I chuckled. “And I’m honored.” I slipped a sugar cube into my tea and mashed down on it with the tip of my spoon, persuading it as gently as possible to dissolve.
“You said on the telephone that you had some questions to ask me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Goodness! I feel old enough without you ma’aming me. Call me Nadine, please. Or Naddy.”
I could no more call this famous woman I had just met “Naddy” than I could call my grandmother Laureen. I decided I’d avoid the issue altogether, if I could manage it. “I’m making good progress on your collection, getting all the titles together. Are all your books included?”
“Every blessed one. Including a few in Portuguese.” She noticed that the level of the tea in my cup was a tad low, lifted the pot, and raised an eyebrow.
I nodded, and she topped it of
