Page 16 of Book Boyfriend
The smell hits me almost immediately. My stomach growls as I open the bag she places on my desk: two steak tacos, a chicken taco, chips, and a big tub of guacamole.
I roll my eyes. “Ha! Tell Luna she’s hilarious.”
“Tell me I’m what?” she asks as she rounds the corner. “You ordered food? I thought we were going out?”
“I didn’t order food, you did. Was this supposed to be funny? Are you trying to inspire me?” I ask.
“What did you get?”
“I got the meal Penn sends Kasey on her first day in the office. It’s cute but a little creepy.”
“Really?” Luna asks excitedly. “Is there a card?”
“You know perfectly well that Penn doesn’t send a card. Kasey ends up calling the taco place and they tell her that a gentleman came in, paid cash, and asked that the food be delivered to her workplace.”
“But did you get one this time?” she asks.
“You’re not funny. Just admit you sent it. We can laugh about it and I might even share my chips.”
“Greer . . . I swear I didn’t do it. Maybe it was the production team?”
She’s serious. I can tell. I shrug my shoulders. “Yeah, maybe.” I empty the bag and as expected there’s no card.
After I left Fisher in Florida, I started writing nonstop. I created this fantasy book where Penn ends up seeing a picture of Kasey on the news, realizes she’s an author and reads her book. Then he starts making everything in the story come true. The first thing that happens is Kasey gets tacos. It would be funny if someone left a card saying it was a joke.
“The delivery guy asked specifically for Macy Greer,” Brenna says after the brief silence.
“Brenna, can you call the taco place and see who ordered the food?” Luna asks.
“I’m on it.”
Luna grabs a taco and sits down in the chair across from my desk. “It’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”
“Unless they’re laced with poison from a crazy fan who hates me. Maybe Selena Popper sent them. You know she tweeted that the world would be a better place with less of my whiny characters.”
Luna stops mid bite and refolds the taco into the wrapper, placing it on my desk. “She’s just jealous. She’s never happy for anyone. I swear, her readers are made up of nothing but haters. I’ve never seen such a nasty group. But she’d never stoop so low as to kill you. Jeez, overreact much?”
“Why’d you stop eating then?” I ask through a smirk.
“I remembered I’m on Keto. No carbs.”
“Uh-huh.” I unwrap a taco and lift it to my lips. “So you wouldn’t mind if your star writer ate a deadly taco and died before the sequel was written?”
“Stop! Don’t eat that!”
I laugh. “Now who’s paranoid?”
Luna stands and picks up the food and drops it in the trash. “I promised you we’d go out to lunch. Let’s go.”
I re-button my pants and slip my shoes back on my feet.
Brenna is just ending her call as we exit my office. Her eyes look like they might pop out of her head. “They said some guy in a three-piece suit came in and ordered the food. The girl said he was really cute. She also said he paid cash. It’s just like the book!”
Luna and I stare at each other. Luna shrugs her shoulders. “Whatever. It’s probably a fan who begged her husband to do it. You’ll probably get a message from one of your readers asking if you liked it. You’re more popular than ever. Weird shit is bound to happen.”
I laugh although it’s uneasy. She’s probably right. Tacos are one thing. No one would dare do what Penn does next.
I almost left the house in my sweats, but it felt too casual. I settled on yoga pants and a T-shirt. Writing only happens when I’m comfortable. I’m too easily distracted by a tight waistband. My characters are miserable and argue whenever I’m uncomfortable.
