Bell, Book, and Scandal

was frankly astonished at the suite Jane and Shelley were staying in. Shelley had to explain, with enormous modesty, that her husband had invested in the hotel and that part of the deal was having the suite be available to his family or friends when it wasn’t otherwise booked.
    Jane was impatient but tried not to show it. She wanted desperately to return to the registration booth before all the editors and agents were booked up. As they’d waited for the elevator, quite a few attendees had already lined up.
    Felicity appeared to sense her tension and the reason for it. “Let me look at that. Oh, they’re all baby editors and agents.“
    “Babies?“
    “New ones with names like Tiffany and Bambi. But that’s okay,“ Felicity said, “if they’re babies in a good agency or publishing house. There are normally only a few heads of houses or agencies at small conferences like this.“ She pulled out her green-ink book-signing pen and checked three. Two agents and one editor.
    “These are with good companies. And they’re eager to come back to work with something to show for being sent here at their employers’ expense.“
    “I don’t see Sophie Smith on this list. Isn’t she a really important editor?“ Jane asked.
    “Yes, but she leaves things like this to her underlings. Downtrodden people like that poor Corwin she drags around with her and abuses in public. You don’t want to be with her anyway.“
    “What would you both like to drink?“ Shelley asked them.
    “I’ll have a soft drink, something brown. Coke or Royal Crown if you have any,“ Felicity said. “And Jane needs to run back downstairs and make her appointments before the slots all fill.“
    “Thanks,“ Jane said. “I think we’re twins separated at birth. RC is my favorite, too.“
    “Are you prepared for these interviews?“ Felicity asked.
    “I have the whole manuscript with me, but I didn’t think anybody would want to weigh down their luggage with it.“
    “Do you have the first couple of chapters and an outline with you?“
    “Yes, I do,“ Jane said.
    “Good for you, girl!“ Felicity lifted a fist as the woman in the restaurant had done. “You’ve done your homework. Now scat. Oh, let me write my room number down. Call me when you know who you sign up with.“
    Jane returned to the suite forty-five minutes later. Shelley was sitting in one of the chairs with her bare feet up on a coffee table, reading a book. “Did you find who you wanted?“
    “Amazingly, I did. Sometime between now andtomorrow morning I have to run home and make copies. Just on the faint hope that all three will want to see the chapters and outlines.“
    “There’s a copy shop in the mall just across the parking lot,“ Shelley told her. “Spring for their prices and don’t waste your time going home.“
    “Where did you find that book? It’s Felicity’s latest. I already had a copy you could have read.“
    “Jane, where is your head?“ Shelley exclaimed. “Authors come to these things to sell books. There’s a room just to the west side of the registration desk where there are four booksellers. I wouldn’t dream of borrowing your book and cutting down on what she earns on this. And besides, I want it autographed to me.“
    Jane slapped her head. “Do you have any more RCs? Somebody stepped on my foot in line and I need to put it up for a few minutes.“
    “Not the foot you broke?“
    “No, the other one,“ she said, taking off her shoe and rubbing her little toe as Shelley brought her a drink.
    Shelley said, “I’ve been thinking about that Zac person. Felicity said he’d written a couple of books. I’ll bet that’s why he was forcing one on Sophie Smith. Wanting to get back in the game.“
    “You could be right. He’d probably make a better living writing his own books than reviewing others. And if he continued to do both...“
    Now that she had Jane’s agreement to her theory, Shelley said, “Let’s pick out what to wear at the dessert bar tonight, then we can go have your copies done, and you can have part of the afternoon to mingle.“
    “I’m not a very good mingler,“ Jane admitted.
    “Everybody has these tags with their names on them. Just approach anyone standing alone and introduce yourself. Easy as pie.“
    “First, I must call Felicity while I’m still shoeless and tell her I lucked into the appointments I wanted.“ But Felicity wasn’t in her room and Jane left a message.
    “See, Jane? She’s out