Free Divorced, Desperate and Dead (Divorced and Desperate Book 5) by Christie Craig Page B

sighed. “It’s okay.” She just didn’t want Sheri to turn this into a promo event. It didn’t seem right.
    “You made the paper today,” Amber said.
    “Oh, crap,” Chloe sighed.
    “No, it was a good article. They even used the picture of you standing in front of the bakery.”
    Sheri marched into the room with a big publicist smile on her face. “This is so freaking great.”
    Chloe frowned. “I told you not to make this into a promo opportunity.”
    “I didn’t. They did.”
    “Why do I find that hard to believe? Who sent the newspaper the picture?”
    “You’re forgetting, they took that picture and had it in their files when they did that story almost two years ago. I didn’t contact anyone. It’s probably hard to believe because you don’t trust anyone anymore.” Her friend actually sounded hurt.
    For some reason, Chloe remembered saying something similar to Cary Stevens. Her Cary Stevens, not the real one. “Sorry. I just feel crazy,” she said to Sheri.
    “Look,” Sheri said, “the little girl you saved has an older sister, too, and when she found out who you were—Chloe Sanders, author of My Best Friend —she totally freaked and wanted to meet you. So they are on their way and the film crew wants to film you serving them cupcakes and signing a book to her and her sister. I know you don’t want the publicity, but honestly, I couldn’t pay for this kind of PR. You have to do this.”
    Chloe closed her eyes and leaned against the counter. “Me saving that girl has nothing to do with me being a writer or the owner of the bakery.”
    “No, but has everything to do with you being Chloe Sanders, and Chloe Sanders is a writer and cupcake connoisseur. Why have you suddenly become afraid of PR? I swear you won’t even let me buy an ad.”
    “I’m not afraid of it.” But the words left a dishonest taste in her mouth. She was kind of afraid. Seeing her name time and time again, and reading about Jerry’s suicide in the papers had been traumatic. Then his death had spurred a week of articles about the signs of depression. It was as if she could read the doubt in the reporter’s mind. Why hadn’t Jerry’s fiancé known he was about to kill himself? How could she have been about to marry a man and not realize he was suffering from severe depression?
    “Then what’s the problem?” Sheri asked.
    I died yesterday and haven’t recovered from my visit to Room Six. “Nothing you can fix,” she said. “Oh, hell, I’ll do it.”
    “Great.” Sheri did a little leap of joy and then stepped back and gave Chloe a long onceover. “Not looking like that, you aren’t. You’re not even wearing makeup. But hey, that’s okay. I brought my purse. Let’s go to the office and get you presentable.”
    “I can’t look that bad,” Chloe snapped as Sheri dragged her into the office. “I got hit on by your cop friend.”
    “What? You met Dan?”
    “Yes,” Chloe said, and when she recalled again all the strange coincidences happening lately, an uncomfortable feeling swelled inside her.
    “Where?” Sheri asked.
    “He came to my apartment this morning,” Chloe said.
    “What? I didn’t give him your address, just your number.”
    “No, he didn’t come because of . . . me. But about the accident.” Chloe debated confiding in Sheri about the dreams, but she didn’t have time to have a meltdown before being filmed.
    “Oh.” Then Sheri did another little joyful jump. “Isn’t he dream-worthy?” she asked.
    Chloe frowned, still trying to fight how insane it all sounded. “He’s okay.”
    “Okay? Please. He’s yummy. Like movie-star good.”
    Chloe studied her friend and heard the soft tone in her voice. “You like him.”
    “Of course I do. Why else would I try to fix you up with him?”
    “No, I mean you like him , like him. Like as in ‘want his body’ like him.”
    “No, I . . . I’m engaged to Kevin.”
    “But you still like Dan,” Chloe accused. Lately, Chloe got the