Page 32 of Unromance

Lily’s cane impeded her path, stopping her in her tracks so she had to face her friend. “Masonwho?”

Sawyer sighed, stalling. “Mason West,” she mumbled.

Lily’s wide eyes grew even wider. “Elevator Guy is Mason West? You had—and I quote—a ‘mind-blowing’ one-night stand with Mason fucking West?”

“I don’t think I said ‘mind-blowing,’” Sawyer deflected. Even though, yes, it had been. The man knew his way around a woman’s body, and she wasn’t mad about it. But when she’d told her bestfriend about the glorious one-night stand—in detail—she hadn’t expected to see him again.

Lily cackled. “You definitely did, but you didn’t tell me he wasMason West! How could you hold out on me like this?”

“Would you be cool? Stop shouting his name,” Sawyer hissed. People were starting to stare, Lily’s witchy laugh cutting through the din of the crowd and the tinny Christmas music blaring from the mall speakers. “I wasn’t holding out on you. I didn’t know who he was until the tree farm.”

“So,” Lily began with a smirk Sawyer didn’t trust. “If you do get inspired and write a novel after this weird quest of y’all’s, you know you have to dedicate the book to his—and I quote—‘glorious’ dick, right?”

“I did not say ‘glorious,’” Sawyer insisted. She definitely had, and she wasn’t wrong.

Lily continued to cackle. She was having far too much fun at Sawyer’s expense. With a hefty sigh, Sawyer sulked off.

“I’m sorry,” Lily said apologetically. “I’m done. But please know I’m in awe of you for boinking someone that beautiful. I knew you couldn’t be so pretty for nothing.”

“Dear God,” Sawyer swore. “Stop trying to Mrs. Bennet me! I’m in possession of no fortune, and I’m not in want of a husband or wife or partner.”

Lily bit down on her lip. “Sorry, I’m actually done this time, promise.” She held out her pinkie in truce.

Sawyer wrapped her pinkie around her best friend’s, ready for a subject change. She loved Lily dearly, but ever since she’d given up on their single, twentysomething heathen lifestyle and gotten married, she’d been on a mission to find Sawyer her own Beau. A beau. Ha.

“So, how is it going—y’all’s mission? Are you inspired?” Lily asked as they abandoned their hunt for a table and wandered into a novelty shop.

Sawyer hummed noncommittally. “I don’t think I’mHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days–ing him hard enough, but I’m having fun and feeling inspired to write again, so we’re at least halfway doing it right.”

Lily’s eyes widened, and she bit her lip and wiggled her brows excitedly. “You’re writing again?” For all her meddling, Lily was a great cheerleader, even for Sawyer’s ideas that never made it past the idea phase.

A small smile spread across her face. “Yeah, but I’m not quite ready to talk about it yet.”

Lily nodded in understanding, and didn’t press her further, pausing to study the wall of coffee mugs.

Sawyer came up with a million pitches a day, but there had to be a spark, something special about the idea, something that she connected with, something that necessitatedherbeing the one to write that particular story. She was close. She was mulling multiple ideas in the back of her head, but she hadn’t found the thread that connected them all. It was like looking in a well-stocked fridge, knowing you had the ingredients for a feast, but not knowing what you wanted to do with them. Sure, there were lots of things she could make, but that took time, and emotional energy, and she couldn’t start until she knew what she was craving.

She was close. She’d written a few thousand words of an outline and some opening scenes, but beginnings were easy. Middles were messy but doable, but endings? Endings were her kryptonite.

She’d gotten so excited about her new idea that she’d opened the writing group chat she’d muted months ago in a fit of impostor syndrome. But when she scrolled through the unread messages,impostor syndrome reared its head again. She closed out without saying anything, feeling shitty for having missed out on so many of her friends’ milestones.

She’d contemplated calling her agent, Tess, multiple times over the past week to talk through her half-formed idea. But it was the holidays, and Tess was spending time with her family, and Sawyer had made that call before. An idea would take root, she’d get excited that the inspiration was finally flowing after a long drought, she’d pitch it to Tess and Emily, and she’d write five, ten, fifty thousand words and then at the crux… she got stuck. She’d either write herself into a corner, or she’d drop the plot threads that she’d been carefully weaving, or the characters would stop speaking to her… The thought of trunking yet another unfinished story ate at her, her eyes stinging.

She pushed the thought away, blinking rapidly to clear her blurred vision. She couldn’t afford to think like that. Literally. She couldn’t afford it. She wasn’t going to fail again. Her publisher wasn’t going to drop her because shewouldfinish this time.

“So,” Lily hedged, suddenly very interested in a reindeer mug and avoiding eye contact. “I know I said I’d drop it, and I promise I will, but can’t you do the wholeHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Daysthing and still get laid?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT THEM– No explanation necessary.

It was the day before Christmas, and the mall was packed. As usual, Luis had left Christmas shopping until the last minute, and as his best friend and brother-in-law, Mason was obligated to accompany him. Or so Luis claimed when he’d called him yesterday and told him he had to tag along.

“So, how are things with the lady?” Luis hedged, inspecting the Williams Sonoma kitchen gadget nearest them. Mason had no idea what it was for, and apparently neither did Luis, who spun it around curiously before promptly setting it down when something inside made an ominousclunk.

Mason choked on his coffee, partially from laughter and partially at the mention of Kara.

“We broke up, remember? Twice,” Mason reminded him.

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