Free Lily of the Valley in May by Clare Revell Page A

Hope left. You’d have liked her.” She leaned against him, as his arms folded around her and took the photo. “It’s her birthday soon. Wish I could send her a card or something. Grace and I normally go to the park and feed the ducks in her honor.”
    He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked down at the woman in his arms. She was so different from his wife. She’d never shown anything but contempt for him and never once had she cried and let him comfort her, let alone been content just to sit with him. Why couldn’t I have met Faith first? Life would have been so much easier .
    DC Blondell glanced over at them, then back down at his paper.
    Joel shivered. Something about the cop set his nerves jangling. Maybe it was just his writer’s instinct, always searching for a new villain for the next book.
    But something about the way the bloke looked at Faith set the alarm bells ringing in his head. He’d have to watch him.
    ~*~
    By nine forty-five, the pile of pristine books sat on one end of the table and place cards for Joel and Faith marked their seats. Joel took a deep nervous breath. It didn’t matter how many of these he did, he always got nervous. Part of him was afraid no one would show up. The other part was afraid he wouldn’t live up to the image and expectation people had of him.
    DC Blondell stood to one side, arms folded, looking every inch the security man.
    Faith looked at Joel. “Is that it?”
    Joel put a pen down next to his place card. “That’s it. Now we just sit here and hope people turn up.”
    “Are you just signing the Angus books?”
    He laughed. “No, I’ll sign any of mine they want to buy.”
    “Cool.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “That goes for you, too.”
    Faith shook her head and laughed at him. “I’m waiting for the next one. I have all your books already, so I don’t need to buy any more. I actually brought my favorite one with me in the hopes you’d sign it at some point. It’s a first edition of the first one you ever wrote.”
    Joel looked at her. Even though Grace had told him that, he didn’t really believe it. “Really? You’re not winding me up here?”
    “Of course not,” she whispered. “I’d like you to sign it, if that’s OK.”
    “I’d love to sign it.” He smiled genuinely touched that she’d asked him. He tilted his head, teasing her. “You’ll need to get to the back of the queue.”
    She laughed. “There isn’t a queue.”
    “You have a nice laugh. You should laugh more often. And if you want to make a queue, be my guest.” He leaned back in his chair and picked up his pen.
    “Sure.” Faith bent down and pulled the book from her bag. She walked around to the other side of the table. Standing there, she shuffled her feet, looking as tongue tied as when they first met. “Would you sign my book please, Mr. Darrow?”
    He grinned at her. “Sure.”
    Faith winked at him. “It’s my favorite and you’re such a wonderful author. And way prettier than your picture, which my dog wants to slobber all over and chew to shreds because I pay you way more attention than I do him. He’s also miffed that you asked me out and not him. And given the fact that you took me away and made him stay at home…well, he may never speak to either of us again.”
    Joel choked with laughter as he took the book. “Remind me to have words with Patches when we get home.” He glanced down. “Wow. This is really your favorite?”
    “Yes. Being serious for a moment, I like the way the story twists and turns and goes the opposite way from what I expected.”
    Joel bit the end of the pen. What should he put? In the end he settled for a simple dedication and handed the book back. To Faith, someone I am proud to call a friend. And the best illustrator I know. Paul Darrow.
    Faith stood there and read what he had written “Thank you.” She closed the book. “Do you mean that?”
    “I never say anything I don’t mean.”
    She looked at him for a long moment then