The Big Fix, page 28
I looked up at him and knew by the quirk in his mouth that he was referring to the CCTV hacking. I smiled back at him. “You’re a bad influence.”
“Maybe, but we wouldn’t have gotten away with anything without you. You ultimately saved us all.” He pressed his lips to my temple and squeezed me with his big arm.
He was right. I’d tied up the final loose end, and in comparison to going to prison, I didn’t mind breaking some rules for the right reasons.
“Well if anyone asks, I’m still just a professor, not a hacker.”
He gave me another squeeze and found my lips with his. He tasted like chocolate frosting and the hint of danger I’d grown addicted to. “Still want to get out of here?”
“Yes.”
The mood from a moment before rekindled, and I was ready to escape to his house for a reprieve from splashing and laughing and probing eyes.
Warner had walked back over toward the gate, blocking the path we’d been taking before our chat, so we backtracked and went through the house. On the other side, we walked down the car-lined street in the late-afternoon light. The trees were still leafy and the yards lush. Although this neighborhood never really saw a season without foliage. Even in the dead of winter, someone found a way to make their yard blossom.
We walked up the path to the old Victorian, the same as I had that day that I’d met Anthony, and the now dozens of times since. He planned to invest in sprucing up the front porch and having the house painted, but was still deciding on a color. The steps creaked in greeting under our feet as we climbed to the door.
I waited while he unlocked it and pressed my cheek to his back. He was always warm and smelled good, and I just plain liked to touch him. I could hear his heart beating softly.
When the front door opened, a familiar chill curled out to welcome us like a pair of frozen hands. He’d left the air conditioner on, but I’d come to learn the house was always cold. Maybe it was its age or lack of insulation. Maybe it was something else.
The scratchy hiss of paper being pushed across hardwood announced that the mail had been delivered. I’d urged him to mount a mailbox outside the door, or even one at the end of the driveway, because stepping on what was shoved through the slot every day got tiresome. But he’d done neither yet, so we paused when we entered, giving him time to bend down and gather the small pile of envelopes.
I closed the door behind us and locked it out of habit. I shivered at the chill in the air and thought I might need to borrow a sweater to pull on over my dress if we were going to be staying long.
Anthony shuffled the stack of mail and stopped on a small card dirtied by what must have been a long journey. “No way!” he said. His eyes lit up and he turned to face me.
“What is it?” I leaned in to read over his shoulder.
“It’s a postcard. From Portia.”
I snatched it out of his hand in disbelief. Indeed, it had traveled far. The front showed a generic photo of a beach, which could have been anywhere. The postage was in a language and currency I didn’t recognize, but the back held loopy, cheerful writing and a message that instantly made me smile.
Enjoying my sunny days.
With love, P
Acknowledgments
I wrote this story when I was in a bit of a funk and craving something that would bring me joy. I didn’t even know what genre it was or if anything would ever come of it. All I knew was hours and days would pass with me grinning like a fool at my computer screen while I brought Penny and Anthony to life. No other story has possessed me the way this one has, and to say I’m thrilled that I get to share it with readers is a massive understatement.
My agent Melissa Edwards, thank you for humoring my wildest ideas, this story being a prime example. Your knack for figuring out how to package my genre-straddling books into something publishers want to buy still blows my mind.
My editors who worked on this book: Shannon Plackis, thank you for acquiring it and getting the point from the get-go. Your enthusiasm for the screwball hijinks and love story helped it shine. Alexandra Sunshine, thank you for your thoughtful input to help polish it and for shepherding it through the publication process. I am excited for where we go next!
The rest of the team at Kensington working on this book: Jane Nutter, Lauren Jernigan, Alex Nicolajsen, Stephanie Finnegan, and Robin Cook, thank you for all your work getting this book into the world and on readers’ radar!
Kristine Nobel, thank you for the absolute banger of a cover. Wow. I truly could not have dreamed up anything better.
My film agent Tara Timinsky, I’m glad this book was the one to bring us together. Thank you for advocating for my stories outside of the publishing world. I can’t wait for where we go next!
Sierra Godfrey, thank you for enthusiastically answering my questions about dead bodies and funerals without even blinking. You make me laugh every day!
Brianna Lieberman, thank you for helping me name the fictional tech companies in this story with your brilliant suggestion to capitalize random letters after everything—literally everything—I came up with ended up being a company that already existed in real life. You’re a star.
Lindsay Hameroff, thank you for reading the first draft of this book and assuring me it (mostly) made sense while still being bonkers enough to be fun. Thank you for fancasting every love interest I write as Harry Styles, but especially Anthony. You are a true gem, and I don’t know what I’d do without our daily texts.
All of my agent siblings and the local authors I’ve met and spent time with in L.A., Orange County, and San Diego, thank you for your continued support.
The authors who read an early copy of this book and generously provided blurbs, I admire you and your art and can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read mine.
The Bookstagram and BookTok communities, thank you for loving books and sharing your creativity.
The musical artists who will never see this but still deserve thanks for providing this book’s soundtrack while I drafted and revised it. Your songs capture the emotion of this story in ways that words alone can’t: Cruel Youth, Bob Moses, Fall Out Boy, Nicki Minaj, Goth Babe, UPSAHL, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Aidan Bissett, The Struts, Labrinth, The Dead Weather, Cold War Kids, Beyoncé, YUNGBLUD, Bon Jovi, and Turnstile. You all rock. Literally.
My friends and family who go out of your way to show up to my book events and buy copies for everyone you know, thank you for the endless support.
The Italian side of my family, starting with the historians, Robert E. Moratto and Janet Sbragia Pisenti and your book Italian Roots, American Branches, thank you for creating such a rich resource of our history and journey to America. My great-great grandfather Giovanni Griotti, you’ll obviously never see this, but know that one of your great-great granddaughters is living an American dream thanks to your courageous spirit and choice to come to America in 1889. The Italian Griottis and American Greeotts, thank you for letting me borrow the family name. Sorry I fictionalized us as criminals. My Italian cousins, spero che le nostre strade si incrocino un giorno. My grandmother Betty and grandfather Paul, thank you for a life of cherished memories. I miss you every day.
My parents, thank you for letting me read all the books and watch all the movies as a kid. My head is full of stories today because of how I grew up.
My husband, thank you for not questioning the obsessive trance I fell into while this story consumed me. Thanks for talking through plot holes with me, always listening, and acting out whatever I ask you to so I can describe it on the page. I’d bury a body with you any day.
Readers, thank you for coming along on another wild journey. I hope you had a great time!
Discussion Questions
1. When Penny and Anthony first meet, Penny has mostly negative feelings toward him. Have you ever overcome a bad first impression?
2. The title of the book refers to the central “fix” job in the story, but also to Libby’s attempt to fix Penny up with a partner. Have you ever been set up on a date? How did it go?
3. Penny feels a lot of pressure to succeed in her career. Have you ever felt pressure to succeed at something and prove yourself?
4. Family loyalty is a big theme in the story. Why do you think those ties are so important to each character?
5. Have you ever had an experience where you were completely out of your element, like Penny is in this story? How did you handle it?
6. At several points in the story, Penny makes a choice that goes against her normally straightlaced personality. Why do you think she makes these choices? Would you have made the same?
7. If you’ve ever taken a road trip, where there any mishaps? What is your best memory from the trip?
8. When Max asks Anthony if he’s bad, he says that is subjective. What do you think of Anthony’s job?
9. Who would you cast as Penny and Anthony in the movie version of the book?
10. What do you think is next for Penny and Anthony?
Bonus for fun and scandal:
11. Have you ever been in a situation where you wished you could call a fixer?
Photo credit: Ariel Blandford
About the Author
Holly James is the author of adult romance and commercial fiction. She holds a PhD in psychology and has worked in both academia and the tech industry. When she’s not reading or writing a book, she can be found on the beach or hiking in the woods. Born and raised in Northern California, she currently lives at the southern end of the state with her husband and their dog. Find her at hollyjamesbooks.com and on Instagram at @helloholly-james.
Holly James, The Big Fix
