Page 55 of Suddenly Dating
“Oh my, that’s quite ambitious,” Birta said, and laughed. “And yet, it sounds somewhat intriguing.”
“And while Lola would never ask you in a million years, I think she would love it if you could take a look,” Harry said easily.
“What?” Lola cried, panicking all over again. That was not how these things were done! One did not walk up to a very famous author and ask her to read a manuscript! Harry clearly had no idea how many people must ask Birta Hoffman to read their book every week!
“I’d be pleased to do so,” Birta said, shocking Lola to her core. “It does sound interesting, Lily.”
“Lola,” Harry said.
“Pardon, Lola. I’ll tell you what,” she said, smiling at Harry. “I’m having a dinner party a week from Sunday. Why don’t you two come? It’s a small group, just a few of my close friends and colleagues coming up from the city. Several of them are here tonight, but it’s so crowded that I should like to have them back for something a little more intimate.”
“We wouldn’t dream of imposing—” Lola started, feeling sick at the mention of a dinner party with Birta.
“But we will,” Harry said, as if agreeing to something as mundane as wanting whipped cream on his coffee drink. Lola shot him a desperate look, hoping he could read the seriousshut upsignals in her eyes. But Harry wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at Birta in a sexy, devilish way that confused Lola. What the hell was happening? Was heattractedto Birta? She might be an exotic creature, but she had to be twenty years his senior.
“Then it’s a date,” Birta said, smiling back at him. “Oh, and you too, Mallory, if you’re available.”
“Sure,” Mallory said, and Lola remembered that her friend who had arranged this meeting was still standing beside her.
“And Bob,” Birta said with a much thinner smile, “you know I’d invite you as well, but you’re going back to the city, aren’t you?”
Bob looked around everyone assembled under that tree. “I could change my plans—”
“But you shouldn’t,” Birta said. “It’s a small affair, and I’ve just enough seats at the table as it is.” She turned her smile back to Harry, ignoring the look of stunned dejection on Bob’s face. “Mallory can tell you where I live. Sunday at eight o’clock. Is that convenient?”
“Absolutely,” Harry said. “Thank you. We’ll be there.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lola added.
Not that Birta noticed; she had locked her sultry gaze on Harry. “I’m looking forward to it very much,” she purred. “Now you must excuse me, I see the editor from theHudson River Valley Reviewis here, and I have a bit of a bone to pick with him.”
She sailed out of their midst, Bob hopping along behind her.
Lola slowly turned her gaze to Harry. He was smiling like a fat-ass cat, obviously pleased with himself.
“Mallory?” Lola said, glaring at her so-called boyfriend. “Harry is dying to meet your dad.”
“He is?” Mallory asked, surprised.
“I am,” Harry said, his gaze similarly locked on Lola’s.
“I haven’t seen him. Stay right here. I’ll be back in a jiff.”
Harry waited until she was out of earshot before he frowned and asked, “Why are you looking at me like you’d like to claw my eyes out?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because I’m like two seconds away from doing it?” she snapped. “What were you doing?” she cried, gesturing behind her.
“With Birta?”
“Yes, with Birta Hoffman! Famous,famousauthor! Are youattractedto her?”
Harry laughed in disbelief. “Of course not! What the hell is the matter with you, Lola? Didn’t you notice that she was totally intome?”
Lola gaped at him. No, it couldn’t be... Good God, of course it could! Birta had kept her gaze on Harry and had practically licked her lips. Lola could be so stupidly blind at times.
“What I was doing was helping you out, becauseyouturned into a zombie.”
“Oh my God,” she said, slapping her hand to her forehead.
