Page 36 of The In-Laws

The author’s eyes widened. ‘Seriously?’

Melanie grinned. ‘Yes! And if you win the Goldstone prize, there’s a lot more to come.’

Sloane’s eyes shone. ‘You are the best agent in the world!’ She stared at the figure. ‘To think two years ago I celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday in a mouldy bedsit, on a mattress on the floor, wearing my coat because I couldn’t pay the heating bill. And now I have my beautiful little cottage on the edge of the world in Connemara, with heating and dry walls and a cosy fireplace, and it’s all because of the deal you negotiated for me and now … now this too. I’m overcome.’

Melanie shook her head. ‘It’s your beautiful prose that got you all those things. I’m just a conduit. Your talent is phenomenal, Sloane. I’m just so pleased and proud that it’s being recognized.’

Sloane blushed. Melanie hoped she’d stay the same quirky, shy, beautiful young woman that she was. She’d seen a lot of authors change with success. When they received accolades, recognition and prizes they became more demandingand dissatisfied. They wanted more money, bigger marketing spends, better placement in bookshops, more publicity, more nominations, more prizes … more everything. They’d threaten to move agents if you didn’t get them what they wanted. She’d lost two authors to their egos, although both had been unhappy with their new agents and had come back to her. She had taken one of them, but the other she had let go. That author had never been satisfied with anything, and Melanie was successful enough to be choosy about whom she signed. She had chosen to become a literary agent because she genuinely loved books, authors and the world of words. But she was also a businesswoman who wanted to be successful and make money. She knew whose back needed the most scratching.

Sloane reached into her battered leather satchel and pulled out a pile of typed papers. They were covered with coffee stains and scribbled notes in the margins. Melanie held her breath.

‘It’s only a first draft, but I think it’s got something,’ Sloane said modestly.

Melanie wanted to rip the manuscript out of her hands and read it there and then.

‘I wanted to hand-deliver it. I know you’ve been keen to read it.’

‘Sokeen. I cannot wait,’ Melanie admitted, laughing.

‘I really hope you like it. Genevieve is probably the best character I’ve ever written and … well … I want you to love her as much as I do.’ The author handed over the full manuscript to Melanie.

‘I know I will. I’ll read it this afternoon and get straight back to you.’

Sloane beamed. ‘That would be amazing because I won’t be able to sleep until I know what you think.’

Melanie held the manuscript to her chest. ‘Thank you. Now, have you got an outfit for the awards ceremony?’

Sloane bit her lip. ‘You know how much I loathe shopping. But I found out that one of the women in my knitting group is a seamstress. So I asked if she’d help me and she is making me a long black silk dress with wide sleeves. It should be nice as she’s really talented, and the best part is that I can wear my boots.’ Sloane was very attached to her thick black army boots. Melanie sometimes wondered if she slept in them.

‘It sounds gorgeous. You’ll be stunning. I’ll email you all the details about the ceremony when I get them so you know exactly what’s happening at what time and where. Don’t worry. I’ll be there to hold your hand every step of the way.’

‘If … like, I know I won’t … but … if I did win, would I have to speak?’

‘Well, only if –’

The door burst open. Both women jumped.

‘Sloane, I presume,’ Ross bellowed. ‘I’m Ross.’ He shoved his big hand into her face.

Sloane was leaning back in her chair as far away from him as she could get.

‘Ross!’ Melanie snapped. ‘We are in the middle of a private meeting. What happened to knocking?’

Ross shrugged. ‘I was eager to say hello.’ Turning to Sloane he said, ‘Melanie likes to keep you hidden under her wing, but you are a valued member of this agency and it’s important for you to meet all of the senior people. I’ve just moved back from London to manage the agency. My mother had a bad fall a few weeks ago and is going to start winding down. She needs to look after her health.’

Melanie stared at him. What did he mean, managethe agency? And when had Nancy said she was winding down? She was still running the agency, even if she did occasionally work from home, these days. Had Nancy said something to Ross? Was Melanie out of the loop? Was Ross manipulating his mother into handing over the reins to him? Melanie needed to talk to Jamie and figure this out. There was no way in hell she was working for Ross. No way and no how.

Sloane said nothing. She was still unsettled from the sudden intrusion.

Ross’s beady eyes spotted the manuscript on Melanie’s desk. ‘Is that what I think it is?’ He beamed. He reached over to pick it up, but Melanie was too quick for him. She gathered it up and swept it out of his reach, onto her lap.

Sloane gasped. ‘NO! It’s only for Melanie’s eyes.’ She was clearly appalled at the thought of anyone else reading her work-in-progress.

Ross reluctantly pulled his arm back. ‘We’re a family here, Sloane. We are literally all related to each other. We work together and we share everything. As soon as Melanie has finished reading it, I’ll have a look and send on my feedback.’

Sloane looked panicked. Melanie had to do some serious damage control. Why was her brother-in-law such a total and utter dickhead?

‘Sloane,’ she tilted her head so she was at direct eye level with the traumatized author, ‘I promise you that no one except me will be reading this manuscript. No one.’

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