Page 89 of Unconventionally, Elle
"Been there done that," I said nonchalantly.
"What? Who? When?" She leaned in closer for the gossip.
Louie lifted his head and snorted.
"While I was waiting for you yesterday. Jude was running and stopped to chat for a bit. Only difference is he didn't ask meto marry him." I laughed and placed the coffee back on my right thigh.
"Jesus, Elle. You and Jude run into each other like it's fate or something. Do you realize how big New York City really is? And you see him here?"
"I don't know." I shrugged.
I was wiping away one of Louie's eye boogers when Rachel pointed at my purse with a curious expression on her face. "Elle, I think your phone is going off." I grabbed it and glanced at the number. I didn't recognize it.
"I don't know who it is." I looked at Rachel, confused.
"Answer it, dummy. You never know."
I didn't want to pick up, but she was sitting right next to me and pressured me into it. "Fine," I said.
I took a deep breath and answered my phone. "Hello, this is Elle."
The conversation lasted only a minute, and my body was vibrating. I hung up after repeated thank-yous and stared wide-eyed at Rach.
"Oh my God, oh my God! Who was it? Elle, you look extremely odd. What happened?" Rachel was freaking out and Louie started barking.
"Rach! Rach!"
"Fuck, Elle. What is it?"
"Rachel, I have an agent!"
Her jaw dropped and then she was standing on the bench screaming, "My best friend just got an agent! She's going to be a famous writer! My best friend has an agent!"
The laughter escaped from my lips, and I jumped up on the bench with her, holding Louie of course, and started chanting, "I got an agent! I got an agent!"
When we finally sat back down, Louie's eyes were terrified and Rach was panting.
"Okay, so which agent chose to represent you?" she asked as she cleaned the spilled coffee from her hand and forearm."So, it wasn't anyone I sent a submission to. It was an agent from the writing competition I entered a few months ago! Her name is Jordan Cline."
"Oh shit! Okay, what did she say?"
"Rach, I can't believe this is real. Seriously. Fuck. Ahh! She said she loved my writing style and my voice and has been thinking about my novel ever since she read it. When she told me she wanted to represent me, Rach, I almost died. Like, oh my God! She wants to represent me!"
Rach leaned in despite Louie's discomfort and pulled me into a warm, firm hug.
Louie was barking like crazy, and suddenly I couldn't stop crying. The happiest tears I've ever cried were racing down my cheeks. "She wants me to send her any other projects I've been working on. I'm gonna send her the manuscript I've been submitting. I think she'd love it. She says she represents mostly general fiction but loves a good romance." My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. "Oh my God, my chest hurts, I can't breathe." I grabbed my chest and leaned back on the bench.
Louie whined and crawled up me.
"We have to call Sarah, like now!" Rach said.
"And Finn and Jackson. Oh, and Jude," I added.
She lifted an eyebrow and gave me a knowing grin. Rachel dialed Sarah's number, and while she did that, I quickly sent separate texts to everyone.
Me:I did it! I got an agent! I'm on my way to getting published.
Jackson responded immediately.
