I push the thought of dating from my mind and head for the shower.
Dating is out of the question until I figure out my career.
How do I fix it?
I have no idea.
* * *
“I knew I’d find you here,” Simon says, walking into The Space. “Out of all of us, you have a house to yourself, and yet you’re still here the most.”
I lean back and gesture to the expansive open room. “I think the fact that other people are here getting shit done motivates me.”
“That makes sense.” He sets his stuff down and joins me. “Did you get past that scene you were struggling with the other day?”
“Ah, that would be no. I moved on to another book.”
“Again? What the hell, Tobias? What’s going on with you? Are you about to pull some big reveal of releasing a book a month for a year or what?”
I could see how he’d think that since I’ve held back the truth.
“I know it. You’re like six books ahead of me now. Shit,” I say the words in a joking tone to pull the attention off me. It works.
He chuckles. “It’s not a competition.”
“No, but it’s like the longer I go between releases, the more I feel out of sync with the industry. So much is changing, and I’m stuck here.” I gesture to my computer with my hands. “I don’t even know where here is.”
Well, shit. That’s the most I’ve divulged to someone who isn’t Natalie.
Simon studies me briefly before asking, “Do you not enjoy it anymore?”
“I do. I love writing. I still write every day, but I think I get bored.”
“Did you talk to Natalie about it? She’s always been a good source for you. You two are more in sync than anyone I know. She could basically write a book about you at this point.”
I eye him carefully.
“Did she say something to you?”
“About what?”
“Writing a book.”
He shakes his head.
“Oh, well, she suggested we write one together to help me get out of my funk.”
His left brow peaks. “Really? What did you say?”
“That I would think about it.”
“What’s holding you back?”
“I write smut. Can you imagine Nat and I writing that together? Yeah, we’ve talked about sex before, but writing it out explicitly would be different.”
“You’re both professionals. I’m sure you can get past it.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head.
