This is a short bonus prologue to The Frame Up, my debut novel that releases August 12. It’s a romantic comedy that will make you giggle, swoon, and maybe pull on your heartstrings a bit. Oh, and make you sweat a little, too. 🌶️🌶️
Olivia
“This better be the one,” I mumbled to myself as I swung a glass door open and entered my third pizza place of the day. Since it was Sunday, I was allowing myself the day to tackle a very important project—finding a half-decent slice of pizza in my new neighborhood.
The first two had been complete duds, but I was cautiously optimistic about this one. Sometimes the most unassuming places turned out to be the hidden gems, and this place was certainly unassuming. The floors were terracotta-colored tile. Wooden chairs surrounded tables topped with the quintessential red gingham tablecloth. Caddies with menus sat in the center of each table, and red vinyl booths lined the exterior walls.
Photos were taped onto most empty wall space, and a jukebox sat in the corner. There were stools lined up along the counter where the pre-made slices sat behind glass. It was a typical neighborhood Italian restaurant. But was the pizza typical? That was the important question.
“Good afternoon. Have a seat. I’ll be with you in a sec.” A large man, probably in his late fifties, with mostly gray hair and a darker gray mustache greeted me.
“Thanks,” I replied.
The counter was always a safe choice when eating alone, so I saddled up. Two stools down from me sat a woman wearing a sweater that looked to be patched together from quilts. She had about six large, chunky costume jewelry necklaces stacked on her neck, giant round black glasses, and bright pink lipstick.
She was, in short, killing it.
What a queen.
“Hello there,” she greeted me as I shed my coat and settled in.
“Hi,” I offered with a slight wave.
“I’m Helen. You're very beautiful, young lady.”
“Oh. Well, thank you, Helen. That’s nice of you to say. I was just thinking about how much I love your vibe. I’m Olivia, by the way.”
“My… vibe?”
“Yeah, you know. Your energy. Style. Everything.”
She preened at the compliment and scooted over to the stool next to me.
“Anthony, take good care of my new friend Olivia. She likes my vibe.”
I laughed when Anthony rolled his eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Olivia. Please don’t judge us by our more ridiculous clientele. What can I get you?”
“Just a plain slice for now. And an iced tea if you have it.”
“Coming right up.”
“So, Olivia, what brings you in for a slice today?” Helen asked.
“I moved to the area a few weeks ago. I’m from nearby, but I don’t know the restaurants, stores, and everything in the area that well. So I decided to take some time to test out new places.”
“Ah… and have you found any viable contenders?”
“No, actually. Though I’ve been laser-focused on pizza, so I can’t speak to any other food category yet.”
“I believe your search may be over, dear.”
Her eyebrows rose as she tipped her forehead toward the paper plate Anthony was placing in front of me, along with my iced tea.
“Thank you, Anthony.”
“Eh, call me Tony. Anthony makes me feel like I’m in trouble.”
“You usually are!” yelled a feminine voice from behind the kitchen doors.
I chuckled. “Alright. Thank you, Tony.”
I tentatively took a bite of the pizza while Tony walked away and Helen watched me like a hawk. The melty cheese hit my tongue, and I groaned. The utter relief that washed through my body was indescribable. A girl needs good pizza. It’s essential for life.
I finally found it.
“So?” Helen demanded.
“It’s amazing. The winner. Hands down. My search is over.”
She beamed. “I knew you’d love it. Anthony is the best.”
“You weren’t wrong. So, what are you up to today?” I asked while I continued to attack my pizza.
“Today I am visiting my friends while I eat, then I am going to an estate sale of a stockbroker who had a hoarding problem.”
My eyes must have looked like saucers, because they rounded to comical levels.
“That sounds incredible. Where is it?”
“About twenty-five minutes south. It starts in an hour. Apparently, they couldn’t get into the home until this morning and needed time to prep the sale.”
“Yeah, I was wondering. Every time I’ve been to one, it always starts early.”
“Ah, are you a fellow treasure hunter?” Helen had a gleam in her eye that wasn’t there when I sat down. It made me feel warm, like I was helping to bring life to her day.
“Oh yeah. It’s my life. My career, actually. I do interior design on my YouTube channel. I’m working on getting my official studio in order.”
“That’s incredible! Design is a lovely endeavor.”
I smiled. “Yeah, it is. I kind of stumbled into it, but I’m enjoying it a lot.”
“This may be forward, but would you care to accompany me to the sale?”
I had nothing else scheduled today. As macabre as it sounded, dead rich people always had the best stuff. Helen seemed cool.
“Yeah, okay. I’d love to. I need to eat more pizza first, though. That was just a test slice.”
Helen threw her head back with a hearty laugh.
“Olivia, you are a woman after my own heart.” She cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted, “Anthony! Get Olivia more pizza! And tell Maria to get out here!”
She turned to me and lowered her voice. “Wait until you try the cannoli.”
If you’d like to read Olivia and Lucas’s story, you can sign up for an ARC or preorder the ebook. Paperback copies will be available August 12 on Amazon or ShannonSandersAuthor.com. It will also be available on Kindle Unlimited.