Newly Arrived Potential Love Interest had the kind of stubble that said “not arrogant about my appearance” yet also “edgy enough to be sexy,” and wore super-cute round tortoiseshell glasses. Just like Ricky. I nudged the thought away, and the pang that came with it.
Meagan pulled a chair in next to her and gestured to it. “Tom, take a seat. I was so pleased to get your email about joining us today. Everyone, say hi to Tom.” I was definitely not alone in eyeing him. We all chorused a hello, some of us louder and far more obvious than others.
Tom smiled as he passed me. Despite definitely not doing this for love, there was nothing wrong with finding him attractive.
“So, the first question is for one of our new members. Evie.” Thanks, Meagan. “Are you new to the genre?”
At least we’d started with an easy one. I cleared my throat, trying to sound confident. “I used to read it more when I was younger.” Steph’s eyebrows shot up. “Not that I ever grew out of it,” I added hastily. I was relieved to see a few smiles at this. “It’s just that it’s hard to find time to read these days.”
A few of the women nodded in agreement.
Meagan beamed. “Thank you, Evie. What did everyone think of the book? Amanda?”
She looked to a woman in a crisp trouser suit.
“Far better than last month’s choice,” Amanda replied. “The feminist subgenre holds no interest for me. Give me a real man anytime. No offense to your writing, Steph.”
“By ‘real men,’ I assume you mean the kind who need a compliant woman to validate the size of their—”
“Now, ladies, we all have our specialist interests,” interrupted Meagan. “Remember what we say?” Everyone except Tom and me joined in with her next words.
“There’s a subgenre for everyone.”
He caught my eye and smiled, which sent a welcome thrill down to my toes. Steady on, Evie.
“Evie, what’s yours? Don’t feel embarrassed, there are no wrong answers here.”
Oh, God. I thought back to everything I knew about genre fiction. I knew only film genres, so picked the one I felt safest with. “Horror,” I said. There were so many great female writers: Kathryn Bigelow. Karen Walton. Diablo Cody. “The scarier, the better.”
A few mouths dropped open. I guess even among open-minded genre fans, horror was still looked down on.
Meagan was nodding slowly, a frown dimpling her forehead. “Like I said, you’re among friends, you’ll find no judgment here.” This last part seemed to be aimed at the room, and some of the ladies shrugged as if acquiescing.
I relaxed. Another question down. If the next person to answer revealed a bit about the damn book, I’d have half a chance.
“Evie.” Good Lord, this was torture. Was she doing it on purpose? Surely it was Tom’s turn at some point. I felt like I’d somehow been rumbled and she was determined to get me to admit it. But how on earth could she possibly know? “Sorry, we will get on to everyone else, but I’d just love to know what you thought about that scene between the pirate and his stepmother.”
At least now I had some details. “Well,” I said, stretching out the moment to give myself more time to think. Insightful yet vague. I could do this. I drank more wine. “I found it very moving.”
She tilted her head. “Even the scene where they dueled belowdecks?”
I hesitated, but now that I’d stated my opinion, I had to stand by it or it would look weird. “Especially then.”
“And when his sister joined them?”
“It was a bold choice, but I thought the writer handled it very well.”
“And the climax?”
“Very satisfying.”
“Really got the juices flowing.” This from an older woman with stylishly large glasses and a blunt-cut fringe. “A real highlight.”
But Meagan wasn’t done with me. “Thank you, Heather, but I think we’d all love to know Evie’s favorite scene.”
I fanned my face, the room seeming uncomfortably hot, and Steph jumped in. “Personally, the one with Princess Esmerelda and the pirate king on the treasure island was smoking—”
Meagan held up a hand. “Thanks, but it’s Evie’s turn to speak.”
“That was mine too.” I gave Steph a grateful smile and decided to hazard a safe guess. “Especially when they finally found out where the treasure was buried.”
For some reason, Heather cackled at that. “It certainly surprised Esmerelda to find it there,” she said.
I looked around the room. Am I missing something?
“And what did you make of Esmerelda?” Meagan asked me.
Damn it, Meagan! I became determined not to let her beat me. Giving critical feedback was the part of my job I loved most. “I found her incredibly relatable. It was refreshing to see a female character handled with such emotional intelligence. I haven’t seen two more kindred souls since Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester.” I felt a little burst of triumph. Take that, Meagan!
Tom seemed to be suppressing a smile and Steph had the strangest expression on her face.
Meagan, at last, managed to speak. “Thank you, Evie, for that . . . unique insight into the dragon princess.” Wait, dragon?
“Gabe, we all know you’re fond of the dueling scenes—what’s your take?”
He rubbed his hands together and put one slim finger next to his chin in thought. I took a sip of wine, glad of the reprieve. “I have to say, when the pirate king and Esmerelda finally got their cocks out”—I coughed as the wine went down the wrong way—“I thought it couldn’t get any better. Then when it was revealed that dragons have two cocks, the book went straight into my top ten!” There was the sound of a book dropping, and the bookseller who’d been returning it to its shelf gaped at us before pulling her cardigan around herself and hurrying off.
“Now, Gabe. You know we like to keep things less blue here out of respect for our neighbors.” Meagan eyed the retreating bookseller. “Remember to substitute the more colorful words.”
“Fine, fine. So, I thought the dueling scene where Esmerelda’s second wand shot flavored sparks was absolutely smashing. It was the single most exotic thing I’d ever read.”
* * *
I returned my empty glass to the table, fighting the urge to grab my coat and run with every fiber of my being. If there was the slightest chance I could salvage any part of this evening by speaking to Tom, then I had to try.
Tom was browsing the bookshelves. I had to hope he’d see the funny side. There had definitely been moments when we’d caught each other’s eye.