Page 74 of Rush
“What are you doing here?” I asked as she gave me a hug.
“Pfft. Looking for you, bitch,” she said, rolling her eyes. “When I heard Charles fired you from Slattery, I had a meltdown. I was out on tour with Joe, and it was weeks before I knew.” Joe was her rock star husband, and his band toured two-thirds of the year, which meant she was in and out of Melbourne every other month. “I mean, I love my editor, but it was you who I stayed at Slattery for. You can sell books like no one’s business. Besides, you were the first person to believe in what I had to say. That means something.”
“I’m glad you think so,” I said.
“That’s why I’m here, actually.” Alexis glanced around the office, curiosity etched into her pretty face. “I bought out my contract.”
“You what?” My mouth fell open again. “But that was like a—”
“Seven-figure, multi-book deal.” She shrugged.
“Then someone must’ve picked you up,” I began. “I know you, Alexis. You wouldn’t give up writing.”
“You’ll pick me up,” she declared.
“Me?”
“You started out as my agent, then you went to the dark side and became a marketing guru after selling like five books to Slattery,” she went on. “You keep forgetting about the things you help others with. Mainly the part where I almost lost Joe because of my fear of betraying my dead fiancé.”
I blanched, still slightly disturbed she was so abrupt about what happened to her all those years ago. A car accident took her fiancé, and she’d blamed herself for years…until she met a rock star named Joe Fox.
“You helped me, too, remember?” Juliette said, waving from the middle of her island of Styrofoam. “You pulled me back from the brink in my moment of darkness.”
“I don’t think you understand,” I began, my cheeks heating. “I don’t have that kind of money. We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Our budget for advances is like four figures. I’m flattered, I really am, but I can’t afford you.”
“Of course, you can’t,” she said with a laugh. “But that’s the point. I’m tired of the write, submit, write, submit merry-go-round.I want to invest.”
“You want to invest? In Rush?” I couldn’t believe it. Alexis Storm, the biggest name in Romance, wanted to cut ties with her publishers and go all in with little old me?
“Shut up, and take my money!” Alexis cried, throwing her arms around me.
Pushingthrough the front door of Ryan’s apartment, I sighed. Dumping my bag on the counter, I ran my fingertips over the laminate, my mind wandering.
Things were falling into place like some kind of fairy tale. I was getting everything I wanted, and those that had tried to tear me down were getting their own brand of karma. Except, they weren’t dealing with it the same way I had.
Margaret had lost her job, her husband was filing for divorce, and Belinda and Heather had done a runner on her. As it turned out, her marriage wasn’t as open as she’d liked to believe.
And Hunter… He was just as he always was. Overworked, never at home, and still single. I wondered if he’d learned anything at all. Most likely not, and that was the kicker. You could lead a horse to water…but you could never make a cheater monogamous.
Fake always outed, but I couldn’t help but feel a little sad for them.
“What’s the matter?”
Turning, I smiled as Ryan stepped inside from where he’d been lingering on the balcony. His hair was damp, and his skin was pink from the shower, signaling he hadn’t been home long from training. Either that or he’d been out for another run. That man’s energy was never ending.Not that I was complaining.
“I was just thinking,” I replied. “It’s been a long day. My mind wandered backward a little there for a second.”
“Yeah?” His arms closed around me, and I sank against his chest. “Want a cuddle?”
Cracking a smile, I made a face. “For such a tough fighter guy, you’re a big squishy teddy bear.”
He picked me up, and I let out a squeal as he bounded across the room and flopped down onto the couch. Making a safe landing, I buried my face into the crook of his neck.Damn, he smelled good.
“What did we say about dwelling on shit we can’t change?” he asked, caressing my back. “Hmm?”
“It’s just… I wonder about them, you know. They were like me in a way. I came out the other end smelling like roses. I can’t help wondering if I truly deserve this ending.”
“Jade, you found yourself. It took some time and some shitty heartbreak along the way, but you’re a better person because of it. You owned up to your mistakes and made amends. That kind of honesty takes guts. You deserve the good things that are happening to you.”
