Page 62 of Long Story Short

‘And you say I’m prejudiced.’ Davis reached down to his briefcase and pulled out a book. ‘I brought along a proof copy for you. Why don’t you read it so you can make an informed judgement?’ he challenged me then, sliding it across the table towards me.

I stared at it. ‘But why?’ I asked again, still confused as to what he actually wanted from me.

‘I told you – we can help each other,’ Davis said. ‘I told my agent about you and what you did for Jake, and he agreed to let me talk to you. He is only a couple of years away from retirement and is looking for new blood to join his agency, to take over his clients when he leaves, and he said you’re exactly the kind of person he’s looking for. If you can help us get my career back on track, he will hire you and show you all the ropes and who knows? You could be running his agency one day, if that’s what you want.’

To say I was stunned was the understatement of the century. I stared back at him.

‘You do want to be an agent yourself, don’t you?’ Davis prodded me when I didn’t respond. I felt like I couldn’t speak just yet. ‘Freya?’

‘Um… yes. I want to be an agent,’ I said finally. ‘But I work for Hayley Harper. She’s my boss, and mentor. And she’s going to help me become an agent one day. After everything in New York went so well.’ I tried to ignore the voice in my head reminding me that she just took credit for everything I had done there. And Jake telling me not to trust Hayley so blindly.

‘Oh well, that’s good,’ Davis said, stuttering a bit. ‘But as I said, my agent, Simon really wants to groom someone to take over. And you’d be perfect. Are you not tempted even a little bit? I really could use your help. Has Hayley said when you’ll be able to take on your own clients?’

‘No, we’re going to speak tomorrow morning.’

‘Okay, well, will you think about what I’ve asked and see how you feel after your meeting?’ Davis tapped his proof which was still on the table. ‘And maybe you could just read a couple of chapters tonight? See if this is a book that you think should be published or not.’

‘I’m really not sure I can help you,’ I reiterated. I wasn’t sure I wanted to either and I was certain he realised that after our interactions in New York.

‘Don’t decide yet,’ Davis begged me. ‘Tell me tomorrow, please?’

He seemed so desperate, I felt bad just shutting him completely down. Despite the fact he likely deserved it. His proposal was unexpected and I didn’t want to hurry and say no and then regret it. I knew I needed to pin Hayley down tomorrow as to what was going to happen with my career and then I could feel confident in turning down Davis’s offer. So, I nodded. ‘Okay. I will think about it.’ I picked up the proof and read the title:He’s Behind You. I never really fancied reading a thriller but I was curious as to what his books were like. I eyed him as I put it in my bag. ‘Are you really worried?’ I asked.

Davis shifted in his seat, avoiding my eyes, but he nodded. ‘Simon is worried too. My publishers think I’m now a bad bet. And I’m not sure how to convince them otherwise. I know that I can be arrogant but I do care about my career and I know that I’m in trouble.’

I was surprised by his honesty. ‘Okay, let me think about it.’

‘That’s all I ask. Thank you.’ Davis took a sip of his coffee and then he grinned at me. ‘So, you and Jake are really over?’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Don’t ruin it all now by coming on to me!’

‘I wouldn’t. I told you, I have a girlfriend, and I’m head over heels for her. I was never really interested in you, Freya, no offence. I just knew it would wind Jake up as I could tell he liked you.’

‘He doesn’t any more,’ I said, unable to hold back the tinge of bitterness to my tone.

‘What’s changed so quickly?’

‘We had an argument after we spoke at the party,’ I said, nodding at him. ‘I think we’re too different to make it work. It’s better we keep things professional.’

‘I spent years not telling the woman I just mentioned that I liked her, and we lost all that time we could have spent together, if I hadn’t been worried about her rejecting me. Just don’t make that mistake too.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re advocating for Jake Richards now?’

‘No,’ he replied. ‘Definitely not. I don’t see the appeal. But the things I said about him and relationships, I was just trying to push his buttons, and put you off him. I don’t know anything about how he treats women or whether he wants a relationship or not.’

I was annoyed at myself for listening to Davis but I knew I couldn’t really blame him for things ending so abruptly between me and Jake. He said I didn’t trust him and he couldn’t trust me. That was on us, not Davis. ‘Well, you shouldn’t tell lies about people. If we ever were to work together, I would expect you to be honest with me, Davis. But I think me and Jake just don’t work in the real world.’

I wished we did. I wasn’t going to share that with Davis Mulberry, though.

I stood up, not wanting to talk about Jake any more. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ I promised.

Davis stood up politely. ‘Thank you, Freya. And I know I have thought about myself too much in life but I get the feeling you are the opposite. So, if you take one piece of advice from me, it’s to think about what would work best for you right now, okay? And do that. You’re honest with other people, right? Sometimes, you have to be honest with yourself.’

It was similar to the advice Jake had given me. I wasn’t sure if either of them was right but as I left the café to head towards the Tube, I knew that today had left me feeling uneasy. I had tried to do what I thought would get me ahead in my career and I had no idea if it had worked, but it had felt inauthentic. I’d been so pissed with Jake at lying to his readers, but was I lying to myself?

* * *

When my alarm went off the following morning, I groaned out loud as I rolled over to stop it on my phone. It was 6.30a.m. I had been up until past 2a.m. reading Davis’s book and then it took me a while to actually fall asleep as my mind kept repeating what had happened yesterday over and over.

---