Within These Walls
Page 40
“Mr. Graham?” A pretty girl in her early twenties stepped up to the table and gave both him and John a warm smile. “Oh my gosh, hi.” She blushed.
She had hair like Vivi.
Like Avis.
Blond. Soft waves cascading down her back.
“This is so exciting.” She exhaled a nervous laugh. “I’m sorry, I’m just . . .” She covered her mouth with her hand, chuckled into her palm. “I’ve never met a celebrity before. I feel so stupid.”
John rose from his seat, giving Lou room to do his work. Lou gave the girl before him a grin and extended his hand, one that she assumed was reaching for a copy of his book but that caught her hand in his instead. “And what’s your name?” he asked.
“Oh, um, Hilary,” she said, bouncing from one foot to the other. She radiated innocent youth, a purity that paired well with the soft creams and tans of her wardrobe. She pulled her oversized sweater closed, as if shielding herself from her own embarrassing awkwardness.
“Hilary,” he said. “I don’t know . . . you look more like a Harmony to me.”
She blushed at the sentiment, then shrugged off her momentary discomfort. “I think it’s nice that you dedicated the book to your daughter,” she said. “It’s sweet. Family is so important, and I’m so sorry about what happened to you. It’s nice, the idea of her still being around. In a way, I guess it means that we never really die—just move to a different plane of existence, right? God, I’m rambling . . .” She looked down, embarrassed, focusing on the glossy book cover for a moment, a finger tracing the L in Lucas’s name. “It’s comforting to know that our spirits can continue to be, that’s all.”
“It is,” he said, plucking another copy of the same small flyer from his table and scissoring it between his fingers. “Will you come talk to me about it tonight?”
Hilary looked down at the flyer and frowned. “Oh, tonight, I can’t tonight . . .”
“Tomorrow, then,” he said. “Let me buy you a coffee . . . for being so sweet.”
“Really?” Hilary’s eyes went wide with surprise. The invitation was the last thing she had expected, which had been the whole point. Lou gave her a small grin, amused by her disbelief.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “Meet me here at one o’clock?”
“O-okay.” Unsure, Hilary eventually nodded, as if convincing herself that having coffee with a bestselling author was a good idea, a wonderfully perfect idea. “Yes, okay,” she said, more confident now.
“Good.” Lucas leaned back in his seat and studied her pretty face. “Now . . .” He pulled her book toward him from across the table. “Let’s get this signed for you.” Opening her book to the title page, he scribbled an inscription in his sharp, printed hand.
To Harmony. See you soon.
Yours eternally, Lou.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Because this book is the longest I’ve written to date, I’ll keep my thank-yous short and sweet. My endless appreciation goes out to my incredible editor, Ed Schlesinger—without you, this novel would be a wretched, unreadable mess. To my awesome agent, David Hale Smith—where would I be without you . . . other than in a gutter filled with angsty writer’s tears? To my best friend and husband, Will—thanks for agreeing to move to the Pacific Northwest with me so that I can finally fulfill my dream of becoming a day-walking vampire. Who needs SPF when you’ve got rain? And, as always, to my incredible readers—you never cease to amaze me with your constant kindness, enthusiasm, and encouragement. I will continue to write as long as you continue to indulge my weird imagination.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photograph by Ania Ahlborn
ANIA AHLBORN is the bestselling author of the horror thrillers The Bird Eater, The Shuddering, The Neighbors, and Seed, which has been optioned for film. Born in Ciechanów, Poland, she lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and their dog. Visit www.aniaahlborn.com or follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/Ania-Ahlborn
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ALSO BY ANIA AHLBORN
The Bird Eater
The Shuddering
The Neighbors
Seed
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Gallery Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people,
or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events
or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Ania Ahlborn
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First Gallery Books trade paperback edition April 2015
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Interior design by Robert E. Ettlin
Cover design by Anna Dorfman
Cover photograph © Samantha Everton/Taxi/Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4767-8374-1
ISBN 978-1-4767-8379-6 (ebook)
CONTENTS
Epigraph
The Letter
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapte
r 59
The Book
Acknowledgments
About the Author