It was one of the first
serious snowfalls of the season, definitely not a night for a book signing. Doctor
Jack Winston had been warned by others not to expect a crowd, but he still hoped
for one. Born and raised in Chicago, he should have known better.
After peeking inside the
Maxwell Meyers bookstore and realizing the truth, Jack decided to walk around
the block. He had felt very lucky to be able to talk about his book at one of
Chicago’s finest bookstores. If an author had a successful signing at Maxwell
Meyers, the book had a great chance of making it to the bestseller list. Jack
quickly realized that he wasn’t about to break any sales records. Hopefully,
his publicist would cut him some slack; after all, she had planned the event. Jack
might have learned a valuable lesson about mixing business with pleasure, and
that sleeping with a publicist wasn’t always the quickest way to fame. He would
remember that when his numbers came out, and then he would fire her. He had
planned to change his ways when he got married, but so far the right woman
hadn’t crossed his path. Or if she did, he hadn’t noticed.
As he walked around, Jack
was having a hard time believing there were so few cars on the Magnificent Mile.
Michigan Avenue was so quiet he could hear himself think; it was so different
from the usual hustle and bustle. Restaurants were closing early, as were some
of the other businesses. Jack didn’t like it when his ego was compromised, but
it did make him realize he wasn’t special, and maybe he needed that. He doubted
he would ever forget that night, and decided to learn from the evening rather
than analyze it.
All the time he was
walking, he thought that maybe it would stop snowing and the night might turn
out well. So after three Starbucks coffees, two muffins, and a chocolate bar,
he decided to walk back to the bookstore and live with the consequences.
He knew Agnes Blackwell,
the manager of Maxwell Meyers, and how hard she worked. He hated to disappoint
her, because she was one of the first moms to read his book and actually follow
his advice. Agnes was in the back when he went inside, but motioned for him to
join her. She was a little bitty thing, not quite five feet tall, a little
overweight, and with very bad vision. Jack could tell by the thickness of her
glasses. She had curly red hair and a friendly smile, and happened to be
munching on Cheetos, one of Jack’s favorite snacks. Agnes offered him some, and
he took a handful to be polite. He wasn’t really hungry after all of the coffee
and chocolate. Jack laughed to himself, thinking that five minutes ago, the
last thing he would have thought about was sitting in the office at Maxwell
Meyers, consuming Cheetos with Agnes Blackwell.
“Good thing the signing
isn’t tonight,” Agnes said. “We’d be shit out of luck. I’ve never seen it so
quiet. This night is a record-setting one for us, and not in a positive way.
Haven’t had a customer in hours. Anyway, what are you doing out on a night like
this? It’s so damn lousy out there.”
Jack took a deep breath,
not wanting to admit he had the wrong date. He knew he had better try harder
not to make mistakes like this, because he didn’t exactly enjoy looking
foolish. “I’m meeting someone for dinner at Gibson’s, and just thought I’d say
hello and see how your son is doing.”
“Jack, you’re so sweet.
Sit down and let me show you his progress.” Agnes yanked her shoulder bag out
of her desk drawer. “Look at his report card. I printed it out.”
“Now this is terrific.
I’m so glad. Were you able to get his teacher to give him another shot before
she switched him to a different class?”
“Yep, you bet. I can’t
tell you how happy my husband was. We kept trying and trying, but it wasn’t
until I read your book that it all became clear.”
“Good to hear. Save that
remark for my signing.”
“Damn right I will. And
it’s okay. I know you thought the signing was tonight.” She laughed. “Am I
right, Doc?”
He reached for another
handful of Cheetos. “Agnes, my dear, you’re absolutely right. I’ll try not to
make this mistake again. So much for my high-priced PR firm.”
Jack did have his book
signing a week later for Let’s Start with
Homework, and it wasn’t great, certainly not up to his expectations. A
handful of people were in the store because Agnes promised them free books if
they would sit and listen, but they didn’t. They were whispering, texting, or
on their phones. One thing was certain; they weren’t there for him. Jack tried
his best to hold their attention, but he couldn’t. He promised himself he would
never let that happen again.
Chapter Two
(Two years later)
Breakfast
was not a pretty picture at the Feingold house. There was always so much going
on that it could be very difficult to concentrate. Victoria Feingold sometimes referred
to her household as “Grand Central Station,” because people were coming and going
at all hours of the day.
Despite
the chaos, Victoria Feingold had a method to all the ongoing madness. She tried
her best to ignore the noise, which was pretty easy for her because she was a
pediatrician, and her office was loaded with crying kids all day long. Along
with the crying came tantrums and vomiting. Her patients were scared, but she
was a necessary evil for them; healthy children were her specialty. So when
everyone in her house was a little off the wall, she just did what she had to
do, ignoring all the commotion. That meant calling her service to see who
needed her. If all was clear, she could sit down and have breakfast with her
kids. If not, she was out the door, leaving her mother to handle everything.
Being
both a doctor and a single mother of three was quite difficult. She always
hated the word “breadwinner,” but that’s what she was. She brought home the
bacon—not exactly a Jewish expression.
Not
only did she have Allyson, Andrew, and Noah to raise, but she had an ex-husband
who simply hadn’t grown up enough to handle responsibility. Her mother and her
sister also lived with her. And, of course, what house was complete without a
dog? Angus was not just any dog. He was a schnauzer with opinions, some of
which he shared with humans. To Victoria, Angus was a confidant; she thought he
was the only one who really understood her. Victoria and her ex, Michael, were
the only two with whom Angus shared his love of the English language. Victoria
acknowledged that if others found out, they might be inclined to call her
insane.
Because
she spent most of her day answering questions from nervous mothers and fathers
trying to do the right thing, she sometimes questioned her own ability. However,
her parting comment to parents before they left her office was always, “Love
your children. Children need love, and once they feel your love, the rest just
comes with the territory.” One of her college professors had shared those words
of advice with her, and she felt obligated to pass them on. She knew they were
right.
Her
mother, Grace, did a lot of the hard work. Grace was good at it. Obviously, she
knew how, because she raised Victoria and her sister, Ava. Well, Ava was
another story; she was almost forty and still growing up. She and Michael had
similar issues, which caused Victoria to fight with them pretty much all of the
time. Before Victoria’s divorce from Michael, they all lived a very frugal life
due to Michael’s gambling problem. That hadn’t been fun, but things were on the
way up. Victoria could breathe again.
Grace
loved to cook, and believed breakfast was the most important meal of the day.
Every morning, she served a buffet of cereal, toast, pancakes, oatmeal,
waffles, cream cheese, and bagels, just in case someone was hungry. Andrew usually
ate more than the others. Grace loved that about him. What Jewish grandmother
wouldn’t?
The
neighborhood had quite a large community of grandparents helping their children
live the American dream. After the kids went to school, Grace’s friends from
down the block would join her to play cards and eat leftovers. They didn’t play
for money, because most of them didn’t have much. Grace really enjoyed having
her friends there, even when she just invited them over for coffee and donuts. She
always believed that paying things forward was the way to go.
Noah
and Allyson ran in and grabbed juice boxes and cookies. Grace removed the
cookies from their hands and replaced them with whole-wheat toast, saying,
“You’ll feel better if you eat better.”
Noah
put the toast down, grabbed a bagel, and waited impatiently for his sister.
“This
sucks,” Allyson mumbled as she loaded up on jelly, making the toast a little
soggy and lopsided.
“This
sucks,” Andrew repeated loudly, and then laughed. He was great at mimicking his
older sister, who usually had a comment or two about everything.
The
morning network news was blasting in the background. The broadcaster was Simon
Barret, a young, good-looking guy. Grace loved watching him. “Quiet everyone,”
she said. “It’s Simon.”
“Guess
who’s at Maxwell Meyers bookstore?” the anchor said. “It’s Dr. Jack Winston,
the child psychiatrist who has become a publishing phenomenon, with three
bestsellers in just two years. People are already waiting in line to have him
sign it.”
It
was noisy in the background, and Grace was a little cranky when she couldn’t
hear the whereabouts of her favorite author. She would have gone to the
bookstore, but she had responsibilities and had to live vicariously by watching
TV. “Quiet, everyone. Let me hear this. It will be over in a minute.” Simon
continued talking and Grace, as always, listened to his every word.
Ava
entered, wearing rollers and a sloppy robe, topping it off with a toothbrush in
the corner of her mouth. “Oh shit, it’s the one and only Simon Barret. Quiet in
the house.”
Andrew
laughed. He always laughed at his aunt because, in his six-year-old world, he found
her funny. Actually, Grace wanted to laugh, but she was supposed to be the
voice of reason. “Shh…” she said, turning up the sound.
Simon
continued, “Jack Winston was born and raised here, so this was where he wanted
to launch his book, and he’ll be at Maxwell Meyers at noon.”
Victoria
shut off the TV, never hearing a word of what was said. “Okay, who wants a
ride?”
* * *
Michigan Avenue was
beautiful during the summer. There were so many things happening on the street.
Mimes were performing, hot dogs were cooking, newsstands were busy, and
shoppers were sightseeing. Everyone was happy, and very thankful that summer
had finally come. Chicagoans knew how short summer was, and they never
disappointed Michigan Avenue by not showing up. They came in droves.
Jack Winston and his
publicist picked July to showcase his new book. It’s
Easier than It Looks was a parents’ guide to getting results, and it was going to be
on the New York Times bestseller
list. Jack’s book had the market buzzing, and his sales had already exceeded
the publisher’s expectations. Parents, teachers, and grandparents were
following his suggestions, with exciting results. Even though he had no
children of his own, he had the pulse on how to raise them. His mother was
always extremely proud of what her son was doing, and hoped he would be a
parent one day—but that was not part of his plan.
There was a crowd
waiting in front of the Maxwell Meyers bookstore when Jack’s shiny, black limo
pulled up. His driver, Morgan, was wondering how his boss would handle the
crowd. He watched closely in the mirror while Jack prepared himself by taking
several long breaths.
Before he became a
celebrity author, Jack had always hated crowds. He certainly never thought he
would be a household name, and the fact that he had become one still shocked
him. He had to learn how to publicly express his thoughts, but being personable
wasn’t hard for him. He was charming and always knew the right thing to say. His
smile was as genuine as the love his fans had for him.
Jack remembered his
first signing, and that awful feeling when no one was listening kept him very
humble. He hadn’t seen Agnes Blackwell for a long time, but he always
remembered how nice she was to him, and her words of encouragement stayed with
him every time he was in front of a crowd.
When he was in college, Jack
had no idea where his future would lead him. He minored in journalism, but
wasn’t exactly the best writer; in fact, several professors adamantly warned
him not take up writing as a full-time job. However, he now made quite a bit of
advance money with his books, and they certainly turned out to be a lot of fun
for him. Meeting parents who loved his books was so rewarding that he continued
writing, and he had no intention of stopping now.
Morgan turned back
toward Jack. “So, are you ready, Doc?”
Jack smiled and took one
more long, deep breath. “You got it. I’m out of here.”
“Okay, coming around.
Have a good one.”
Just as Jack was about
to get out of the car, a little boy of about six, with curly black hair, ran
smack into him. Following him was a beautiful, tall woman. She had beautiful
big eyes, gorgeous curly dark hair, and a terrific smile. There was delicacy in
her face, as well as strength. Something about her seemed so familiar.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,”
she said. “My son is a lot faster than me. His specialty is trying to run away
from me, but that’s not going to happen on my watch.”
“Eventually, they all
grow up,” Jack said, just wanting to stand there and talk to this gorgeous
woman with an overexcited kid. Her eyes kept him focused on her, but he knew
the crowd was waiting.
Luckily, Jack blocked Andrew
with his leg, and Morgan blocked him with his arm, so the boy didn’t get to run
any farther. He wasn’t out of breath, but his mother was.
“Thanks so much,” she
said. “He’s pretty darn fast.”
“He’s just got a lot of
energy. Kids are like that,” Jack said, flashing that perfect smile of his, and
realizing he could have said something a little cleverer.
“This one’s got a lot of
energy. Big time! He keeps me on my toes.” She stared at Jack as if she knew
him, but she couldn’t place him. There was something very familiar about his
voice.
Jack’s full attention was on the lovely woman standing before him, but he knew he
had to move on. His agenda was supposed to be a book signing, not meeting a
woman. He didn’t even know if she was single, though that had never stopped him
in the past. He looked at the little boy and asked, “What’s your name?”
When the boy didn’t
answer, his mother did. “Guess he remembered not to talk to strangers. His name
is Andrew.”
He was about to kick
Jack’s leg, but Victoria clutched his hand before he could do it.
Jack was scrambling for
words. He didn’t want her to leave, but he had to go inside. “Why don’t you
both come in and be my guests?”
She didn’t quite
understand what he was doing there. “Your guests? For what?”
Jack held out his hand.
“Dr. Jack Winston. I’m here for a book signing. And you are…”
“Victoria Hudson.” She
always used her maiden name when meeting people. “I’m on my way to my sister’s
office. Sorry. Have a good book signing.”
“Are you sure you won’t
stay?”
“I’m sure. Nice meeting
you, Jack.”
Just as she walked away,
she realized who he was. Her mother loved Jack Winston. That’s why there was a
familiarity—she had heard him interviewed a few times. Victoria walked on,
still thinking about him.
Jack watched as Victoria
and Andrew walked away. She was beautiful and he wanted to know everything
about her, but he had a commitment and was going to honor it.
“I’ll get some info on
her,” Morgan whispered. “I can tell you were interested.”
“That would be perfect.
How do you always seem to know what I need?”
Morgan laughed. “All in
my job description, Doc. Go in and have a great signing. Give them what they
want.”
“You’re right. I’m going
in.”
* * *
Jack was warmly greeted
by the manager. He didn’t recognize her at first, because she was a lot thinner
and much more attractive. But when she whispered in his ear, he knew her voice.
“You’ve come a long way from the bag of Cheetos and a near-empty room, don’t
you think?”
“Agnes Blackwell, is
that you? You look great. I knew you found an audience for me that night. I
never forgot, and probably never will.”
Agnes was surprised that
Jack remembered her. “You knew about the audience?”
Jack smiled. “Of course
I knew. So, are we having Cheetos today?”
Agnes couldn’t help but
feel flattered. How could she not? She was standing with Jack Winston—not only a celebrity,
but one absolutely gorgeous man. “No Cheetos today. This time, we’re having cupcakes
with sprinkles. Everyone loves a good cupcake. Besides, you’re Jack Winston. You
deserve to have five-dollar cupcakes at your book signing.”
It was time and everyone
was waiting, so Agnes nodded to her assistant, Pierce Lawrence, to begin. This
was Pierce’s first big event, and he was quite nervous as he walked out to the
podium. He kept taking small breaths, in and out, focusing on why he was hired
and what he needed to do.
“Hello everyone, and
welcome to Maxwell Meyers.” Those were the only words Pierce said before he
froze. Luckily, there was so much commotion that no one except Agnes noticed. Her
assistant had become pale, and she could tell he was seconds away from falling
flat on his face.
Agnes quickly took the
podium, trying to let Pierce off the hook. “Hello everyone,” she began. “I’m so
sorry we don’t have enough seats, but we are going to do the best we can to
accommodate all of you. We knew today would be one of the biggest signings we
have ever had, but we had no idea we would be turning people away. Chicago’s
occupancy code is very strict. The good news is Dr. Winston has graciously
informed me that he will come back next month. So let’s show Jack some love.
He’s one of Chicago’s own—Dr. Jack Winston!”
As Jack stepped beside
Agnes, he politely smiled. “How do you know I’ll agree to come back?” he
whispered in her ear.
“Some things you just
know.” And when he smiled at her, she knew he would keep his promise.
Just before he was ready
to go on, Jack looked out at the audience, thankful to have such loyal fans.
Two hours later, after a long question-and-answer session, he strolled back to
Agnes’s office, where she handed him a glass of champagne. “To your career and
my victory. Thanks so much for making this visit so special. You could feel the
crowd loving you.”
Pierce was lying on the
couch; he had fallen fast asleep right after he screwed up his welcome speech. Jack
was a little concerned, so he leaned over to check his vital signs. “Well, he’s
alive. His pulse is normal.”
Agnes laughed. “He’s
fine. He faints when we have celebrities here. So far he hasn’t been able to
speak at a signing, but I keep him because he’s a good guy. He’s smart and he
listens to all my crazy ideas. He’s also very good in the sack, and very
discreet. My husband never suspects a thing. Why would he? You know, it’s those
quiet ones…”
By this time, Jack
realized she was sharing a little too much information,
and he needed to leave. So he politely took a sip of champagne and called it a
day. “Agnes, my dear, thank
you so much for this wonderful afternoon. I know you went to a lot of trouble
to make this a great signing, and it was. By the way, the cupcakes were
terrific.”
“So glad you came back.
I always knew you would be a successful author.”
“I’m glad you did; I
wasn’t quite sure. I promise to send you a list of dates when I can return.”
Morgan was waiting for
him, parked in a loading zone. Jack never liked when Morgan got out to open his
door, so he motioned for him to stay right where he was. Still, Morgan got out
of the car because he liked to do the right thing. He was dedicated to Jack,
having taken care of him ever since he was a little boy. Even when Jack’s father
died and money was tight, Morgan stayed on without a salary until Jack’s mom
landed on her feet. Even after all these years, he remained Jack’s best friend
and confidant.
“Okay, here’s the skinny
on your new beautiful brunette,” Morgan said. “Her full name is Victoria Hudson
Feingold. She’s a divorced pediatrician and has three children, a mother, a
sister, and a dog. They all live in Winnetka, in one house. If that’s not
enough information to keep you from going further, I don’t know what is.”
“How did you manage to
find that out so fast?”
“If I told you my
secrets, you wouldn’t need me.”
“Now that’s bullshit. If
I need anyone, it’s you. You raised me.”
“Let’s give your mother
some credit. She did what she had to. She married Alex Wainwright, rest his
soul, so you could have a good life.”
“Morgan, I’ve got to
hand it to you. You always put everything in the right perspective.”
“That’s why you pay me
the big bucks,” Morgan said, laughing.
Jack thought for a few
seconds. “Let’s take a ride to Winnetka. It’s a nice day.”
“Maybe you should quit
while you’re ahead. You know your rules. No dating women with children. She has
three kids, and it looks to me like she’s got a house filled with a lot of
people. You know how you like your quiet.”
“Don’t worry, Morgan.
I’m just bringing her a book.”
“It’s never just a
book.”
“You’re right, but this
is different. There was something so familiar about Victoria. I want to know
her better. It won’t be just a date or a quick hop into bed. There’s something
about her. She certainly is beautiful, isn’t she?”
Morgan was amused. “Yes
she is. You keep saying that as if you haven’t been with beautiful women. They’ve
all been beautiful.”
Jack had made up his
mind. He was paying a visit to a woman he barely knew, a woman who got to him with
her smile. In the past, he always assured himself that things happen for a
reason and can’t be questioned. After all, he was just dropping off a book. How
serious could that be?
Isabella
Pimpinella, her puppy, Milly Van Dilly and her young witch friends are
eager to develop into grown up witches. On the one night of the year
when this can be done they have the greatest sleepover ever. They fool
around with potions and rhythms in order to get it all right by
midnight!
HARD COVER
Great for Self-esteem
Addison
thinks he’s got the best mommy in the whole world when she lets him
have whatever he wants to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner even when
it s chocolate candy, cookies and ice cream. Addison quickly learns how
easy it can be to have too much of a good thing and that mommies &
daddies really do know best!
SNACK ATTACK BY MARSHA CASPER COOK
A
friendship develops between two kids when they solve the first of many
mystery cases. At first, they have nothing in common and didn’t see eye
to eye on anything. Addison likes to read and write stories inside, and
Emelina likes to be outdoors, jogging, skating, and just about anything
that keeps her active. She likes healthy food and Addison has a sweet
tooth. After a few weeks of friendship they realize even though they are
different they can still be great friends.
How much did I love this mystery!!
This
is a funny short-rhyming book. Kids will enjoy listening to these poems
over and over again and still be entertained by the magical words that
shout out, ” This is funny stuff.” 
HARDCOVER
32 adorable poems to make kids giggle. Educational too…
