Page 95 of Too Good to Be True

“Drum roll, please,” Jenna said.

Cheryl and Debbie attempted to make the sound of beating drums and failed miserably.

Then Kelsey reached into the tote bag tucked by her side and, with a flourish, pulled out her selection.

The cover depicted a buff, shirtless man with hardly any of his face showing. He was wearing jeans with the top button undone, and a woman’s hands were wrapped around from behind, her fingertips barely tucked into the waistband.

“Wowza,” Jenna said and gave a long whistle.

The other women showed their appreciation in subtler ways, but all eyes were glued to the cover.

“What’s it about?” Cheryl asked. “Besides the obvious.”

Kelsey’s hand was partially blocking the title, but Stacy saw the words “off limits.”

“It’s about a woman who falls for her brother’s best friend,” Kelsey said, avoiding eye contact with Stacy.

Other than her and Paige, nobody else knew about Kelsey’s obsession with Hudson, and neither would divulge her secret.

“Been there, done that,” said Paige, taking them all by surprise.

Karen twisted around to gape at her daughter, whose face was starting to turn pink. “One of Chad’s friends? Which one?”

Paige waved her off. “We’ll talk later. Go ahead, Kelsey.”

“It’s a familiar theme, but with a twist. The hero is hiding a big secret.”

“Sounds intriguing,” Debbie said.

“I read the first chapter, and I’m already hooked,” Kelsey said.

“The cover alone hooked me,” Jenna said, wiggling her neatly manicured brows.

“I assume it’s available in eBook too,” Stacy said, resuming her role as moderator.

“Yep, although I still prefer to hold a book in my hands,” Kelsey replied.

Her comment sparked a familiar debate about which format was best: hardcover, paperback, or eBook. The group was divided, but they agreed on one point—reading was one of the greatest pleasures in life no matter which method you preferred.

Soon the meeting broke up, but as usual, Kelsey and Jenna stayed behind for an after-meeting chat.

“How’s it going with your hot student?” Jenna asked as she topped off her wine glass.

“He’s not my student anymore,” Stacy said.

“Maybe not at work…” Jenna teased.

Kelsey laughed. “You two!”

“It’s going really good between us, but I can’t shake the feeling that our coworkers know.”

“Maybe they suspect something, but the only ones who truly know are me and Paige,” Kelsey insisted.

“It doesn’t matter. Be like Jason,” Jenna said.

“I wish it was that easy,” said Stacy.

“It can be. What’s the worst thing that can happen if someone finds out?”