Page 33 of The Write Stuff

So, I went home. It was the smart move. I spent the next three days finishing my unpacking. I managed to get every item on a shelf, in a closet, or put away. All the boxes got broken down, and I carried the cardboard out to the fire pit, which weirdly looked like a giant vagina when staring down at it. I had no idea if that was what Bree had been going for when she had it built, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was.

Once that was done, I started a new book. Technically, I was supposed to have another two weeks off, but it never hurt to get ahead of things. So, I cracked open my outline and reacquainted myself with Thorn and Paisley.

Then I decided I hated the names Thorn and Paisley.

I hated the names Lisa and Jeffrey more and went back to Paisley. Thorn was definitely out, though.

I tried Paisley with Jeffrey, but that wasn’t right.

Then I started thinking about Wylie’s name. Kylie with a W. I had no idea where Aggie had come up with it. I’d never asked. Wylie was a weird name, right?

It wasn’t as if Huxley was a normal name. I’d read it in a few romance books, though, which meant it had hit the mainstream. Not Wylie, though.

Then I started thinking about the smattering of freckles on Wylie’s nose. She’d had them when we were kids, but I’d hated freckles back then. Now, for some reason, I suddenly liked freckles.

Then I thought of Wylie’s lips. They were plump but not fake. She hadn’t overdone it with fillers, thankfully. She didn’t strike me as anybody who would ever mess with her face. She wasn’t vain. Actually, as far as I could tell, she didn’t realize she was beautiful.

She didn’t have a butt like a Kardashian. She was naturally willowy, which meant her butt was small but adorable.

She didn’t have overblown breasts, also like a Kardashian. Hers were actually pretty small and yet somehow fit her lanky frame. She reminded me of Zendaya that way, although she was Irish countryside white. I had no doubt she was careful in the sun. With skin that pale, she wouldn’t have a choice.

Everything that hadn’t fit when she was younger now fit perfectly. My mother had been right. She was a looker. It used to be that I dreamed of Anna Paquin and thought nobody else could match her. Now I knew that Anna would be jealous of Wylie if they ever crossed paths.

Also, after the terrible ending of True Blood, I just couldn’t understand my former love for that show or the woman anchoring the storyline. Perhaps it was the pot I was smoking back then. That made as much sense as anything else.

So, Thorn and Paisley didn’t make the cut. Whenever I tried to make Paisley work with another name, I hated it.

That’s where Kylie and Hensley came in. It took me two full days to land on names. Those names felt right to me. I was sticking with them. Once I came to that decision, however, it was time for the second reader event.

They set up dinner, and even though I was worried about what I would find when I got there, I sent Brody a thumbs-up when he texted to remind me what time we were meeting. Would Wylie be there? Two weeks before, I wouldn’t have been keen on the possibility. Now I wasn’t as certain about what I wanted.

I only knew one thing. If Wylie wasn’t at dinner, I would be disappointed. I told myself it was because I wanted to spar with her more. I wasn’t sure I believed it, though.

The second reader event was being held at The Lost Square, which was close to the River District and featured rooftop seating. They’d set aside one entire section of the roof for the reader event, but Bree had reserved a table for seven beforehand, so we were covered there. Hayley Clifton, who had been away dealing with a sick parent during the first event, was joining us this evening. I was grateful to have another single individual at the table, because that meant all eyes wouldn’t be on Wylie and me.

Everybody was already seated when I joined them. “Sorry,” I said as I sat in the chair between Nathan and Brody. It felt as if the seating arrangements had been designed specifically to keep Wylie and me as far apart from one another as possible. “I Ubered from The Landings, and the traffic was terrible.”

“Rush hour,” Nathan said. “That’s one thing I don’t miss. The traffic from Skidaway Island to downtown is always a nightmare. Now we live in a spot where we can walk almost anywhere.”

“Isn’t that great?” Bella cooed in exaggerated fashion as she leaned in and offered her lips to Nathan. “I’m a genius.”

Rather than tell her she was being goofy, he cupped the sides of her face and planted a loud kiss on her upturned mouth. “You’re the smartest woman in the world,” he agreed as he pulled back. “Not just because you married me either.”

“Oh, gross,” Bree complained as she glared at them. “You guys make me want to puke.”

“Oh, like I didn’t have to listen to Brody tell you that you have the most creative brain in the world when you were talking about your current manuscripts earlier today,” Nathan complained.

“We weren’t talking about manuscripts,” Bree replied on a grin. “We were talking about what we did in the bedroom last night.”

“Oh, man.” Nathan threw a roll at her, but there was very little heat to it. “You’re definitely the gross ones.”

Because I didn’t know what else to do, I raised my eyes. Wylie sat across from me, her gaze trained on her plate. She wasn’t even going to look at me. That should have been a good thing. Instead, I had to refrain from pounding the table just to get her to lift her chin. It was an odd impulse.

Thankfully, the server picked that moment to collect our orders. I made as if I was fixated on the menu, even though I really didn’t care. I wasn’t picky about food.

Wylie ordered something called the Marsh Bird to drink and the Spanish Bikini to eat. When I read that it featured jalapeño cheese and fig jam, I quickly moved on. By the time the server got to me, I still didn’t know what I wanted. I kept getting distracted by the way Wylie tugged on a loose strand of her hair. It kept blowing around because we were on a rooftop.

“Um, I’ll have a draft beer,” I said, going for the easy choice there. The menu was eclectic, but limited, so I went the safe route when ordering food. “I’ll take the burger, medium, and the fries, please.” I just hoped whatever they were touting as “special sauce” didn’t have figs in it. Blech.