Page 111 of Will Bark for Pizza
“Really. And when you’re ready, I can help you pack. Or I can hire packers so you can stay here and focus. One question.”
“Yeah?”
“Who is Margene, and why do we want to burn her at the stake?”
“Long story,” I said on a heavy sigh. “I’ll fill you in tonight. Grandma Connie already invited you to dinner, I’m assuming?”
“She offered me a room too, but it sounds like there’s a full house. You didn’t tell me you were staying in the same place as that yummy handyman who rescued you from the lake.”
“I didn’t?”
“Don’t worry. He’s all yours.”
“I’m not?—”
“Have you told her yet?” Lotti called from the front.
“Told me what?” I asked.
“Oh! I’m so excited!” Lila grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the front, where half a dozen book club members huddled around one particular hardcover book I didn’t recognize. “I have a special surprise for you.”
“You do?”
“That’s really why I came. This deserved an in-person reveal.”
“What does?”
Thelma handed over a hardback book with a deep purple cover that shimmered when it caught the light. Theedges of the pages were a soft lavender that complemented the cover well, some intricate pattern printed on them. I didn’t recognize the book until Lila placed it in my hands.
“I swear, I didn’t tell anyone you were Diana Davenport,” Lila said.
“We outed you the second we saw thatgorgeousbook,” Carlos cooed.
“I meant to show you first, but then I tripped?—”
“And we basically stole it from her,” Lotti said, her tone unapologetic.
“This ismine?” Tears sprang to the corners of my eyes, threatening to fall. But I held them back for fear they’d land on this beautiful work of art and cause water damage.
I examined the book, stunned by the detail. It was a completely different design than the paperback cover. No people. Just designs. Roses surrounded a dagger in the middle, one central to the plot of my latest book. The title was foiled in silver, and so was the blade of the dagger.
“It’s a special edition,” Lila explained. “Do you like it? Please tell me you like it.”
I glanced up, catching my friend biting her bottom lip as though I might tell her I hated it.
“Like it?” I shook my head. “Lila, Iloveit.”
The silence evaporated in a heartbeat, excitement erupting around the table.
“It’s a fucking work of art.”
“It’s perfect!”
“Imagine ifallyour books had special editions?”
“Do you have any more?”
“You should order some for the store!”
