Page 1 of Unfiltered
CHAPTER 1
“Oh. My. God.” Awide-eyed Madeline Penrose rushed into the storeroom where Abby Wilder sat on the floor sorting through boxes of books.
Abby glanced up from her task, annoyed by the interruption. “Why are you making such a ruckus?”
“You’ve got to see this.” Madeline pushed her laptop toward Abby.
Abby glanced longingly at the still unopened boxes before she rose to her feet. She brushed a dust bunny off her skirt and took the computer from Madeline.
“What am I looking at?”
“Your video. The book review ofSolitary.”
Abby groaned and handed the computer back to Madeline. “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t care how many likes I have?”
For the past two weeks, Madeline had been obsessed with Abby’s viral video, while Abby just wanted to forget it. Probablyanother troll critiquing her dance moves or her appearance. At least they couldn’t critique what she said since she never spoke a word.
She questioned why she continued making her stupid videos when there were so many haters in the world. Every time she thought of giving them up, she found herself setting up her phone to shoot another. Someone needed to psychoanalyze her and tell her why she tortured herself.
“What’s wrong with me this time?” Abby asked. “Too fat. Ugly. Ridiculous.”
Madeline crinkled her nose. “Do you even read your comments?”
Abby shook her head. “I try not to.”
“Well, I read them all.”
Figures.Madeline took Abby’s hobby more seriously than she did. For Abby, it was a creative outlet from her mundane life as a librarian. If it were up to Madeline, Abby’s social media handle would be @TheSexyLibrarian, but Abby went for the more whimsical @Shhh&ShakeIt.
“And what do they say?” Abby asked, not wanting the answer.
“That you’re smoking hot.” Madeline reached out and touched Abby’s hair, which was pulled up in a tight bun. “They’re begging to see you with your hair down.”
Abby backed away, breaking contact with Madeline, who had a different concept of personal space than Abby did. She ran her fingers over where Madeline had touched her hair, making sure it was still in place.
“That’s not the point of my videos.” Abby frowned. “I want to promote the books I love.”
“Well, you made a splash withSolitary.” Madeline thrust her computer back into Abby’s hands. “Maya Ellis Lane commented on the post.”
Abby’s mouth went dry, and then she had to laugh at herself. She doubted her favorite author commented on her silly post. “Stop! It can’t be her.” Abby shook her head. “I hate impostors.”
“Would you just look?” Madeline grabbed her computer from Abby and pointed at the screen. “Right here.”
@Actually_Maya_Ellis_Lane:I love it! The dance captures the spirit of my book. Well done!
Abby stared at the handle. She’d been following Maya Ellis Lane since she’d released her debut novel a decade ago. She studied the handle, looking for one incorrect or inverted letter. When she didn’t find it, she scanned the line again.
No way.It looked legit; however, more sophisticated scams came out every day.
Abby tapped the screen, and the link took her to Maya’s social media account.
“Holy shit.” Abby whipped around.
A huge smile lit Madeline’s face. “I told you. It’s her.” She pointed at the screen. “An impostor wouldn’t have a million followers.”
“It’s one of her staff. Not her.” Abby shrugged, trying to appear casual, even though her heart was racing.
This didn’t happen to a small-town librarian. And it certainly didn’t happen to an introvert like her.
