Page 47 of Clear Blue Sky

“My brother thought—since you’re in the area—it would be a good idea to sit down and chat about the direction of the rewrite and resubmit.” Brandi folded her hands in her lap.

Nelson thought playing it as though she wasn’t thrilled with her brother meddling in her acquisitions would be best. It wouldn’t be hard to do that since she was on edge. She could also draw on all the times she and her brother disagreed on a book and how it should be edited or marketed.

“I’ve read your manuscript and while I agree with my sister that some changes need to be made, I wanted to hear what your thoughts were about her ideas and if you had any of your own.” Lake had an incredibly diplomatic way about him, and Brandi’s father had always told her that she needed to be more like him if she was going to have total control of the company.

She’d spent the better part of the last year learning to have a softer edge when it came to handling situations like these. However, if this was an actual manuscript they were considering, they wouldn’t be having this meeting.

She also believed that authors needed to develop a thick skin. She got tired of having to be tactful in her assessment of their work, especially new writers. It was one thing to be professional. It wasn’t like she had any intention of hurting a person’s feelings. What she did want to do was make the book better for readers and ultimately, bring in the sales numbers.

If authors felt their version of the novel was better than her suggestions, they needed to be able to express that in a way that sold the editor. Half the time it wasn’t the plot that was the problem, but the execution.

In Marcus’ case, it was both if you took out what he’d done to Nelson. His ideas were cliché at best. She’d seen a million of those manuscripts come across her desk. Normally, they were rejected. However, every once in a while, the execution—or the twists of the same old idea—were so impressive, she wanted to read more or have the author give it another go.

This was the game they were playing with Marcus. At least on the surface.

“I’m curious as to why you found the ending so intolerable.” Marcus leaned back, his demeanor relaxed and slightly arrogant. “I get it’s disturbing, but it’s meant to be psychological. It was meant to leave the reader gobsmacked and wondering if there would be more, which I’d like to make this a series.” He smiled like a kid running into a candy store and being told he could spend his entire allowance.

“It’s really hard to write the antihero,” Lake said. “And I’ll be honest, this didn’t pull it off.” He held up his hand. “I do like the concept of having a rough around the edges hero who doesn’t do things by the book, especially if we can make him a hero in more than one novel. You won’t do it if you make him an accessory to murder.”

“I’ve read what Brandi thinks I should do with the rewrites,” Marcus said. “What do you suggest?”

“I take it you don’t appreciate my sister’s ideas.” Lake sipped his beverage.

Brandi opened her mouth to protest how much she hated it when anyone discussed her as if she wasn’t even at the table, but Veronica showed up with their appetizers.

That was probably a good thing. She needed to keep her cool and antagonizing Marcus wasn’t the way to do that.

She filled a plate with a couple of chicken wings, a few onion rings, and one quesadilla. She wasn’t overly hungry, but she braced herself for wanting to eat her feelings. Even though this wasn’t a real business meeting, it was going to suck to have to listen to her awesome editorial opinion be torn apart by an asshole who wanted to mess with her boyfriend’s mental state. “Whenever you get the chance, can I get another glass of rose?”

Lake arched a brow.

She ignored it as she took a nice hearty gulp of her adult beverage. Once a week her mother went out with her two best friends. They called themselvesthe ladies who lunch. And with that title, they allowed themselves two glasses of wine.

If they could do it, so could she.

She scanned the bar area, looking for Nelson, but found no sight of him, because he was up in his office, listening.

Her feelings for him had intensified to a level she hadn’t anticipated so quickly, making her want to return to New York City's safety net. She could hide in the sea of people. The constant movement and noise allowed her to blend in and never really be seen or heard. It was a luxury that many didn’t understand.

But it could also be a lonely existence, and the thought of returning to it tightened her chest.

She was falling hard for Nelson and there was no turning that boat around.

“It’s not that I don’t value Brandi’s opinion.” Marcus pushed his plate aside and turned his attention to her. “I was so impressed with your lecture at the conference and how you handled the questions that came at you during the panel discussions.”

Liar. He hadn’t attended, but he could have managed to purchase the audio recordings, or perhaps he’s just a bold asshole and she should catch him in the act.

“I knew of all the editors there; you were the one I wanted to submit to,” Marcus said.

“What in my workshop struck a chord with you?” She picked up her fork and knife, slicing through her quesadilla and stuffing a large piece into her mouth.

His answer should be amusing.

“It wasn’t any one thing in particular, but I will say I enjoyed how you were more specific about wanting something different. Giving examples of how to twist things and make characters unique. Based on what I heard you say, I did some rewriting before submitting.”

Shit. She said that kind of shit in interviews all the time. If anyone googled her, they could find it in a blog. Nothing new there. “I do like the way you did a lot of things. However, you pushed too far at the end. It’s a lot to ask the reader to go on a dark journey and root for the bad guy.”

“But is she really a bad person? Or a good person put in a shitty situation and ends up—”

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