Love You, Mean It

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

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.

Beautifully written, brilliant, and perfectly salty, Love You, Mean It is a total dream of a rom-com an instant favorite to savor on every reread. Ellie and Theo s sizzling chemistry leaps off the page, and Jilly Gagnon s hilarious subversion of the amnesia trope only adds to the deep tenderness of their slow-burn romance. I adored every moment. Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback s a Witch

Delightfully tropey . . . Gagnon expertly combines humor and tenderness. . . . This is a sweet confection. Publishers Weekly