statement even though it’s the truth. “You bullshittin’ me?”
“Well, my laptop,” I correct carefully. “And no bullshit. If you bring it out, I can pull up the file myself, log in under the desktop, all that.”
Diana’s expression goes from confusion to wonder to ‘oh, no, you didn’t’ in rapid succession. “Wait, you think I—”
Connor leans forward, his elbows on his knees and his expression serious. “We’re sure you didn’t know, Diana. You just went to a pawn shop to get a new computer.”
“Damn right, I did,” Diana says, sounding defensive.
“But it’s still possession of stolen goods,” Connor adds flatly.
Diana sighs heavily, flopping back in the chair. “Go to the pawn shop, Diana. They’ll give you a good deal.” Her voice is high-pitched and bitter, mimicking whoever told her that. To us, she says, “I start a nurse practitioner course tomorrow. I have to have a laptop to log in.”
“Where is it?” Connor demands, and I can see Diana’s hackles rising.
“Wait!” I interject, trying to soften things because I don’t think Connor meant that to sound so ominous. Or well, maybe he did, but it’s not getting the response we need. “Look, Diana. I need the laptop back. I’ll even buy it back from you. I know you bought it with hard-earned money, and I respect that. I’ll pay you back what you spent and buy you a new laptop . . . but I gotta have my data. Tonight. If not . . . well, let’s just say the next time my editor gives me a call, you’ll be responding to my house for a murder scene. Mine.”
“Poppy—” Connor says, but I hold up my hand. Because it’s true. I’d love to have my laptop back. Those keys practically contour to my fingertips at this point, and it’s sentimental because I wrote my first bestseller on it.
But I can get by with my replacement . . . if I have all my data.
“I don’t know . . .” Diana says slowly.
“Name your price,” Connor simply instructs her. “Or if you really need a computer, wait here with Poppy. I’ll get you one tonight so you’re ready for classes in the morning.”
“Please,” I plead with her. “Please, Diana. I know it’s asking a lot, but . . . I need it.”
“Poppy Woodstock . . . Great Falls . . . book two . . . on my laptop . . .” Diana seems to be in shock, muttering to herself as her eyes glaze over, unseeingly staring at me. She shakes her head and sighs. “Out of all the laptops out there, I got this one?”
“May I see it?” I ask, and after a moment’s hesitation, Diana gets up and disappears down the hallway. As she’s going, I look over at Connor, who holds up a finger, his eyes saying everything I need to know. Stay calm . . . it’s not over yet.
She comes back with a laptop, my laptop, and I can’t help but squirm in my seat a little. I’ll give her virtually anything she wants to get my baby back in my hands.
“Okay, here’s what I want,” she says, hugging my laptop.
I guess she had some time to wrap her head around this shitshow on the walk to her bedroom and back, I think wryly.
“I want to read the book as soon as I can. Please.”
Oh, well that’s easy. “Promise, I’ll send you an early signed copy.”
“Okay. And, in this book or the next, I want a paramedic character named after me.”
Connor gives her a dark look. “I mean, it is Trouble in Great Falls. I’m sure you could come to an unfortunate end somehow.”
I’m not entirely sure if he’s talking about a character or the real Diana. Probably an imaginary one. Mostly.
“Uh-uh,” Diana tells me, ignoring Connor. “Don’t make me the token red shirt who dies five minutes after being introduced. No sending me to investigate creepy noises or hanging out looking for a Dr. Feelgood husband at the hospital. I’m too smart for that.” She taps her temple. “You don’t need to make me a main character, and I don’t need a dose of Prince Charming dick. But I want a few lines, I want to live, and I don’t want to be a villain or a stereotype.”
“Deal.”
“And a dedication?”
“Sure.”
Diana takes a deep breath, smiling at how well her negotiation is going. “Last thing. I’m serious about my studies. I need a replacement, not money, and I don’t have the time to buy another one.”
I