Mason didn’t know how he got talked into going to Barry’ house with his friends. He would much rather have stayed at his own place and wallowed in his self-pity, but he’d secretly needed their company so he allowed them to bully him into moving the pity party to his friend’s house. Now he knew why they had all been so insistent that he come. Lisa was here and she was looking at him like he hung the moon.

“You sent my book to my editor,” she said.

The room around them fell silent, or he blocked out every other sound just so he could hear her voice.

“It’s a...