The Last Word (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

.”
    “Imagine if he’d had twins!” Laurel chuckled. “Anyway, that’s how The Wife came about. She literally forced every other character out of my mind and started whispering her story to me. I literally cannot stop writing. It’s like being high on drugs.”
    Rawlings arched a brow. “Oh? Is that something you’ve personally experienced?”
    “No!” Laurel cried in horror and then realized the chief was joking. “I know I just dropped this on all of you with no warning, but I wanted this chapter to be read without any preconceptions. So I’m ready now. Fire away!”
    Millay volunteered to go first. “I totally thought this woman was going to be some whiny Stepford wife, and I guess, on the surface, she is. She’s got the tan and the toned bod and the French manicure, but I felt sorry for her when I read about all the things she did to make herself more attractive to her husband. I was, to my own surprise, rooting for her.”
    “You did an incredible job describing the scene where she gets Botox.” Harris gave a little shiver. “I hate needles. And the way she just sits there—thinking about how good she’ll look without those lines on her forehead and around her mouth while the doc sticks her again and again—I kind of wanted to shake her and tell her she didn’t have to go through that.”
    The group of writers began to argue vociferously over whether The Wife had been wasting time and money trying to improve her physical appearance, since her husband didn’t seem to notice anything she did.
    “You’re forgetting that she also attempts to become a better person on the inside,” Olivia said. “She begins volunteering at the hospital. She bakes meals for the employees at her husband’s company that have had babies or fallen ill. She reads dozens of biographies about strong and powerful women. That’s what saved her as a character in my eyes. She wants to be the whole package. She is deeper than she appears.”
    Rawlings threw up his hands. “But she wants to be Wonder Woman and that’s ridiculous. Impossible.”
    Everyone began talking at once. This was unusual, as the writers were careful never to interrupt one another. Olivia wondered if the afternoon’s physical labor coupled with several beers had produced this chaotic atmosphere. She glanced over at Laurel and saw her friend smiling with happiness.
    Eventually, the rest of the group noticed her expression and fell silent, gazing at her inquisitively.
    “It doesn’t bother you that we want to push this woman off a bridge half the time?” Millay asked.
    “Not at all,” Laurel replied. “She’s evoked emotion in you in a way the duchess never did. I’m thrilled.”
    Rawlings reviewed the notes on his paper. “An excellent point, but I think you need to revamp your title. Lessons for Ever After doesn’t seem to reflect the complexity of The Wife’s character.”
    Olivia agreed. She’d made a note about the title as well. “You may need to wait until your story develops further before deciding what to call this book. We already know from reading one chapter that The Wife must figure out what makes her fulfilled, with or without the husband, and that she needs to redefine her definition of happily ever after.” She scanned over the pages in her hand. “Don’t get too caught up in the fairy-tale theme,” Olivia cautioned. “I sense this romance is going to have more depth than your previous project. It might turn into more of a Chick-lit romance if you use too many Cinderella elements.”
    Laurel nodded in agreement and then Harris pointed out bits of unclear dialogue. Millay finished the critique by voicing reservations about Laurel’s word choice in the final paragraph, but overall, it was clear that the Bayside Book Writers were impressed by her new project.
    “You’re on the chopping block next week,” Millay informed Olivia after examining her day planner. “It’ll be nice to be back in the lighthouse keeper’s cottage. I like your choice of booze better.”
    Olivia gestured at the pair of empty bottles at Millay’s feet. “You didn’t seem to suffer. Besides, you’ve never been much of a wine drinker.”
    “And what about you, Chief?” Millay’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “You going to wash down that Coors with a chocolate milk chaser?”
    Rawlings, who was known to have a penchant for chocolate milk, gave Millay a wink. “You should get in at least three servings of dairy per day. It’s