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“Still, I shouldn’t have done this. We shouldn’t have let it go on so long,” I insist.
“Look, there’s nothing I can do about the past. All I can do is ask that whatever relationship you and Liam have, it stays between you. I don’t need any dating drama messing up other books that he writes with us.”
I nod slowly, still in disbelief by her reaction. I expected fire and brimstone. I expected to be let go, sent packing with nothing but the pictures I had on my desk and my shattered pride. The last thing I ever expected was Kristen’s compassion and kindness. I’m overwhelmed again, and I can’t help but smile.
I doubted Liam could handle this, but to my surprise, he pulled it off.
“Now,” Kristen says, sitting up straight. “I need some time to think about this ending and decide if it's what the story needs. Liam's assured me he can mess around with the beginning of the sequel, so it's more cohesive and not as messy as the original outline, but we'll see how this all turns out.”
I nod and fold the papers in two. “Thank you again, Kristen. I mean it. I can’t say thank you enough.”
Her smile softens. “Don't thank me. I want you to get out there and not make me regret making you senior editor.”
I rise from my seat and walk to the door. After a moment of hesitation, I turn back to thank her once more, then close the door on my way out. As soon as I hear the click of her lock engaging, I let out a deep breath and close my eyes. My emotions can't keep up with this rollercoaster I'm on.
I gather my composure, straighten up, and walk back to my office. I have to talk to Liam as soon as possible.
14
Liam
I'm on the phone with a good friend of mine, Quinton Harvey, when I hear a knock at the door. “One second, Quinton,” I say, pushing off the hotel bed and crossing the room to get the door. I expect to find room service, but instead, it's Harlow. She doesn't look too happy. I usher her in before continuing my call.
“That’s great, Q,” I say, smiling. “Thank you so much for doing me a solid. You’re helping me out more than I ever could’ve expected. Tell the wife I said hi. Okay. Bye.”
When I hang up, Harlow looks at me expectantly. “What was that about?”
“Well,” I say smugly, “That was about me getting Destiny a deal with Quinton's most popular author. I met him and a bunch of other agents at an event a couple of years ago, and we talk quite a bit. His author Sylvia Patterson has been looking for a publishing house for some of her more erotic stories. She didn't know who to go with, but I got Destiny to negotiate an amazing deal with her.”
Harlow doesn’t seem as excited as me. “Why with Destiny?”
“She works at Hourglass, right? If there's one thing Destiny loves more than flirting with people—and blackmailing you—it's money. I called in a favor and got Sylvia a killer contract for a two-book deal in exchange for Destiny to keep our relationship away from everyone else. I don't need anyone in our business until we're ready to tell the world that we're together. It should be on our terms, not Destiny's.”
She smiles softly, but I sense her holding something back. I take a seat beside her on the bed and pull her into my arms. “What’s going on? You’re not jumping for joy like I thought you would.”
“I…” She pauses, her brows knitting together as she struggles to find the right words. “I lost my job.”
“What?” No, this isn't possible. “I talked to Kristen this afternoon, and she said that everything is going to be okay.”
“Yeah, she told me the same thing. Then she said that she'd rather not risk the reputation of Midnight. A scandal like this could negatively reflect on a new imprint, and she couldn't put everyone else's job at risk for mine.” Harlow puts her head in her hands, and her shoulders begin to shake.
Stunned, I pull her closer and rub her back. “I’m calling Kristen,” I say. “I’m calling her out and telling her I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure my book doesn’t come out with Midnight.”
“You can’t do that,” Harlow murmurs, her voice frail.
“Yes, the hell I can. I don't care how much I have to pay; I don't want this book published without you. You helped me make it into something great. You should be getting just as much credit as me.”
I can feel my irritation growing more and more. From the way Kristen sounded on the phone, she was on our side. She seemed supportive of our relationship as long as we didn’t let it interfere with our work. And now, just when we’d gotten so close to pulling through, she’s thrown a curveball and knocked us off course.
“You can’t call her and tell her your quit,” Harlow says, shaking her head.
“Why not? Why shouldn’t I go up there and cuss them out for letting you go?”
Harlow sits up straight, a wide smile on her face. “Because they didn’t fire me.”
“What?”
“I was just messing with you; they didn't fire me. Kristen said it was fine, but we had to be careful. I still have my job. Plus, she loved your rewrite and thinks we should go with it.”
