Page 39 of A Novel Summer
“Great,” Shelby said. “I didn’t realize how much I missed this place.”
“Are you writing a new book? I really enjoyedSecrets of Summer. The ending was just... It made me smile.”
“Oh, that means a lot to me,” Shelby said, beaming. “I always want to write happy endings.”
A silence settled between them. Carmen knew she should get to the point of her visit, but now that she was standing there, she was second-guessing her visit. Maybe it was inappropriate.
“Mia’s been a big help around here,” Shelby finally offered.
Carmen nodded. “Glad to hear it.” That was her opening. She glanced around the store to make sure no one could overhear them. “That’s actually why I’m here. I’d like to talk to you about her.”
“Oh?” Shelby said, frowning. “Sure. Is everything okay?” A boisterous group of men filed in, dressed in swim trunks and T-shirts and carrying shopping bags from Tea by the Sea. “Excuse me for just a minute,” she said to Carmen.
“Of course. Please, no rush.”
Shelby asked the group if anyone needed help, and one of the men asked her to recommend a memoir or essay collection that would make good beach reading. Shelby directed him to the nonfiction section and Carmen heard her mention a book calledThe Andy Cohen Diaries. That sounded fun. She really should try to read more.
Just as she was thinking that she should leave and let Shelby do her job in peace—that it had been a mistake to go in the first place—Shelby returned to her side and suggested they talk behind the counter where they’d have a little more privacy.
“So, something is going on with Mia?” Shelby said in a low voice.
“I’m not sure,” Carmen said carefully. “But I’m concerned. She’s telling her father and me she doesn’t want to go to college. Do you know anything about this? I only ask because of all the hours you spend working together. And also, she was so fond of you that last summer you were here.”
Shelby sighed. “To be honest, I’d say she’s considerably less fond of me. So I’m probably not the best person to ask.”
Carmen couldn’t hide her disappointment—not just that Shelby didn’t know anything to help her, but that it seemed Mia was closed off to her, too. And she didn’t believe it was just because of the breakup.
Something was going on.
The front door opened again, and Duke Nestley walked in. He gave Shelby a wave, then stopped to talk to one of the men in the bathing suit group. When he made his way over to them, he greeted Carmen with notable coolness.
“Mia told me your house was just perfect for the book event,” she said.
He put his hands on his hips. “Honestly, Carmen, it would be even more perfect if Shelby could use the beach. But thanks to your son, that’s not happening anytime soon.”
What was he talking about? She turned to Shelby.
“What did Justin do?”
Shelby shook her head. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Duke said. “Shelby petitioned at town hall to get temporary use of the space out there for book events, and Justin led the charge voting it down. It seemed a little personal, if you ask me.”
That didn’t sound like Justin.
By the time she walked out of the bookstore, she had more unanswered questions than when she’d walked in. At least with Justin, she could just ask him directly what was going on.
As for Mia? She didn’t know what she was going to do.
Hunter, sitting in the front row of Anders’s Tuesday-morning class, refused to let Shelby’s careerist dinner maneuver get to her. It was just one night, whereas Hunter saw him twice a week. They had a genuine, creative rapport. And she couldn’t help but wonder if it could lead to something more. He was proper and sexy at the same time—like Hugh Grant in that old movieFour Weddings and a Funeral.
From a few rows back someone asked, “What are your thoughts on beta readers?”
Hunter knew from her job at Malaprop that some authors had a writing group or even just one reliable friend who read their work before they delivered it to their editor.
“They can be useful,” Anders said. “It’s not always possible, but if I have someone who can give my work a quick read? Sure. But it’s important to choose that reader wisely, and to not have too many cooks in the kitchen, as they say.”
Hunter stopped typing notes and looked up. She’d love to read his manuscript. It would be a great experience—not something she could necessarily put on her résumé, but she’d know she’d done it. It would boost her confidence, make her feel closer to her ambition of making it in the big leagues.
