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“Yeah. Brandon’s at work. It’ll be just you and me if you want to talk.”
“Shall I call my publisher first?”
“Sure. I’ll go get us some coffee and pastries. See you in a minute.”
“All right.” Holden got back in his car with his mind whirling. He searched for his editor’s number in his phone with a trembling thumb. It was too good to be true. Provided they were interested in Finn’s story of course.
“Hey, Holden, thought we were never going to hear from you again,” Megan Brown answered. She was an efficient red head with expensive taste in shoes. Rumor had it she owned over two hundred pairs. While she was a slave driver with no room for sentiment, Holden rather liked her. He guessed she had always got the best out of him.
“Yeah,” Holden said. “I’ve been off grid.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“I’d rather not say.”
Megan sighed. “Don’t you trust me?”
“I just don’t want anybody coming here disturbing my peace, that’s all.”
“All right. Less than a month till deadline. Are you ready?”
“Not exactly.”
“What?”
“I’ve been thinking of a non-fiction.”
“What? You mean you haven’t even started?”
“Not as such.”
“Fucking hell, Holden.”
“I can do it if you give me the go ahead for a true crime.”
“Tell me more,” Megan said cautiously.
“There’s a guy who was the victim of domestic abuse. By his boyfriend. The ex followed him here and was shot by the local sheriff. Sheriff and the guy now live together. The guy’s interested in telling his story.”
“How serious was the abuse?”
“Scarred for life serious.”
“All right, first draft in a week.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Don’t let me down, Holden.”
“I won’t. But listen, there’ll be an advance, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll get you an advance.”
“I need it to be a good one.” Holden bit his lip, hating himself.
“I know you do,” Megan replied with her tone softer than Holden had ever heard it.
Holden hung up. He got out of the car again as Finn approached from the bakery with a take-out bag and opened the passenger door for him. “Thanks.” Finn climbed in and pulled on his seatbelt. Holden swung himself behind the wheel. He glanced at Finn’s smooth, perfect profile and wished with his whole heart that he didn’t have to rip this man apart in order to make some money.
