Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery Page A

league.”
    Liz couldn’t tell if Pia was helping her or not.
    Montana glanced at her watch and groaned. “Well, you can convince her because I have to be at the library in five minutes.” She grinned at Liz. “Welcome back. I love your books. We should get together and talk.”
    And then Montana was hurrying away, leaving Liz alone with Pia.
    Pia smiled. “Montana is the most enthusiastic person I know, and that’s saying something. While we’d love to have you sign at the festival, you were looking a little trapped. How about if I schedule time to give you my best pitch but I promise not to be offended if you refuse? Not that I won’t call your publicist and beg.”
    Liz didn’t understand. Pia was being…nice. Pia was never nice. “I don’t know if I’ll still be in town,” Liz said slowly. “I’m not sure how long I’m staying.”
    â€œYou could come back for the signing. Make a weekend of it.” She laughed. “No pressure, I swear. So how are you? I haven’t seen you in forever. It’s been what? Eleven or twelve years since you were last here?”
    â€œSomething like that. You’re still in the neighborhood?” Liz did her best to make sure the question sounded as if she were interested rather than judging.
    â€œThey can’t get rid of me, although they keep trying.” Pia grinned. “Actually, except for college, Inever left. Like Montana, I’m a small-town girl. Unlike her, I’ve found what I want to do.”
    â€œI heard you plan all the festivals.”
    â€œI’m Fool’s Gold’s party girl, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.”
    It wasn’t anything Liz could have imagined the other woman doing. Pia had seemed more like someone who would marry well and join the ladies-who-lunch crowd.
    â€œYou look great,” Pia told her. “I’ve seen your pictures on the books, but they’re different. More, what? Formal?”
    â€œStern,” Liz admitted. “What I write requires me to look serious in my pictures.”
    â€œYou probably wouldn’t sell as many books if you appeared in taffeta and a pink boa.”
    â€œExactly.” Liz found herself relaxing a little. A lot of time had passed. Maybe they’d both changed and grown up. “Are you married?”
    â€œNo. I’ve never been very good at taking care of things. Although I’m looking after a cat for a friend and that seems to be going well.” Pia frowned. “At least I think it is. He hasn’t tried to kill me in my sleep and just last week he let me pet him. Well, it was more an accidental brush of my hand against his back, but we’re making progress. You?”
    â€œI don’t have a cat.” Liz smiled. “Never married, either.”
    â€œReally? But you’ve always been so beautiful. Back in high school, the guys practically killed themselvestrying to get you to notice them. You left the rest of us semi-normal girls feeling like trolls. It was very depressing.”
    Liz felt her smile fade as she stared at the other woman. “Is that what you thought? The guys wanted my attention?”
    â€œSure.”
    Liz thought about the horrible comments, the gross come-ons, the snickers. How someone had spray-painted whore on her locker and one of the football players had claimed to have naked pictures of her that were for sale. The drunk carload of guys who had pulled up next to her while she’d been walking home from work late one Saturday night and had said between them they had twenty bucks. That should be enough for all of them to do her.
    Pia laughed again. “You probably have to have extra security at your book signings to keep the love-crazed fans away. I think I would have liked being famous. Oh, well. In my next life.”
    It was as if they were having completely different conversations, Liz thought, confused by