Page 50 of The Write Stuff

“It doesn’t matter,” I replied. “What else is going on with you?” I flopped on the couch.

“I’m working on a new trilogy,” she replied. “I think it’s going to be big.”

“Yeah? I’m glad.”

“How are things for you?” she asked.

“I’m ahead of deadline. I’ve been working pretty steadily.” I thought about writing with Wylie and smiled. She was adorable when she got to brainstorming. The way she chewed on her thumb when she thought she had something really exciting was amazing.

“You haven’t been making it all about work, have you?” she asked. “You’re in a fun place, Huxley. Not everything should be about work.”

“I’ve been exploring the town, too,” I assured her. “Just today I visited a cemetery to look around, and I had my fortune told a few weeks ago.” Immediately, I wanted to take it back. It was too late, though. I’d said too much.

“You went to a cemetery? That doesn’t sound like you. Who did you go with?”

I had to dig myself out of this hole, and I had to do it fast. “There are a lot of authors here,” I replied. “I’ve met a few through those reader events we’re doing every two weeks. I told you about those.”

“Yes, those reader events are so successful that they want to launch some up here. They don’t sound fun to me.”

“I don’t know.” I pictured the way Wylie interacted with her readers, how she wowed them without even realizing what she was doing. “I enjoy them.”

“And you’ve met other writers? Anybody I know?”

I didn’t want to lie to her. My mother was the sort of person who could take the truth, however brutal. I didn’t mention Wylie, though. Because of the situation with Agnes, that was a different matter entirely. I didn’t want to get my mother going. There was little she loved more than a good rant.

“Do you know Brody Bates or Bree James?”

“I’m familiar with the names, although I’ve never met them. Their love story made the rounds a few years ago. I’ve seen photos, and they’re adorable.”

“They’re kind of gross in person with how schmaltzy they are, but I like them both. Bella Oakley and Nathan Cooper are married, too. He’s a bit of a goof, but they’re fun to hang out with.”

“Before he fell in love with her, he had a reputation as a ladies’ man on the conference circuit,” Mom mused. “I was considering taking a run at him between husbands. Alas, he was taken off the market too soon.”

I tried not to picture my mother making Nathan yet another stepfather. “Well, too bad for you, I guess,” I said dryly, eliciting a laugh from her.

“I’m glad you’re making friends and seeing the city,” she said. “I never expected you to go to a fortune teller, though. Which one of them talked you into that?”

“Oh, there’s a group of us who hang out together,” I said.

That was the wrong thing to say. She picked up on my evasiveness right away. “You found a woman.” She didn’t phrase it as a question.

“No, I didn’t.” I shook my head even though she couldn’t see it. “I found friends. We’re just hanging out.”

“What’s her name?”

“Mother, there is no woman.” I was adamant. “Don’t make this weird. Men and women can hang out together without it turning into a thing.”

“What’s her name?” she repeated.

Sensing trouble, I took a shot in the dark. “Hayley Clifton.” I prayed she’d heard of the name.

“The clean and wholesome romance writer?” she asked after a beat.

“Yes, we’ve become fast friends.”

“The lesbian?”

I didn’t particularly like the judgment in her tone, but I was committed to this route. “One and the same,” I confirmed.