Page 52 of Semi Sweet
“And you do?” I felt the artificial confidence make my hackles go up. I placed my hands on my hips as he put his keys in the lock.
“Slow your roll, Hale,” Sean warned as he let me into the apartment. “I don’t want to see you live with any more regret. You’ve built this wall to protect yourself from more pain, but it’s so thick, it’s hard to get in sometimes.”
I turned my back to him and reached down and pet Bear, who had gotten out of his bed to greet us. Once again, he was right. Being tough when I felt alone had been the only way I’d survived this long. I wanted to explain it to him, but it was more than I could even hope to cover in one sitting and he had to work in the morning.
“I will go with you to talk with him. I’ll hold your hand while you call him on the phone. You will never get closure otherwise.”
I turned to look at him. His face was sincere and I got the feeling that if I took him up on his offer for help, it would be for nothing extra, not unless I wanted it to be. I flopped dramatically on the couch. “I need a therapist.”
Sean laughed softly as he sat down beside me. “Lucky for you, I know a lady.”
“Because that’s not a conflict of interest or anything,” I replied with an eyeroll. When Sean didn’t retort and just looked at me with warm eyes, I found myself leaning in slightly closer. “But thank you, seriously. For listening, for suggesting, for letting me sleep on your couch. You don’t have to do this.”
His smile was broad as he replied, “It’s my pleasure.”
I didn’t know if it was the remnants of the alcohol or if he had chipped away part of my defenses, but I found myself closing the limited space between us. In a strange sort of communication without talking, he met me for the kiss. I felt him reach for my face like he was going to pull me even closer, but instead he gently broke the kiss.
His dark eyes looked conflicted as he held my gaze. He let out a shaky breath before he murmured, “Sometimes you make it really hard to be a gentleman.”
I shut my eyes as he let me go and felt the couch move when he stood up. I searched for something simple, something that wouldn’t turn into another long, heavy conversation. I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I couldn’t even find the words to apologize for kissing him. I wasn’t necessarily sure I was sorry.
“I should go to bed.”
“Goodnight,” I whispered, the faintest smile crossing my lips.
He nodded at me. “Goodnight.”
I watched him walk towards the bedroom and shut the door behind him. Bear plodded over to me. I threw my arms around the dog and held him tightly. This whole thing was becoming more and more complicated. I knew what Sean was trying to do. As Max had mentioned at the bar, I’d only been free of Evan for a few days. I knew I’d been officially single that long, but I’d been pining for Sean, even when it had just been his words, for months. He was trying to be respectful and give me time to deal with all the head baggage I had because of Evan. It couldn’t have been easy on him with his feelings and now with me staying in his small place. I knew he was trying to protect me.
I heaved a sigh as I let Bear go and went to look for something to wear to bed. I told myself it was probably for the best, because the minute I went behind that closed door there would be no going back.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Miss Intern
“Alright,interns.We’veassignedeach of you to an editorial assistant who in turn works for each of us,” Chloe explained. She called out each partnership before she got to her own charges. “Olivia, you are going to be working with my editorial assistant Tasha.”
A stylish woman with silky dark hair and tawny skin waved at me as the pairs broke off into various parts of the room. She had a file folder in her perfectly manicured hands. I thought about how my nails were broken and uneven because of years of grocery store tasks and biting them because of how people had treated me there.
“Excited to meet you,” Tasha said as we shook hands. “I was an intern once.”
That bit of information excited me. I sat in the chair across from her. Tasha pulled over a small table on wheels as I asked, “What would you like me to do?”
She opened the folder and put what looked like typed letters on the table. “I typically read query letters and take notes. If I like them and they follow Chloe’s guidelines, I go back and read the three chapters they submitted with their letters.” Tasha handed me about half of the small stack. “What do you say we split the pile and we can discuss what we liked and didn’t like before lunch?”
I nodded excitedly. “Sounds good to me.”
I got a pen and clipboard from a nearby work station. I could barely contain my excitement as I prepared to read the first query. I was finally doing something in the publishing industry!
In a town of vampires, a werewolf chose to stand out….
I blinked and cocked my head as I read the pitch about a fantasy world where the infamous beasts were attempting to live in harmony, but I found the whole concept a bit confusing. I wrote a large question mark on the page before I placed it in what I deemed would be my no pile.
The next one was different. It was a high fantasy where the main character was taken to a castle against her will and forced to become a queen. It reminded me ofBeauty and the Beast, so as retellings were very popular, I made my notes and put it in my yes pile to discuss with Tasha later.
After reading my entire stack, I was surprised there were many more papers in my no pile than in my yes one. It sobered me a bit because I’d been in people’s no pile before and now I saw how easy the choice had been. “So what did you think?” Tasha asked several minutes later when she had her two piles finished.
“It’s very subjective,” I admitted.
“Oh, absolutely,” Tasha replied. “We always remind prospective authors how our tastes are not everyone’s and that they may have better luck with a different press or agent.”
