors.”

I appreciated that more than she could understand. Meeting new people looked easy for me on the surface, but it always made me nervous because I was prone to saying the exact wrong thing at the exact worst time. I’d always been that way, although most people brushed it off as me being gawky and awkward when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, it was a trait I’d never outgrown.

I was a menace when it came to public appearances. My mother had tried training me, and even she’d given up out of frustration.

“Just be yourself,” she said finally. “You’re the best person I know. If people don’t like it, well, screw them. They don’t deserve to know you.”

And that had been that.

“That sounds good,” I said, meaning it. Meeting the authors separately from the readers would be a benefit. That way, I could sort out who would be allies and who I would be ignoring. “Where are we meeting, and when?”

“Poe’s Tavern,” Bella replied. “It’s over by the River District. It’s a really cute place. The food is more burgers and fries than seafood, but they’re good burgers.”

“I love a good burger,” I assured her. “What should I wear?” I wanted to slap myself for not asking that question sooner. I only had limited options in my suitcase, and the rest of my clothes were buried in boxes that I wouldn’t be getting to until the weekend, at the earliest.

“It’s basically business casual,” Nathan replied as he stood. He had a passed-out baby pressed to his chest, and I could see why Bella had fallen for him. Despite his blunt nature, the man obviously loved his girls. It was … nice. Yeah, that was it. The whole thing was really, really nice.

“Business casual.” I bobbed my head. “I can make that work.” I reached out and clasped Bella’s hand as she headed for the door. “Thank you for everything. You’ll never know how grateful I am.”

She gave me an odd look. “We take care of each other here. That’s what we do. It’s going to be fun. I promise. Just relax. The whole thing is chill and calm. Trust me.”

I did trust her, so I nodded. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

3

THREE

Poe’s Tavern wasn’t what I was expecting. Being familiar with the man’s work, I assumed it would be a macabre showing of blood drinks and crows everywhere. There were some crow decorations. The atmosphere wasn’t nearly as maudlin as I was expecting, however.

“Huh.” I looked around the front of the building. “It’s very … normal.”

Brody looked over at me. He’d changed into simple khakis and a polo shirt. He looked calm and comfortable. Bree had opted for a pair of flowy pants that landed at mid-calf and fluttered whenever she turned quickly, which was pretty much every 10 seconds because she was a whirlwind of activity.