Page 16 of The One With the Mountain Man
"You are the worst liar."
I shrugged. Next time I wouldn't accept the video call. Or at least leave my camera off. "Don't start, Chuck."
Our friends loved to make fun of the fact that our names rhymed, so I usually called her Chuck or Charles and she referred to me as Marls or Lee, instead of feeding the Marley-Charley beast.
She stewed. Her hair was wet and pulled back in a slick bun, which meant she'd probably just finished the Tangerine’s morning workout. "So how is it? You settling in?"
"The cabin is amazing." It was strange to feel instantly at home even though the cabin, the view, and the elevation were as foreign to me as being on the moon.
And yet, there was something about this place that reminded me of home. The vibes were the same. I think it was the intimate connection to nature, despite the natures in question being total opposites.
"You look cold. Are you cold?" Charley asked as I took her on a tour of the place.
"Yeah, it's pretty chilly."
"You could start a fire."
There were two connected fireplaces. On the inside, the fireplace was gas. You turned it on with the flip of a switch. But outside, it was all wood. And while a fire would make things warmer in my outdoor office, it also took work.
"If I get too cold, I'll go inside."
"Oh my god, you're doing it again." Charley shook her head. "Do not fall into the same patterns. You're there to break them, not repeat them."
This was why I refused to let her come with me. She knew me too well and always called me on my shit. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bull shit! You're trying to force this book out of your brain. You have that damn desk all set up and instead of lighting a fire and relaxing, you're trying to write. Chill the fuck out, Lee!"
The urge to hit the big red button and end the call was strong. "I'm taking things one step at a time. Back off."
"Nope." She glanced over her shoulder as her teammate, Annalise Ryan, came into the room.
"Hey Marley! How are the mountains? Is it true they call to you?"
The mountains are callingstickers were everywhere on my drive up. "Yeah, they do, actually."
"Cool. Good luck! I'm rooting for you!" Then she turned to Charley. "Lunch is here."
"I'll be right there."
Annalise danced out of the room. Charley waited for the door to close, which couldn't be good for me.
"What is it?"
She grimaced. "The security company called."
Fuuuuuck.Charley was my point of contact with my security company while I was out of town. "He was there?"
"Yep. He just sat outside the fence and stared, so it didn’t trigger the police. Your lights came on and off as scheduled. TV too. It looks like you're there. I'm having groceries delivered today to really sell it."
"You're having your groceries delivered to my house to confuse my stalker?" Those pesky tears came back.
"Yep!" She looked so proud. "And I'm having a dinner party. That should buy you at least a couple of weeks. We're all brainstorming other ways to make it look like you're still home."
When your dreams come true, when those books you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into, explode in popularity, you think nothing could be better. No one tells you about the stalkers. The parasocial relationships. The people who think you owe them the exact story they've decided your books should be.
Add in making them wait over two years for the next book? My toxic fandom had turned their torches on me in epic style.
I wasn't sure how they thought harassing me was going to help me write the book. It had the exact opposite effect. Every day it got harder to find the will to write.
