Page 5 of New Day at the Beach House

“You’re smart and beautiful and you deserve the kind of job that makes you happy. If they don’t hire you, they’re idiots.”

Kat laughed. “I’ll let them know.”

“You do that. Text me if you find out anything, all right?”

“I will, but I don’t know if they’ll tell me right away or not.”

“Good enough. I’ll see you later this evening then.”

“Have fun at Conrad’s.”

“Thank you. Should I leave the door open so you can hear Toby?”

“Yes.”

Margo did that, then went to the elevator and took it to the ground floor. She still had a few minutes before Conrad arrived, but there were plenty of places to sit while she waited. She found a spot on the big outdoor couch and settled in.

She thought about the book and what they’d be writing today. She hoped they were able to get back into the same sort of rhythm they’d had yesterday. The words hadn’t exactly been easy, but they’d flowed well enough.

She supposed it wouldn’t always be that way. Writing a book was incredibly hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it. She’d heard a statistic that something like only two percent of the people who ever tried to write a book actually finished it.

She certainly hoped she and Conrad were in that two percent. It would really be something to have her name on a book. Even if it was a pen name. Which was something they still needed to discuss.

Writing a book, actually finishing it, would make her feel like she’d done something important with her life. Not that her daughters weren’t important. They were. But this would be important in a different way. In a way that was much more personal.

Certainly she wasn’t looking for fame and fortune. She wasn’t so deluded as to think one book was going to turn her into an overnight success. Not hardly. But to be able to say she was an author…

She smiled. It had such a nice ring to it. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome author Margo Bloom. She laughed at her own imagination. No one was going to be introducing her to a crowd anytime soon. Maybe never.

But it was fun to daydream. When was the last time she’d done that? She wasn’t sure, that’s how long it had been.

The sound of a car approaching got her on her feet. Conrad was here, his vehicle pulling down the drive. She started walking toward his car.

He parked and got out, greeting her with a big smile. “Good morning. How did everything go?”

She nodded. “Well enough. My granddaughter got half of the house and my daughter is getting enough insurance money to take care of things. How are you?”

“I’m good. And ready to work.” He went around to open her door.

She smiled as she got in. “So am I. Looking forward to it, too.”

“Good.” He closed her door, then went back to his side and sat behind the wheel. He pulled out of the driveway. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” She adjusted her seatbelt. “What is it?”

“I talked to Lynette Steadman. She owns Seaside Books in town, and she said she’d be happy to host a book signing for us when we get to that point.”

Margo blinked, at a loss for words. She quickly found some, though. “You told someone we were writing a book? What if we don’t finish it? And a book signing already? That’s assuming a lot. Mostly that we’re not only going to finish but that the book is actually going to get published. Conrad, that is the very definition of putting the cart before the horse.”

He looked lost. “I thought you’d be happy about it.”

“Happy?” She shook her head. “I…I don’t know what I am, but it’s not happy.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it to upset you.”

She took a few breaths, surprised by her own reaction. “I know you didn’t. And I didn’t mean to respond so strongly. I’m sorry. It just feels like…I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Pressure,” he said. “It makes you feel under pressure, doesn’t it.”

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