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“Oh, yes.” Jillian’s eyes brightened. “Lynette is a good friend. I’m so pleased she recommended you. How do you know her?”
“I don’t.” Brooke set her glass down. “I’ve just heard…isn’t she a literary agent?”
“One of the top agents in the country.” Jillian nodded emphatically. “She represents a number of bestselling authors.”
“And you said she recommended me?”
“Yes.” A touch of confusion darkened Jillian’s eyes. “She called and said you’d applied for the writer position. Obviously, we get hundreds of applicants for openings, so Lynette asked me personally to take a look at your resume. I assumed you knew that.”
“I didn’t.” A dull ache began to encroach on Brooke’s heart.
As if sensing her sudden dismay, Jillian smiled. “Having a referral is very helpful in such a competitive environment, but you stood out from the applicant pool right away. Your resume had easily made it past the first rounds and was slated to hit my desk. I just specifically sought it out when Lynette asked me to.”
“I appreciate that.” Brooke shook her head. She didn’t want to end her enjoyable interview on a dire note. “I’m sorry if I seem surprised.”
Jillian waved her hand. “Lynette and I have been friends for several years, but she knows most of the key personnel in Folio Publishing. Her family has known the Atwoods for ages.”
Brooke’s reporter instinct kicked into high gear. She kept her voice casual as she said, “Oh, yes, the Atwoods. Their company ownsClarity.”
“Clarityis their largest magazine holding.” Jillian nodded. “They’re mostly a book publisher, but they took over a few magazines when they acquired the Wilcox Media Group.”
“Interesting.” Brooke rose and extended her hand. “It was lovely having the opportunity to talk with you. Please let me know if there are any other questions I can answer.”
“You do the same.” Jillian shook her hand and walked with her to the door. “As I said, you can expect to hear from us soon.”
Brooke thanked her again and left the office. Mandy looked up from her desk right outside the door.
“How did it go?” she asked in a stage whisper, her eyes bright with expectation.
“Very well, thanks.” Brooke made a mental note to send the cheerful young woman a box of gourmet chocolates as a thank-you-for-being-so-nice gift. “Jillian said she’d get back to me soon.”
“Word on the street is you’re on the short list.” Mandy winked.
Brooke smiled and said goodbye. She took the elevator to street level and stopped in the lobby to call Sam. Again, no answer. She started to text him the namesLynette HanoverandLincoln Atwood, then stopped. She needed to talk with him face-to-face.
She stepped outside. The noise of snow-blowers and car engines filled the cold air. She hailed a cab to take her to the hotel. Later this afternoon, she’d get on a plane back to Bliss Cove.
But for the first time ever, she didn’t know what would be waiting for her.
