“Oh. No. I just got kind of giddy over the book. You know how much I like them.”

We came to a red light, and he glanced down at the cover. “Advanced copy? We could make a lot of money on eBay.”

“Dante!”

“Just a joke, succubus. Well, kind of. If you ever wanted to work your wiles on him and get more books, you could start a little side business.”

“I don’t need any extra cash. And my wiles are no good. Things are done. He and Maddie are happy.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. You don’t think he still wants you? You don’t think he’d sleep with you if he could?”

“Why do you assume the worst about everyone?”

“Because it’s always true. I’m trying to break you of seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.” He paused while we merged onto the freeway and headed back toward the city. “And he can want you all he wants. I don’t care, as long as you don’t want him back.”

“There you go again, acting jealous.” I tried to keep my voice teasing in order to deflect how close he’d hit to home. “I thought you didn’t care who else I slept with.”

“I don’t. Just so long as you don’t like them better than me.”

I laughed and left that as my response, indicating how foolish a notion I thought it was. And yet, as we rode back in silence, I found myself hugging the book closer and closer.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dante promptly passed out after sex later that night, but I stayed awake for a while. Rolling over at last, I turned my back to him and stared at my bedside table. I’d set Seth’s book there, and now its spine stared out at me, like we were having a showdown to see who would look away first. Seth had given it to me as a gift, possibly a peace offering, yet I was afraid of it, afraid of how I might feel if I opened it.

After ten minutes of staring, I finally reached for the book and scooted closer to the bed’s edge so that I could get more light from my tiny reading lamp. Curling onto my side, I took a deep breath and opened up All Fools Night.

First came the title page, then the dedication: For my niece Brandy, who dreams of great things and will achieve greater ones still. It was embarrassing, but I had almost for a moment speculated whether he might have dedicated the book to me. He’d finished it right around the time we first started dating, but he’d been editing and making small changes right up until the time we broke up. It was vanity, I supposed, to think there might be some sign of my time with Seth in the book.