Melanie took a deep breath. She had expected to feel nervous, but she was remarkably calm. Part of it was the energy the audience was clearly giving her. The much larger part, however, was that her three best friends were sitting in a row behind her.

After months of hard work, she had finally published her second book, a follow-up to 200 Things Every Woman Should Do Before She Dies. This book was far more personal than the previous one. Instead of a list of advice for other people, Melanie had written about her own life. More specifically, how an unscheduled stop in Cleveland had changed everything, not only for her, but for her girlfriends as well.

She allowed herself one last glance at Joy and Victoria (Elka was apparently more interested in her phone). Melanie smiled as she saw little Betty, sleeping on Joy's shoulder. The child was undeniable proof that their lives had changed since they'd moved here.

Then she adjusted the mic and cleared her throat. "Thank you all for coming. I really appreciate it. Of course, I'm not blind to the fact that most of you are probably only here because Victoria mentioned it on her Instagram." She laughed, gesturing at Victoria. Indeed, she had been mobbed by fans when they first arrived. However, in an uncharacteristic show of humility, she declined most autograph requests. She repeatedly insisted that this was Melanie's event. "But I hope that, after you hear what I have to say, you'll be at least a little interested in me, too." Her confidence wavered for a moment, but the audience still seemed to be connecting with her.

"I'm really happy to be launching my book here in Cleveland, since the book wouldn't even exist if it hadn't been for this city. Years ago, I won't say how many," she said with another soft laugh. "My friends and I were going on a girls' trip to Paris. Our lives weren't going too well, so we thought we'd just get away for a while. But that trip didn't go as planned. And I'm so grateful that it didn't. Because, you see, we made an emergency landing here. In Cleveland. We thought this was the worst thing that could've happened. I mean, ending up in Cleveland instead of Paris?! But once we realized there was nothing we could do about the situation, we looked around, and we noticed something. The guys were noticing us. That never happened in L.A."

"So, we decided, or rather I decided, to move here. We found a house pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it came with an 80-year-old caretaker. But, in time, she warmed up to us. She's sitting right back there, in the pink tracksuit. Stand up, Elka!"

Elka looked around, shocked to have heard her name. But she recovered quickly. Her memories of being a councilwoman kicked in, and she stood. As she waved to the crowd, she got quite a bit of applause. "What she's really saying is, she wouldn't have written this book if it weren't for me. And I didn't get a dedication, or even a mention in the foreword!"

"Elka!" Melanie let out an exasperated sigh. Turning back to her audience, she said, "You see what we had to put up with?!" The crowd laughed. "Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is that, I know change is scary. Nobody likes it when something unexpected happens. I'm not going to lie to you and say that everything's been perfect since we moved. I mean, when I think of some of the dates we've been on…."

"I don't think they need to hear about that!" Joy exclaimed. Now that she and Bob were happily married, and loving Betty to pieces, she didn't like to think back on the many men she'd been with before Bob.

"OK, you're right, Joy." Melanie smiled nervously, hoping she wasn't losing the crowd's attention. "There've been a few ups and downs over the years. You can read about it all in the book. But the main thing is, if you don't embrace the unplanned, you might miss out on something really wonderful." For a second, Melanie was quiet. Memories flooded her mind. Like the day they first saw the house they eventually rented. Or her stint as a radio call-in host. So much had happened over these years, and she knew she could never fit it into a single speech.

When it became clear that the audience was growing restless, Victoria stood up. "What Melanie is saying is true. I mean, if I can find things to love about this place, anyone can. As you all know, I'm an Emmy Award-winning actress. And I've starred in over a dozen Lifetime Original Movies. I've been all over the world. With all of that success, you'd think I'd hate living here. But I actually do think there's something to be said for getting away from Hollywood. Not for too long, of course, but it's nice every once in a while."

Hearing Victotia's voice brought Melanie back to the present. She looked at the crowd, and they were clapping and cheering like crazy for her soap-star friend. Maybe that was why they were here, after all. "Well, um, that's about all I had to say. 'Bye. Thanks for coming!" Melanie quickly left the podium, running back to her friends.

"I'm sorry, Melanie, I guess I stole your crowd," Victoria said. "But you know my Edge of Tomorrow fans are incredibly loyal."

"It's OK, Victoria, I'm not mad. I mean, how could I ever compete with you?" She laughed. Part of her thought she'd been crazy to even try this. And inviting the others here was the worst part.

Elka saw Melanie's slightly hurt expression. She must have felt some sympathy for her, because she held up her cellphone for Melanie to see. "Even if this crowd was a dud, your book wasn't a total failure. The reviews are saying it doesn't suck, at least." She shrugged.

Melanie stared at the screen. There were hundreds of reviews, many of them four and five stars. "Wow!" She grabbed Elka's phone suddenly. As she scrolled, she could barely believe what she was reading. People praised her honesty, and the way she'd rejected the youth-obsessed popular culture. "I guess….I guess I'm a hit!"

"Of course you are," Joy said. "I never doubted that you would be."

"Me, either," Victoria echoed.

"Well…." Elka hesitated. "I mean, I still wish you'd at least thanked me in the foreword."

"Oh, shut up, old woman!" Joy exclaimed, exasperated. "I know you're proud of her too."

Elka rolled her eyes, but she joined the group hug anyway.

Melanie breathed a contented sigh. Even if she never sold another copy of her book, she had these amazing friends. That was worth more than all the accolades in the world.

The End