Love You, Mean It

Informationen zum Autor Jilly Gagnon is the author of Scenes of the Crime , All Dressed Up and the young adult novel #famous . Her humor writing, personal essays, and op-eds have appeared in Newsweek , Elle , Vanity Fair , Boston magazine, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency , among others. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts, with her family and two black cats. Klappentext "Ellie Greco is not happy to be stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she managed to get away from her hometown to pursue her dream career--designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater--until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. Now, out of loyalty to him she keeps it running, trying to bring it into the twenty-first century with trendy ingredients like truffle oils and tinned fish, all the while wondering if she'll ever get another chance at a life on her terms. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the big-chain purveyor of gourmet foods, Greco's Deli's very existence is suddenly in jeopardy"-- Leseprobe One Oh, but what about the mortadella? I hadn't even thought about that. Though I suppose you don't carry a good mortadella, do you, Ellie? Rose never will buy it here . . . Ruth Pinsky looked up from the deli case, eyes pinching with preloaded skepticism about the quality of my mostly-­pork-­fat, the small twist of her head sending the hairspray-­regimented battalions of her hair helmet shivering. I took a small, twisted pleasure in noticing that her roots hadn't been touched up for at least a month, a half inch of grizzled salt-­and-­pepper mounting a rear attack on the permed, brassy blond front lines. I think it's excellent mortadella, personally. Would you like to try a slice? I managed, hoping my gritted teeth looked something like a smile. That's probably best. Jimmy's so particular. And some of what I've brought back in the last few weeks really hasn't been up to par. Rictus in place, I bent to haul out the mortadella, sliced a paper-­thin strip onto a piece of wax paper, and handed it across the counter to Ruth. She nibbled at it thoughtfully, as though she hadn't sampled every f***ing deli meat we carried five times over. Actually no, that's not fair. She never tried anything exotic, which apparently referred to the turkey and chicken options. Hmm . . . no, I don't think so. Her mouth pinched with distaste as she finished the entire slice. Thank you, though. Of course. I glanced over my shoulder not at all subtly at the retro wall clock mounted on the black-­and-white-­tiled wall that ran behind the deli counter. I don't mean to rush you, Mrs. Pinsky, but we're closing soon. Oh, of course. I suppose . . . the spicy salami? I think Jimmy liked that last time. That sounds like an excellent choice, I said, reaching for the massive log of cured meat. And we'll always be here tomorrow if you want something else. Half a pound? She nodded, the skin around her eyes still twisted with a mix of disdain and vague worry. All this for half a pound of sandwich meat. A little less, actually. Jimmy's doctor told him to watch his weight. And yet, salami. I wonder . . . she murmured. I started up the slicer and pretended not to hear. Ruth Pinsky didn't know what she wanted on the best of days, and we'd just passed the five-­sample mark, so clearly this was not the best of days. The whirring of the machine almost managed to drown out the rhythmic thud in my ears, impatience raising my blood pressure. Within seconds, I was weighing the salami, wrapping it, handing it to Ruth. That'll be five ninety-­two. I waited, tendons in my jaw tightening as she counted...

Autorentext
Jilly Gagnon is the author of Scenes of the Crime, All Dressed Up and the young adult novel #famous. Her humor writing, personal essays, and op-eds have appeared in Newsweek, Elle, Vanity Fair, Boston magazine, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, among others. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts, with her family and two black cats.

Klappentext

"Ellie Greco is not happy to be stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she managed to get away from her hometown to pursue her dream career--designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater--until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. Now, out of loyalty to him she keeps it running, trying to bring it into the twenty-first century with trendy ingredients like truffle oils and tinned fish, all the while wondering if she'll ever get another chance at a life on her terms. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the big-chain purveyor of gourmet foods, Greco's Deli's very existence is suddenly in jeopardy"--

Zusammenfassung
A playful romantic comedy featuring dueling delis, fake dating, a shockingly awesome ex, and just the right amount of amnesia

“[A] delightfully tropey rom-com . . . This is a sweet confection.”—Publishers Weekly

Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, the very existence of Greco’s Deli is suddenly in jeopardy.

She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm that is about to put her out of business, but their meeting goes from bad (it’s not her fault he’s infuriating) to worse (no one expects the ceiling to literally fall in).

With Theo out cold, Ellie panics and claims to be his fiancée . . . and almost passes out herself when amnesia means Theo seems to actually believe her. Soon, the effects of the head injury wear off, but Theo proposes that their “engagement” stick around. If they manage to convince enough people, they might both get what they want: an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him (after all, if Theo Taylor wants it, how can it be good for her?) but seeing no other option, she reluctantly agrees.

And miraculously, the fake engagement seems to be working—even Ted, Theo’s shrewd, cold father seems convinced—that is, until Sam, Theo’s ex-fiancée, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, but she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between a blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.

Leseprobe
One
**
“Oh, but what about the mortadella? I hadn’t even thought about that. Though I suppose you don’t carry a good mortadella, do you, Ellie? Rose never will buy it here . . .”

Ruth Pinsky looked up from the deli case, eyes pinching with preloaded skepticism about the quality of my mostly-­pork-­fat, the small twist of her head sending the hairspray-­regimented battalions of her hair helmet shivering. I took a small, twisted pleasure in noticing that her roots hadn’t been touched up for at least a month, a half inch of grizzled salt-­and-­pepper mounting a rear attack on the permed, brassy blond front lines.

“I think it’s excellent mortadella, personally. Would you like to try a slice?” I managed, hoping my gritted teeth looked something like a smile.

“That’s probably best. Jimmy’s so particular. And some of what I’ve brought back in the last few weeks really hasn’t …