Page 1 of Too Good to Be True

One

It was Stacy’s turn to host the book club meeting, and she’d just finished setting out the appetizers when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to her best friend, Kelsey, who greeted her with a big smile.

“Am I too late to help?”

“Yes, but that’s okay. Come on in.”

“I can’t wait to hear which book you chose,” Kelsey said as she followed Stacy into the kitchen.

“Well, you’ll have to. I’m not telling until everyone gets here.”

Kelsey loaded a plate with cheese, crackers, and grapes while Stacy poured her a glass of wine.

“Is your sister coming tonight?”

“No. She has a date,” Stacy said, unable to hide her envy.

“Speaking of dates…”

“My answer is still no.”

“Why not?”

“Do you realize how many crappy blind dates I’ve gone on recently?”

“There’ve been a few.”

“A few?”

The doorbell rang again, and Stacy left Kelsey to nosh on appetizers while she went to answer it. She opened the door to another friend and coworker, Paige, and Paige’s mom, Karen. While she was greeting them, her neighbors, Debbie and Cheryl, came up the walkway.

Everyone congregated in the kitchen, where they filled their plates with snacks as Stacy poured them drinks. The women chatted easily about everything but books—their jobs, significant others, and even the weather, which had been uncommonly warm for March.

The book club had been Kelsey’s idea, and this was their second year doing it. It had started out with four of them: Stacy, Kelsey, Paige, and Stacy’s sister, Jenna. Recently Karen, Debbie, and Cheryl had joined, making the meetings even livelier.

The rules were simple:

They’d take turns hosting, and the hostess would provide snacks and drinks.

They’d take turns choosing a book from any subcategory within the romance genre.

They’d spend at least thirty minutes discussing the book.

Any personal information they shared at meetings stayed within the book club.

They’d named their group the Kiss & Tell Book Club, which was a nod to romance novels and the secrets they shared.

Once the appetizers had dwindled and Stacy had poured refills for whoever wanted one, she herded everyone into the living room.

“I can’t wait to find out what our next book is,” Paige said.

“Don’t look at me. She wouldn’t say a word,” said Kelsey.

After they’d all sat down, Stacy initiated the discussion about the romantic suspense novel they’d just finished reading. As usual, it was a lively exchange, with everyone weighing in.

“Personally, I would have liked a little more romance and a little less suspense,” Debbie said.

“Me too,” said Karen. “There’s enough drama in real life. I like to escape.”