1. One #2
It didn’t help matters that my mother and Aggie wouldn’t talk about it after the fact.
As far as I knew, they’d never been in the same room together again.
Their agents even sat down once a year to dole out all the conventions so they would never run the risk of crossing paths in front of an audience, even if for only a moment.
Therefore, if my mother was going to San Diego one year, that meant Aggie was going to Atlanta. They switched off. No muss, no fuss. My mother wouldn’t even mention Aggie’s name. It was all so weird when they’d been as close as sisters at one time.
“I wouldn’t know anything about that.” I held out my hands and shrugged. “I wasn’t there when it happened.”
“You weren’t traveling with your mother then?” Brody asked.
“No. I was in college.” I grimaced when thinking about that time of my life.
It seemed that everything that had gone wrong back then — and it had been more than just the convention incident — all happened in a short window that year.
When the dust settled, Mom refused to talk about it, and I let her off the hook because …
well, just because. I’d never been good at confronting my mother when the stakes were high, and she used that to her advantage.
Eventually, it was too late to bring it up.
“People would pay huge bucks for that story,” Bree offered, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I would offer good money for that story.”
“You’re just a busybody,” Brody shot back, shaking his head. “He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. Leave him alone.”
Bree muttered something I couldn’t quite make out under her breath.
Then she offered me a winning smile. “I apologize. I’ve told Brody to be open and honest with me when I go too far.
Apparently, that’s me today.” She shrugged.
“I can’t help being curious, though. Nobody knows what happened between your mother and Agnes Quincy. People are desperate.”
“I know they are.” I managed a rueful smile, although it took effort. “I have some bad news for you, though. I don’t know why they got into the fight.” It was better to get this out of the way now, I figured. That way, she wouldn’t bring it up again.
As expected, Bree’s eyebrows moved toward one another in an expression of confusion. “What do you mean that you don’t know?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, opting for honesty. “I mean, I heard something about what might have caused it, but I never got confirmation, and my mother refuses to talk about it.”
“But … that’s so lame,” Bree complained. “Are you seriously telling me that you don’t know if they were secretly in a throuple that went sideways?”
Now it was my turn to be surprised. “Is that the rumor?”
“One of them,” she replied. “There are a million rumors, though. One of them suggests that your mother was Team Kirk and Aggie was Team Picard, and it was the source of turmoil for years, and it finally bubbled over.”
I didn’t realize my mouth was open until I tried to speak. “Um … I can guarantee that’s not it,” I said finally.
Brody sent Bree a triumphant look. “Told you.”
She scalded him with a glare. “I never said that was the real reason.”
“You said it would be cool.”
“Whatever.” Bree waved a dismissive hand at him, although she did blow him a kiss a second later. When she focused on me, I knew she wasn’t done with the interrogation. “You must have an inkling.”
That was the problem. I did have an inkling.
It wasn’t something I wanted to talk about, though.
“I honestly don’t know,” I replied. “It’s sad because I really liked Aggie.
We used to go on family vacations together twice a year back when they were friends.
I didn’t even really get a chance to say goodbye to her. ”
Brody clucked his tongue sympathetically. “Was she like an aunt to you?”
“Exactly.” I bobbed my head. “I’m glad she’s still writing and doing well. I don’t read any of her books because my mother would melt down if she ever found one in my possession, but I honestly don’t hold any ill will toward her.”
“Does your mother?”
“Oh, most definitely.” I shrugged. “I can’t help you, Bree. I don’t know what the fight was about.”
Instead of dissuading her, that only seemed to rev her up. “Man, that’s how you know it was a good fight. Now I want to know even more than before.”
“Well, I can’t help you.”
“Can you hook me up with your mother?” she asked. “I’ll go directly to the source.”
“I’m pretty sure she won’t tell you.”
“I can be very charming,” she wheedled.
Laughter bubbled up, and I shook my head. “I can’t help you. I’m sorry.”
Clearly desperate to redirect the conversation, Brody took control. “Just out of curiosity, how did you end up moving here? We’re glad to have you,” he added quickly. “Our author community is strong and getting stronger every year. Your mother lives in New York, last time I checked.”
“And Agnes lives in Los Angeles,” Bree mused, refusing to let it go. “It’s as if they each claimed a coast.”
Brody shot her an exasperated look that still managed to be full of love and devotion. “Bree, let it go.”
Bree grumbled something else, but I could tell from the look on her face that she wasn’t going to do as he asked.
“I don’t know how I ended up here,” I admitted. “I guess I was just looking for a change of pace. I saw a video on you guys — well, you guys, Nathan Cooper, and Bella Oakley — and you looked like you were having a great time.”
What I didn’t say was that my life had been devoid of a great time for years at this point. I needed a change of pace, and the more research I did on Savannah, the better it sounded.
“Well, we’re glad to have you here.” When Brody smiled, it lit up his entire face.
“Don’t be nervous about the reader event tonight.
We’re going to have dinner as a group before it starts — apparently, there are a few other new authors in the area that we’re going to be introduced to — and it will be a relaxing setting. I promise.”
“I’m glad, but I normally don’t get nervous at events,” I assured him.
“Because you grew up with them,” Bree guessed. “A lot of authors are introverts. Even if you were, your mother made it so you couldn’t be that way when you were a kid. You’re uniquely prepared for these things.”
“I guess that’s fair.” I shrugged. “I’m looking forward to it.” What I wasn’t looking forward to was the next conversation we had to have. “So, about the naked statue,” I started.
“Her name is Gertrude, and you can’t get rid of her,” Bree hissed. “She likes it here. She’ll be sad if you try to remove her from the gazebo. That’s her home.”
“I hate her,” I admitted.
“I told you,” Bree growled at her husband. “I told you that Gertrude wouldn’t be safe. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Brody looked resigned as his eyes moved to me. “She’s never going to let this go. I hope you’re happy.”
I wasn’t unhappy. I wasn’t happy either. I didn’t know what it would take to get me there, but I was open to suggestions. “Gertrude freaks me out, man. I can’t help it.”
“She freaked me out, too, but I learned to live with her.”
“Well, I’m not you. I can’t learn to live with her. She’s just … way too much.”
Bree reacted as if I’d said she was too much and started ranting. For some reason, I found it funny.
I was going to like Savannah. I could already tell. Nothing was going to ruin this for me.
Absolutely nothing.