Page 35 of Love to Defy You
Chapter 9
Willow
On Monday morning, I meet up with Josie for coffee and danishes from our favorite coffee cart on campus. We find a bench in the sun to keep us warm against the brisk air and clutch the hot coffee cups in our hands.
I lean against the back of the bench and survey the Weltner courtyard. The campus is full of life as students walk between the stately brick buildings that surround the quad. A pair of girls sits beneath a tree reading their textbooks while a few guys kick a soccer ball back and forth on the lawn.
It feels good to get some fresh air after a weekend at home with Alek. He and I haven’t spoken much since he got home on Saturday covered in fertilizer, and the tension gripping the apartment was growing unbearable.
Josie pushes her sunglasses on top of her auburn head and glances at me. “So, how are you getting on after your first week of classes?”
“Good. I think I’m going to like most of my classes, except maybe the Shakespeare one.” I take a sip of my coffee, and the hot liquid warms me on the way down.
She lets out a light laugh. “Wordy fellow, isn’t he?”
I clap a hand over my mouth. “Wait, sorry. Is it rude to insult Shakespeare in front of a Brit?”
“No, no, insult him all you want.” Josie waves me off. “Personally, I find him rather boring.”
“Oh, thank God.” When I laugh, it feels good, like I’ve opened the vent of a pressure cooker and released the steam building up inside.
My phone pings in my pocket with an incoming email. While Josie nibbles on her danish, I open my inbox, and when I see the sender, I straighten up.
Josie, who’s still chewing her food, covers her mouth to speak. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s an email from one of my favorite authors.” I openRE: Alpha Reader Opportunityand scan through the message. My heart rate picks up the farther along I read. “Oh, my God. No fucking way.”
“What did they say?” Josie leans over my shoulder to peek at my screen.
“She says she really appreciated my detailed review of her ARC I posted last week. And she wants me to be an alpha reader for her upcoming book.” I glance up at Josie. “I’ve never been an alpha reader for anyone before.”
She shrugs. “So? Didn’t you say you wanted to go into a publishing career? This is great experience for your CV.”
I look back at the screen and reread the email. “I don’t want to screw it up, though.”
“Is it paid?”
“Well, no.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Josie takes a sip of her coffee and swallows. “That’s what uni is about. Take risks. Make mistakes. Learn and take that experience out into the real world.”
I take a deep breath and stare at my phone. “It would be really cool to read her book before anyone else.”
“That’s the spirit.” Josie nudges my arm. “You know, if you’re interested in reading manuscripts, my father has a friend who owns a publishing house in London. I could inquire about a summer internship for you, if you’d like?”
I whip my head up from my phone. “Seriously? That would be incredible!”
“I mean, you’d probably be fetching coffee and combing through the slush pile. It isn’t glorious, but—“
“Are you kidding? Reading books as a job would be a dream.”
She laughs. “All right, then. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you, Josie.” I lean over and hug her, although I’m careful not to spill our coffees or squish our danishes.
Exhilaration sweeps through me. Opportunities are opening up for me, and it’s giving me a clearer direction to pursue. For the longest time, I was so depressed that I couldn’t envision a future for myself. It always looked like a black curtain of nothingness.
After I met Alek, things started to change. I worked hard to get into a good school like Weltner, but now that I’ve met that goal, I’m not sure what to look forward to next. But this internship prospect gets me excited about something. If I alpha/beta read in the meantime, it would look good on my resume, and I could use that experience to apply for other internships if Josie’s offer doesn’t pan out.
