Page 13 of Elevator Pitch

I turn toward her, watching their interaction. “Clifford.”

She looks to me and quips, “Because he’s a big, red dog?”

“Exactly,” I say with a smile.

She adds, “Well, I have a Dalmatian named Marshall. So, I ain’t judging.”

That makes me laugh.

“It’s nice to meet another dog owner who doesn’t take naming them too seriously.”

The elevator dings, and a few of my neighbors get off, greeting me and Cliff as they pass through the lobby. Unfortunately, none of them are Selah.

It would’ve been nice to run into her again.

She gets on first, and we follow, standing opposite her. I press my floor and quickly check my phone. The doors close, and we ascend. She’s looking through her bag again and takes out a book, placing it under her arm as she continues sifting through it. She retrieves her phone and fires a text before slipping it into her pocket. I get a quick peek at the book before she drops it back in her bag. It’s the same one Selah was reading and that I just finished.

“You read Lilith Keene?” I ask her.

She wrinkles her face in confusion and asks, “youread Lilith Keene?”

“Well, I just read that book you got there. I saw my neighbor reading it and thought I’d check it out. Finished the other day.”

She gives me an inquisitive look. “And what were your thoughts?”

I put my hands in my pockets, leaning against the wall as I answer. “It was a lot funnier than I’d expected a romance novel to be. I expected banter and angst, so I was happy it had plenty. The characters were lovable, and it was well-written. This book made me more interested in the romance genre, and I’m excited to read more from this author in the future.”

“And what about the spice?”

“I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was hoping I’d run into my neighbor again so I could talk to her about it, but we seem to keep missing each other.”

“Hmm. This neighbor of yours, does she have long, curly hair? Not much of a talker? Always has an e-reader in her hand?”

I tap my chin. “You forgot captivating, but yeah, that’s her.”

She gasps dramatically. “How could I forget to mention she’s a fucking baddie? I should’ve led with that.”

“I would’ve caught on sooner if you had.”

She chuckles. “I’m about to see her at book club. Anything I should pass along?”

“If you could let her know that I read the book and I’d like another recommendation, that’d be cool.”

The elevator dings, and the doors open.

She says, “I can do that. And who should I say this message is from?”

“Grey,” I say, holding the doors open.

“It was nice meeting you. I’m Daya.”

“It was nice meeting you, too.”

“And it was nice meetingyou,” she says to Cliff with a quick head rub as she exits the car. She waves and proceeds down the hall.

The doors close, and I say to Cliff, “good boy. You’re getting another treat.”

He stares lovingly while I rub his ears.

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