Page 11 of You & I, Rewritten

He takes a step forward, extending his hand which I instinctually take. “Hi Will, I’m Graham and I’m very much looking forward to having you on our team.” His hand is warm, soft but with a more than subtle strength behind his grip.

“Oh—um, okay—hi, Graham…I’m…eh, happy to be here?” If his smile didn’t match the genuine tone of his words, this mock-reintroduction may have been the most cringe-worthy moment of my professional career. Despite all of our previous interactions, there is something undeniable about a smiling Graham Austin.

His grin widens as he looks down, subtly signaling me to the fact that I am still slowly shaking his hand, which I quickly let go of, shoving my now sweaty palm into my pant’s pocket. Despite the break in contact, my fingertips are tingling from the heat of his strong grasp.

“That being said, I’m happy to help in any way with Ms. Taylor’s book,” he says, taking yet another step forward and placing his hand on my shoulder. My head swivels, locking in on his grip on my arm.Um...this is intimate.“It sounds spectacular so just let me know what you need.”

What do I need?

What I need is to desperately put some distance between us right now. This new version of Graham is tantalizing and I fear I just might do or say something I regret.

“Um—I appreciate the ugh, clean slate?” I awkwardly stammer out, slightly more tongue tied as he gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze before dropping his hand.Get it together.If I was partially intrigued by Graham’s professional intensity before, I most certainly am now.

Needing to think clearly and get some much-needed Graham-free air, I take an over exaggerated step backward. “Everything seems pretty straight forward but I will let you know if and when I need anything.” Having reached my limit of public displays of flustered awkwardness, I quickly head toward my escape.

Pausing in the doorway, I glance back toward Graham who hasn’t moved an inch.

“I’m really,reallyhappy to be here,” I reiterate and am once again met by the smile that will surely be trouble.

Because it’s true and for some reason, I genuinely want him to know it.

* * *

I arrived thirty minutes early for my first meeting with Lana Taylor.

The coffee shop she selected was just a short fifteen-minute walk from the office and I chose a secluded corner with a view of the front door that would make it easy for her to spot me when she arrived.

I’m on my second vanilla latte, ignoring the extra jolt of caffeine that’s causing my leg to shake slightly.Nerves? Maybe. I just really want this to go well. When I reached out to Lana following my pitch to Graham and the rest of the team, I couldn’t get a read on her level of interest, despite her being the one to reach out to me directly. Her tone was cautious, even icy, but I guess that’s somewhat hard to gauge over the phone.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been completely absorbed by Lana’s manuscript. Reading and rereading the copy she sent over, which is now covered in scribbled comments and sticky notes, it’s been easy to be completely absorbed by her words. Their ability to fill every page with a rawness and truth in an engaging way has got me more excited than I’ve been in a really long time. It’s like this book was destined to come across my desk.

There’s a lot of work to be done, sure, but after today, I’m hoping that Lana and I can roll up our sleeves and dig in. Throughout my career,thathas always been my favorite part of this job. Helping an author transform their first draft into something bigger, more magical. It’s that moment where you get to sit back and watch the sense of pride wash over someone else, andthatmoment is one I can never get enough of.

Nothing is official yet; this meeting is less of a formality and more of a chance for me to really peek behind the curtain and see if Lana is someone our team would end up working with. It’s also an opportunity for her to decide if I’m the right editor to work with. Based on our brief email exchanges, my gut is telling me that this is going to be a very easy working relationship for both of us, but choosing the person to edit your work is deeply personal and I want her to see just how serious I am about her writing.

“Will Cowen?” a quiet voice interrupts my thoughts.

Glancing up at who I’m assuming is Lana, I quickly set my coffee down and stand up, extending my hand in her direction.

“Good morning…you must be Lana,” I say as she places her hand in mine, shaking it firmly. Her dark hair is chopped slightly above her shoulders, complementing the sharp but kind features of her face. Dressed in loose fitting, stylish neutrals, she stands tall with a strong and poised posture—the epitome of someone dressed to handle business in a way that isn’t overstated or too much.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you!” She’s much younger than I was anticipating. In my head, I’d been picturing someone closer to my parent’s age rather than mine, but this realization only makes me that much more excited to work with her. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”

“A tea would be great,” she says, taking a seat.

As I turn to grab her drink, I can feel her inquisitive gaze on me. Clearly, I’m not the only one doing the sizing up.

Sitting back down after placing her drink in front of her, I pull out my copy of Lana’s manuscript and put it on the table between us.

“Straight to business?” she laughs.

“No time like the present, right?” I say, tapping the cover of the thick document. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come across my name? This isn’t normally how the whole process works.”

She looks at me, uncertainty filling her dark eyes before breaking eye contact and looking down. “Long story short? It’s one of those friends of a friend of a friend scenarios where I was at a party and casually mentioned I was writing something and your name was passed along. After debating whether to contact you…” she says, waving her hand in my direction, “here we are!”

“Lucky me, then,” I say, genuinely smiling at her. “Do you mind if I ask you something?” She nods as I lean in closer.

“You’ve touched on some very heavy subjects, which I can only assume are written from some sort of personal experience—are you prepared for that to be out in the world?”

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