I got him by the middle just as he tried to jump up the stairs. He squirmed in my arms, all happy weight and flailing limbs, his tongue going for my ear. The cape brushed against my chin.
I frowned at the dog.
“You don’t belong here,” I muttered. “You know that, don’t you?” His tongue lapped at my nose. I sighed—loudly, for the record—but didn’t let go right away. I tipped my chin, discretely summoning a wild-eyed intern, and handed him the dog. “How did he get in here?” I asked.
“Huh, I think,” he hesitated, withering under my stare. “I think it was someone from marketing who thought it was a good idea to?—”
“Well, it’s not a good idea,” I said. “Do not let him back out here. I don’t care if he starts giving interviews.”
He nodded, clutching Ash like he was a sacred relic. The dog gave a happy huff and nestled into the intern’s arms like he’d won. I wiped the dog snot off my cheek and slipped back into the shadows just in time to hear the tail end of the cheers.
“Okay, I’m going to open the floor up for questions,” Paula said. There was an immediate scurry as people rushed toward the aisles to get in line for the mic.
“But while you all get lined up, I’ll go ahead and ask the question I know is on everyone’s minds. So tell us, Leo. Will Cade be posing for a firefighter calendar this season?”
The room erupted again. I dropped into my seat like nothing had happened.
Carl leaned over. “Handled that with grace.”
“Don’t.” I looked at the stage, praying nothing else would go wrong.
Leo laughed, throwing the question Mia’s way. “I think that’s a great question for our head writer.”
Mia raised her mic. “I don’t know,” she teased. “I’m not sure that’s something the fans really want to see.”
“Yes we do!” the TARDIS with legs cried.
“Sorry, what was that?” Mia said. “I’m gonna need the room to make some real noise if that’s something you want.”
The entire hall erupted. It was clear the audience was pumped.
“We could totally do that as a charity thing,” Carl said, leaning close enough for me to hear over the voices. “Shoot the cast photos and put the calendar out alongside the season opener.”
I nodded. “Get me a meeting with marketing scheduled.”
“On it,” he said, adding it to the never-ending list on his phone.
My eyes drifted back to Mia where they stayed for the rest of the session as the cast answered question after question. Finally, our time ran out, and the group filed offstage to an enthusiastic round of applause.
To my surprise, instead of heading backstage, Mia snuck down the stairs and slipped out the door of the hall with the rest of the crowd.
“I’ll meet you back at the office,” I told Carl.
He nodded, walking away with his nose glued to his phone.
I exited the hall in a swarm of people, looking left and right, spotting Mia as she turned a corner. I surged after her, wondering where she was going. Maybe she didn’t even know where she was going. That Gretel nickname was particularly apt as she twisted and turned through the building.
By the time I caught up with her, I’d crossed half the convention center, ending up in Artist Alley. The space was filled with booths where creators sold merch and art prints. Along the wall were several tables set up for meet-and-greet opportunities for comic book artists and writers and…
Mia?
A banner forHeart and Hustlehung on the wall behind the table where I saw her take a seat.
I walked over, snatching a visitor’s guide from a stall, flipping through the pages. There she was in bold print!Mia Collins: Creator of the viral webcomic,Heart and Hustle. Appearing at 2:00 p.m.I hadn’t realized she’d agreed to do a signing. Jake hadn’t mentioned anything the last time I saw him. Maybe she hadn’t even told him.
She hadn’t said anything about this. Jake hadn’t mentioned it either. Did anyone know?
I wandered closer, impressed with the amount of people she had in her line. Nothing likeEnd in Firebut impressive all the same. This close, I could see that some of them were wearing homemade merch with graphics of her characters. T-shirts, enamel pins, tote bags.