Page 98 of Smoke and Fire
25
DAHLIA
Asmoky haze settled over Pineville.
Sometime in between Lizbeth opening the floodgates to invite the swell of women into the back room and a group of ten more coming in a van from a state over, the wind picked up.
Gusts sprinted around the parking lot, whipping hair, leaves, and dirt into everyone’s eyes. It slammed into the Frolicking Moose and sent whitecapped waves frothing on the lake. We crowded as many people as fire code would allow into the back room and interior. The empty loft upstairs became a book club discussion on books 1-6, which opened some space in the main area.
Still, women waited outside with excited, bright chatter.
"This is insane, don't you think?" I asked Lizbeth as I shoveled ice into a plastic cup. "All these women, at least a hundred now, want to meet an author that they all love. Meanwhile, an inferno rages north of here and no one can breathe all that well."
Lizbeth spread her hands. "Behold the power of romance."
"Do you think . . . I mean . . ."
My thoughts stuttered out before I could release them fully formed. My mind wrapped around an idea, but I couldn't say that I understood it yet. To let all this attention go unserved seemed like such a waste. I couldn't give them Jess, but maybe they could give somethingtoJess.
Twisting morsels of an idea began to spin together. All these women were here to meet and support Jess. Most of them had probably read all the books, maybe several times. They were peaceful, had a common bond, and wanted the same thing. Whynotgive them some satisfaction?
After all, hadn't they come all this way to form a connection with the author they loved? Maybe these women could get their goal after all. And benefit Bastian at the same time.
"Katrina," I called. "C'mere!"
She came around the corner, her bright cheeks a bit flushed. She couldn't hide her eager expression every time the door opened and she looked at it, as if she still hoped that Brooke would walk inside. Or maybe she really did want to meet Jess, and she thought that Jess might walk in and announce herself.
The panic and apology in her expression had faded into the warmth of mutual purpose and camaraderie.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I've been thinking about this whole situation. What if there's a way to make it so this isn't wasted? You know," I added hurriedly, "because Jess may not show up. All these women traveled so far to solve a mystery or to give their support, so I'd hate for that to feel misspent."
Could she hear the sudden nerves in my voice? Lizbeth didn't know that I'd confessed to knowing Jess. If possible, I wanted to keep it that way. So far, Katrina hadn't revealed me, but it would be an easy slip.
Katrina's gaze narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you're a filmmaker, right?"
"Right."
“And you’ve been filming this whole time anyway, right?”
“Yes.”
"Do you have your equipment now?"
"Some. In my bag."
"Seems to me," I drawled, "that Jess might be kind of shy about who she is. Or maybe afraid that her fans won't like her? Or approve of her? Or maybe she has some kind of social anxiety or something? So maybe we can use this as an opportunity to showher how much her fans love her. No matter what," I tacked on.
"Oh," she murmured. Understanding illuminated her gaze. "Interesting."
My eyes widened. "Seems like a great opportunity to make something new that's never been done before. Might mean alotto Jess, and also give these women an opportunity to confess their love for their favorite author? She might be more inclined to reveal herself if she has video proof of the kind of genuine readers she has."
Katrina's eyes glazed over. She blinked, came back into herself, and grinned. "That is an amazing idea."
Your best idea yet,Inner Me said.
