Luck Be a Lady - Cathie Linz [72]
“The author had three names. Or two first names. Something like that. And the book title had a city name and two words.”
Megan went online and pulled up Amazon’s website. “Was it Savannah Blues?”
“That’s it! Do you have it?”
Megan changed screens to her branch’s collection. “We do and it’s on the shelf. You might want to check out Savannah Breezeand BlueChristmasas well. They include the same characters.”
No sooner had that patron left than she was replaced with another one. “There’s this book . . . I don’t remember the author but the title had sugar in it. It’s fiction.”
This time Megan took a wild guess. Sometimes that worked. “TheSugar Queenby Sarah Addison Allen?”
“That’s it!”
Again Megan checked the database and found the book for the patron. “You rock!” Aisha said as she walked by, pausing to give Megan a high-five.
Megan had a few minutes left before she had to meet Emma for dinner so she spent the time checking the status of the various book displays. The one she’d done on Novel Writing Month needed replenishing. The Arab Heritage Month display also needed some additions; she took care of both before heading out.
Megan had chosen an Italian restaurant near the library to meet Emma for dinner. Faith was joining them too as well as Emma’s two sisters, Sue Ellen and Leena.
Once they were all seated and had placed their orders they started talking like old friends. Megan immediately related to Emma, who wore smart-girl glasses and a tailored black pantsuit with simple pearls.
“We decided to meet up here in Chicago for a girls’ weekend,” Emma said.
“We left the men behind to take care of our darling children,” Sue Ellen said. Unlike her sister Emma who seemed a quiet academic type, Sue Ellen appeared to be one of those people who gobbled life in large bites. She was wearing purple knit pants and top with a matching purple jacket. Emma’s other sister, Leena, was wearing a gorgeous outfit that suited her curvaceous body wonderfully.
“Yes, we left the kids back in Rock Creek, Pennsylvania. I’ve got a daughter, Annelise,” Leena said.
“And I’ve got a boy Donny Jr,” Sue Ellen said.
“They were born a few months apart.”
“My sister has to copy everything I do,” Sue Ellen said with a knowing grin at Leena.
Leena ignored her sister’s teasing comment and spoke to Megan instead. “I like your cloche. It’s an August Hats design, right? And that’s a great vintage sweater.”
“Leena is a former plus-size model,” Emma said. “Fashion is her thing. She’s now an advocate for improving womens’ and girls’ self-esteem. She has a wonderful website and is working on a book now about body image.”
“It can be challenging being a size sixteen in a size-zero world,” Leena said. “I’m all about changing people’s views on the real definition and diversity of beauty.”
“You’ll have to have Leena speak at your library when her book comes out,” Sue Ellen said.
“Let’s finish this book tour first,” Emma said with a laugh. “We head home tomorrow for the opening of my husband’s environmentally friendly sports resort next weekend.”
Megan knew from reading Emma’s bio that her husband was Jake Slayter, a former extreme sports athlete who’d nearly died in a climbing accident in the Andes Mountains.
“I read your book Taking Chances,” Megan said.
“I did too,” Faith said. “And I was just telling Megan the other day that the two of you have something in common. She’s seeing a Chicago cop.”
“He’s a police detective,” Megan said, almost as if that somehow made him less of a cop, which was ridiculous.
“Which is a risky job, as I’m sure you can imagine,” Faith said.
Megan had been imagining that entirely too much lately. Avoiding it didn’t seem to be helping.
“So I thought maybe you could give my cousin some pointers in dealing with falling for a guy who is a risk taker.”
“Sometimes it’s riskier for us, the women who love them,” Emma said. “They get the adrenaline rush from the risks. We don’t. We just get the adrenaline rush from being with them. Which, I have to admit, is a pretty powerful rush.”
“You can also get that same rush from being