Page 29 of Friends to WHAT?!

“Please tell me this is the only photo of…this,” I plead. “And that we can delete it right now?”

Almond removes her phone from my reach, even though my hands are fully under my cape, so I couldn’t make a quick grab at it if I wanted to.

Which I do.

Quite vehemently.

I want to grab, and delete, and scour to make sure there is no other photographic evidence of my bottom and Wolfe’s face being in such proximity.

“We aren’t deleting the evidence of your love story’s inciting incident,” Almond gasps, appalled. “And if you’re going to respond like this to all of them, I’m not showing you any more.”

Stars, there’smore. “I don’t want to see any more,” I assure her. “I want only for them to be deleted. Immediately. Forever.”

Her eyes narrow into a glare. “Whathas happened to you?” she asks. “This isn’t at all like the Leora I know.”

“The Leora you know isbookLeora,” I remind her. “Book Leora suspends disbelief and throws herself headlong into the story, letting it sweep her away to darknesses and feelings Real Life Leora would never be okay with! As evidence! By me! Not! Being! Okay with them!” I pant, heart skittering about in my chest. “Think about it, Almond.Reallythink about it. How would you react if, suddenly, out of nowhere, with no warning at all, Emerson Wright started behaving like one of the male leads in one of our books? If he walked into your studioright now, in the middle of your work day, threw you over his shoulder, and whisked you away? And we don’t even have to add on him bringing an entourage. I think we both know you wouldn’t handle that situation well.”

Stricken, she clutches her phone to her chest. “I… oh.” She deflates, a balloon losing all its helium. “You’re right. I would not handle that well at all.”

“Even though it’s in the books you love? Even though you melt right along with me at book club?”

She grimaces. “I’m sorry, Leora. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

I accept her apology. “Now about that picture…”

She frowns. “Do we really have to gothatfar? These are precious family heirlooms!”

I lunge for herprecious family heirloom, and she squawks.

“My butt is not being passed down for centuries!” I declare, chasing her around the small studio. More tiles crack as she flees on her rolling stool.

“Careful!” she screech-laughs, dodging my grabbing hand. “You’ll get dye on your makeup!”

“This is not! How you! Repent!” I huff, accentuating each word with a swipe of my arm.

Almond, it turns out, isverygood at evasion.

I don’t catch her until the little mushroom timer goes off, and she shoves her phone down the front of her shirt, where I dare not wander.

I glare at the ceiling the whole way through her rinsing my hair.

“Ifoneperson sees that photo,” I warn, “you’reover.”

She cackles, then she imbues my hair with her magic, and I forget to be mad at her.

Mostly, anyway.

We’ll revisit my feelings on the subject if a wedding ever becomes an actual possibility…

“Hush,” I whisper to my hopeful heart. “I saidif.”

She beats loudly regardless, the silly, errant thing.

Chapter Thirteen

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Casual meeting between friends night!