CHAPTER 76
“Well, congratulations!” Ash held up her glass and I clinked mine against it.
“Thank you,” I said. “I seriously couldn’t have done it without you guys.” I looked at them all.
“It’s so cool that we know a famous writer,” Emelia said.
“Ah . . . thanks,” I replied coyly.
“What’s everyone congratulating about?” Techno Tannie asked, as she came to our table with our second round of drinks.
“Becca is an author. She just finished her book!”
“Really?” she said, and then suddenly and unexpectedly sat down at our table. “What’s your book about?” she asked.
“Yeah, what’s it about?” Ash asked. “You’ve been very secretive about it.”
I blushed, felt my cheeks go hot, and I looked down. “I can’t tell you. Not now, anyway.”
“Why?” Emelia asked.
I looked over at Mike and then quickly looked away. “Not until Mike’s read it first.”
“Apparently, Ineedto read it,” he said.
“Aaaah, I see,” Techno Tannie said.
“What do you see?” Mike asked.
“Well, clearly you’re in it, or she wouldn’t make you read it.”
“Am I?” Mike turned in his chair and looked at me.
“Well, actually, you’re kind of all in it—names changed, of course.”
“Who?” Emelia asked. “Are we in it?” She indicated herself and Ash.
I nodded.
“Wait . . . You mean you wrote about us?” Ash asked.
I looked at everyone. “No, I wrote aboutme.It’s my story, but you’re all a part of that, even you . . .” I turned and looked at Techno Tannie.
“Me? Really?” She perked up.
“Seriously, now you have to tell us what this book is about,” Emelia said.
“It’s about me and this insane journey that I made, here, into your crazy little town, with all the cats and dinosaur porn and crazy eco people.”
“Hear, hear!” Techno Tannie said, holding up a glass that she’d taken from Emelia. “I’ll drink to that. Those people are nuts.”
“Mmmhmmm,” I said. “You have no idea. Did you know that the floors of the houses there are made of cow dung?”
“WHAT?” Ash almost spat her drink out.
“I can believe that,” Techno Tannie said.
“So, wait, let’s just reverse here . . .” Mike said. “We are all in the story?” he asked.
