The Right Wrong Number: A Short Story

By Barbara Delinsky

In The Right Wrong Number, a 30-page short story by bestselling author Barbara Delinsky, Carly Kelly has just been presented with a life-changing business opportunity for tiny nursery and flower store, Plant People. But she only has four days to decide, which means she will most likely have to cancel her weekend trip away. She dials her friends to let them know, and excitedly launches into a speech about the opportunity. But when she pauses, a sexy, inquisitive stranger is on the other end, and he's eager to hear about her store, her passions and her life. She's dialed the wrong number--- and the man on the other end, with his deep voice, his charming jokes and his excellent advice, is a surprise she never expected…

Will this wrong number turn out to be right man for Carly? Don't miss this 30-page short story from bestselling author Barbara Delinsky.

Featuring an excerpt from Barbara Delinsky's novel Sweet Salt Air.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Apr 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781466834637

Barbara Delinsky

Barbara Delinsky is the author of such New York Times bestselling books as Before and Again and Sweet Salt Air. She has been published in twenty-eight languages worldwide. A lifelong New Englander, Delinsky earned a B.A. in psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in sociology at Boston College. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, more books than she'll ever be able to read, two tennis racquets, and enough electronic devices to keep in close touch with her children and their families.

Book preview

The Right Wrong Number

Barbara Delinsky

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Contents

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Begin Reading

Preview of Sweet Salt Air

Also by Barbara Delinsky

About the Author

Copyright

Carly Kelly floated down the street. It was a Friday afternoon, late enough for almost everything official to be done for the day. Typical of university towns, the sidewalks were jammed with students looking to air out their minds by indulging in a cappuccino, a beer, or a new pair of boots. She went with the flow, let it carry her really, past the hardware store, with its window displays of cookware and closet storage, and the university bookstore’s artfully arranged offerings of books for the most intellectually inclined. She passed the drugstore, the realty office, and the stationery store. She passed the sports store. She passed Starbucks.

She saw none of it. In her mind’s eye, at that moment, only two establishments existed. She had just come from one, Mayer’s, a large home store that had anchored one end of the main college drag for longer than anyone in town could remember. She was headed toward the other, Plant People, and the fact that it was on the very opposite end of the street was only the first of the differences between the two.

Plant People was tiny, occupying a space roughly one-tenth the size of Mayer’s, and that only if the street floor alone was counted. Mayer’s had double the retail space on its second floor.

Plant People was five years old; Mayer’s was seventy-five. Plant People sold living plants and flowers; Mayer’s sold inanimate objects ranging from sofas to vases to clocks, picture frames, and art.

Plant People was upcoming and chic; Mayer’s was showing its age. Plant People had a tight budget; Mayer’s did not. Plant People was owned, operated, and inspired by Carly Kelly; Mayer’s was owned by a family trust, operated by twenty people, and only recently—so recently that none of her ideas had yet been implemented—inspired by one.

Mayer’s had just offered to buy Carly out.

She was stunned.

Actually, it wasn’t just a buyout. They wanted her to move her store into theirs and continue to run it. They wanted to make it the centerpiece of a new and greener Mayer’s. They wanted to give her a contract, with a salary plus bonuses based on profit.

Hey, Carly!

She waved at the passerby whose face was familiar, though the name escaped her—and that was horrible! Familiar faces with no names was a Mayer’s thing, ample reason right there to reject their offer. She prided herself on knowing her clients, their lifestyles, the lighting in their homes, and their coterie of plants. The thought of losing that appalled her.

Picking up her pace, she crossed side streets, each lined with its own cordon of shops. She continued straight, feeling antsy until she passed the large blue elephant hanging outside the children’s clothing store. A momentary calm came with the sight of her own wrought-iron logo, hanging high, swaying gently in the breeze. PLANT PEOPLE, it said in elegant ivy letters. Turning in underneath, she opened the door, gave a wave to two student part-timers and a gratifying half dozen customers, and went on through to the back room and up the stairs to her own apartment.

Apartment? Well, it was that, if you could see the forest through the trees. The place was packed with plants. Her living room was filled with those waiting to be groomed, the bedroom was filled with ones that were sick, the bathroom was filled with babies that loved the warmth and humidity, and the kitchen was filled with herbs. There was parsley, basil, chive, mint, and a dozen others. Many were growing from seed. All were in the kind of sweet little diverse containers that she found at old garage sales.

That was what she did on Sundays—scoured the countryside for unusual pots. Her customers loved them, thought they were clever, admired her creativity, her knowledge, and her energy.

Feeling devoid of energy just then, actually weak in the knees, she went straight to the old wood bench in the living room and lowered her shoulder satchel to the floor as she sat. A Ficus benjamina stood on one side, a Ficus lyrata on the other. Sharing the bench with her were two begonias, an English ivy, and a wandering Jew.

Mayer’s wanted an answer by Tuesday. That was when the board was meeting. After living comfortably with the status quo all these years, they had given Carly four days to make a potentially life-changing decision. Four days. It was outrageous. But there it was. She needed to study the papers in her satchel. She needed to study her own ledgers. She needed to work the numbers. She needed to make lists of the arguments for and against. She needed to talk to her plants. They had a say in this, too.

Clearly, she couldn’t go to the Kleins’ country place as she’d planned. The four-hour drive might have offered good thinking

Reviews for The Right Wrong Number

[rainpebble_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Right Wrong Number: A Short Story by Barbara Delinsky; (4*)This is a lovely little bit of women's fiction. It would make a sweet daydream for any woman. And it caused me to remember why I used to read so much of Delinsky.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Right Wrong Number: A Short Story by Barbara DelinskyCute short story about Carly Kelly who runs her own shop for plants. It's in a college town and a huge store wants has given her a chance to incorporate with them.She arrives home and calls to cancel her plans with her family but dials the phone wrong and ends up talking to Charlie who's an editor and they are getting along just great when she drops her phone in a bucket of water.Like how she tries to find out who he is and attempts to misdial a lot more numbers to get him back on the new phone.Book also includes an excerpt from Sweet Salt Air. Othe works by the author are highlighted at the end.About the authoris included.

[jfe16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Carly Kelly, the sole proprietor of Plant People, has a difficult decision to make. Her business is doing well enough on its own and Carly is satisfied with that. However, Mayers, the large home store at the other end of the block, wants to set up her plant business as a little boutique within their store, not quite a buyout as much as a merger. But she’s supposed to take this weekend to visit friends, not pore over reports and plans, papers and accounting spreadsheets. So she calls to postpone the weekend visit . . . and somehow manages to dial the wrong number. She finds herself talking to book editor Charlie. An unexpected accident leaves her phoneless . . . right in the middle of her conversation with Charlie . . . and Carly spends the next couple of days trying to recreate the misdialed call. Needless to say, she has no success with that, managing only to reach a plethora of wrong people. Will Carly find a way to reconnect with Charlie, the man who gave her the courage to make her decision, or will Charlie remain a mystery forever?This short story [advertised as a short story, so no surprise there] is reasonably predictable . . . and delightful. Readers are quite likely to guess the ending [even if they also fervently wish there was just a bit more story]. The situation is unique, but believable [everyone doesn’t use speed dial on their phone, after all]; the characters charming and interesting. All in all, it’s a cute story guaranteed to elicit a smile or two and a hope that Carly and Charlie actually get that happily ever after.Recommended.

[catya77 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Carly has a big decision to make, but when she goes to call her friends to cancel their weekend plans so she can think, she misdials and winds up talking for awhile with Charlie.While in a sense this is a minimalist narrative, it is emotionally evocative and uplifting. Insights are allowed into the characters lives with simple words and phrases. The characters themselves are authentic and good hearted.Overall, a cute read.

[vickiln · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is probably the best short story I’ve ever read! From the first letter to the last I was glued to the words and was so wrapped up in the story that nothing broke my concentration. Even though Carly and Charlie didn’t know each other, their conversation flowed smoothly and it sounded like they were perfect for each other. I loved the story line and even though the ending left me wanting more, I was more than glad I read it.I checked the reviews, and can’t understand why there are so many people complaining about this book. It clearly states it’s a short story and there are only 30 pages (there is actually a little more than that), plus it was free. Sure, I’d have liked for the story to go on so I can see how things went with them, but since I went in knowing it was short, I figured it would leave you wondering.The only thing that would make this short story better would be for the author to make this a full length novel. I can’t wait to check out her other books!

[paideiamom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gosh, this puts the "short" in "short story."

Cute story (did I mention it is short) with an engaging heroine.
There is a verbal "meet cute" and a happy for now.

That about sums it up. Oh, did I mention it is short?

I picked this up because it was free, it is by an author I have heard of but never read and, hey, it was free. I am not sure why there is such vitriol because I don't think anyone had to pay for it because, you know, it was free, even if it is, you know, short.

While I was looking to get a taste of what this author is like, it was more of an amuse bouche than a real appetizer.

The actual story takes up less than 40 percent of the e-book space. The rest is a sample of a book Ms. Delinsky has coming out this month, June 2013. The sample was good. I may even pick the book up, but I want to read a full novel of hers before I spend the money. So I will be off to the UBS or the library to check her out.

[annalund2011 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute shortie. Oh, the importance of not dropping your phone in a bucket of water. Well worth a halfhour of reading, left me with a happy feeling in my chest.

[bgillilan-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Right Wrong Number is a cute short story. I know plenty of people wish they could end up with the same result when they call the wrong number. I know I would, usually I just get yelled at! I like the idea and the plot I just wish there was more to it. But the story is a fun read and kind of makes me think of the people I accidentally call and what could have happened.
Cute read
B. Gillilan