Jane saw a steaming mug of cappuccino on the table. She broke into a smile. She could do with a coffee and a way to take her mind off Beth. A chat with Mia sounded like a good means to that end. After last week’s book signing, Jane had come to appreciate Mia even more.

Jane walked over and sat, making sure she faced the till in case someone came in and wanted to buy a book. Earlier that week, Annie had changed the window display and put some Caitlin James books there, as well as a poster announcing that her upcoming book, co-written with Josephine Greenwood, could be pre-ordered inside. If the past hour was any indication, Caitlin and Josephine’s book should be a big hit. Jane couldn’t wait to get her hands on it either.

She and Mia made small talk for a bit. For some reason, maybe because of her growing appreciation for Mia, chatting about this and that didn’t trigger Jane’s visceral dislike of small talk. Perhaps it was Mia’s easy way that compensated for Jane’s more stilted conversation.

“You keep looking at the door,” Mia said, after a while. “Are you expecting anyone in particular this afternoon?”

“No. More like hoping a particular person won’t turn up again.”

Mia arched up her eyebrows. “Anyone I know?”

“No.” Jane looked into Mia’s eyes. They were so inviting and Jane had let her guard down around Mia already. More than anything, she wanted to say the words out loud to someone else—and it couldn’t be Annie, because that would mean racking up the past. Journaling was all well and good, but it could never be a substitute for a live conversation. Apart from Annie, Mia was probably the easiest person to talk to in Jane’s life at the moment. Plus, she was there. She was sitting right across from her.

“Someone from my past turned up at the book signing. It has shaken me a little.”

“Ah,” Mia said. “An ex?”

“Not really. I mean, sort of.” Jane drank from her coffee. If she was going to talk about Beth, she was going to talk about her properly. “We were friends. We met when she interviewed me about ten years ago. I was still traditionally published then. We just hit it off, became friends… very good friends. She beta-read all my books. I even discussed plots with her and we came up with ideas together. I just loved being around her. She made me laugh and, even more amazingly, she made me relax. You may have noticed, but I have a hard time relaxing.” Jane threw in a small smile.

Mia just nodded. She was a great listener.