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Besides, I knew if Bernadette was going to be around, I didn’t have to. She was such a take-charge kind of person, she’d tell me everything I needed to know—and what I didn’t, too.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to make it to the meet-and-greet,” I said.

“What?” Bernadette stared down at me in shock. “What do you mean? Youhaveto go to the meet-and-greet, Jo.”

“Yeah.” I watched as the hotel’s resident cat, a gray tabby just out of kittenhood, found a small brown lizard andpounced on it, only to have it dart easily away to safety. “It’s just that Rosie said she knows an author who came here and got really inspired to write. So I’m waiting for that to kick in.”

“But there’ll be free alcohol. You and I always go to the events where they’re serving free alcohol!”

“I know. But it’s notmandatorythat we attend.”

“Of course it’s notmandatory.But it’s free booze! And they flew us here first-class, didn’t they?” Bernadette had on her Mom Face—the one she always wore when Jen called to say that one of their kids was acting up. I realized I was about to be schooled. “They’re putting us up in this amazing hotel. They’re paying us a really generous stipend for what, a few hours of work? There’s a panel and signing tomorrow and then another one on Sunday. It’s hardlylaborintensive. And the meet-and-greet is at some rich donor’s mansion. Don’t you want to see inside some rich donor’s super-fancy mansion? There’ll probably be some gross catered food we can make fun of. You know how much you love making fun of gross catered food.”

“Yeah. I know. It’s just that...”

“It’s just that what?”

“It’s just that Will Price is here.”

“Here?”Bernadette gasped and glanced around the hotel’s pool area in horror as if Will Price might come leaping out of the bushes at any moment.

“No, nothere.I meant here on the island. He’s coming to the festival.”

Bernadette’s eyes widened. She knew how I felt aboutWill—and she knew why I felt that way, too. She’d been at the con where he’d said the thing that he’d said.

“No.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Noway.I thought your agent checked and said he was going to be in—”

“Well, Rosie was wrong.” I stared glumly down at my margarita. The plastic cup was now empty. “I just saw him at the airport.”

“Oh, well, that doesn’t mean anything. He lives here, doesn’t he? Maybe he was—”

“No, I checked. His name’s been added to the festival website. He’s definitely going to be at all the events. And did you look in your swag bag? There’s a free copy ofThe Momentin it.”

“Oh, God.” Bernadette looked appropriately skeeved out. “What are you going to do?”

I pointed at the raft I was floating on. “Doing it. Going to stay right here, where it’s safe, except for when I have to do a panel or signing.” I did not add that I’d be readingThe Momentto find out if Johnny ever fessed up to Melanie about offing her husband. I actually didn’t care about that. Very much.

Bernadette pressed her lips together. This was always a clear sign that she was entering full mommy mode.

“No,” she said, shaking her head until her purple bangs swayed. “No way. You arenotdoing this. You are not hiding from someman.”

Oh, jeez. Here came the not-so-fun part of Bernadette’s otherwise great personality. She always got this way whenever I refused to confront someone. My steak was a littletoo underdone, but I didn’t want to send it back? Bernadette would fuss until I did. Water glasses on the table not getting refilled quickly enough, but it was clear the waitstaff was in the weeds? Bernadette was always ready to call the manager, whereas I, who’d paid my way through college waitressing, felt that was unfair.

Now she was going full-on ballistic with my plan to avoid Will Price all weekend.

“Especially some man who dissed you!” she cried. “Not just you, but the entirety of children’s literature. You are climbing out of that water and getting dressed and coming to this meet-and-greet with me if I have todragyou out of there.”

“Okay, okay,” I said, already starting to paddle to the pool’s steps. “Fine. But I’m not going to talk to him.”

“Of course you are.” Bernadette glared as I wrapped myself in a towel. “You’re also going to look gorgeous and unobtainable and make him regret every single one of his life choices, while mentioning to everyone who’ll listen that the reason your books have been selling so successfully for so many years in so many countries is because they inspire hope while also offering comfort with their gentle life lessons and happy endings, something Will Price’s books decidedly donotdo. Now go get changed before you make us late for the author bus.”

“Fine,” I said. “Okay.”

But the truth was, in that momentIwas the one who was regretting many of my life choices... especially the one where I’d agreed to come to Little Bridge Island in the first place.

The Momentby Will Price

Never in my life had I seen a woman more beautiful. I’m not talking about the conventional kind of beauty. She was no movie starlet, starving herself to fit into the fashion of the day. Her beauty was the kind that came from the inside, shining through those blue eyes with wit and intelligence. The warmth of her smile could light up a cityscape. The fact that she smiled often, and in my direction, was enough to make me realize how lucky I was... until I remembered what I’d done.