Who: Mandy, open Where: Diagon Alley When: Sunday afternoon Rating: G Status: Ongoing
Mandy just couldn't help herself. She knew she ought to stay far, far away from anything even approaching her book contract, but any time a new volume was scheduled to be released, she found herself making her way to the book store.
Her books were not display material and she knew it, although she did glance wistfully at the neat displays sometimes as she passed. It would be nice to write something she could claim. She kept telling herself she was going to. But she was so bloody good at writing terrible books.
Just a quick detour, she told herself. She wasn't lingering to browse in the romance section. Just a stroll past, glancing down to the S section, and there it was. Her latest book, on the shelf for anyone with a little extra cash and time to waste.
She passed with only a glance, tamping down her lips to hide a smile. It always gave her a little thrill to see her book reach the shelf, even if she'd never admit it was hers. This time, she passed through the romance section and on to history. Here she did browse, as though she'd had no interest in romance at all. It had simply been a shortcut.
She left without buying again, allowing herself to smile only as she was stepping out of the bookstore. Now she could run her real errands without the tempting thought of taking a peek in the bookstore distracting her.