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Amy was looking at her with a confused expression.

“Babe, what? If you’re worried that you’re moving too fast, don’t be. I want this too.”

Sally loved that Amy was already calling her babe.

“No, it’s not that. I…I need to tell you something before we…Well, before anything else happens.”

“Do you already have a girlfriend?” Amy practically screeched, stepping away from Sally.

“No! I swear, I don’t. And before you ask, I don’t have a wife either.”

Amy knitted her brows.

“Are you straight?” she asked in a whisper.

Sally rolled her eyes.

“Of course not.”

“Then what is it?”

Sally swallowed. This was going to be hard to get out but she knew she needed to do it and do it now before things with Amy went any further. This first date was fast heading toward the bedroom and Sally could not let that happen without first telling Amy the truth. In fact, she shouldn’t have even started kissing Amy until she had come clean.

Of course, she understood the potential implications. There was a very good chance that in the next few moments she would see Amy walking out of her life forever. That scared Sally to no end. Sure, this was just their first date—ergo, they hardly had a long history; but Sally wanted to keep seeing Amy. Their connection was just…it was what people write about. In screenplays, in novels, in poems. And she knew Amy was feeling it too.

She felt a gentle touch on her arm. Amy had stepped forward again and was now within kissing distance once more.

“Hey,” Amy said softly. “Whatever it is, just tell me. I’ll understand.”

You’re speaking too soon.

“I’m not Jillian Ashley,” Sally said.

She watched as Amy’s featured morphed from one of gentle encouragement to utter confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Taking a deep breath, Sally ploughed on.

“I didn’t write the Jillian Ashley books. My friend Max did; Jillian Ashley is his pen name. I

just found out about it myself a week ago. Anyway, he asked me to impersonate Jillian for him because he knew Jillian needed to start doing some interviews before people started getting suspicious and so I said I would.”

For twenty percent.

Sally decided to leave out that little tidbit.

She continued. She didn’t want to give Amy a chance to interrupt. Not yet. And so she hurriedly told Amy how the interview was set up in Max’s house, with Max feeding her the answers to Amy’s questions as he sat off-screen.

“You have to believe me, Amy,” she went on, “I figured I’d do the interview, one and done, that’s it. But then…”

She sighed. How to explain this part?

“But then you asked me to join you for coffee. I should have said no, I know that, but I wanted to see you. I felt we had a connection that I’ve never felt with anyone ever before and I wanted to have a chance to see if it held up during an actual face-to-face meeting. And it did! I know you probably hate me now but I swear to god, Amy, I really do feel amazing just being with you. I see fireworks when we kiss and I want nothing more than to sit here on the beach holding you all night. Please believe me.”

Sally stopped then to take another deep breath.

“I just wanted you to know that,” she murmured.