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My heart did an instant double take. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely, and it will be the first naked interview I’ve ever done.” He laughed, lying back against the headboard.
22
LANDON
I’d considered this for a long time. Letting someone come in and get the exclusive the world wanted. But each time, it reminded me of what happened and how cruel that same world could be. I would get close to conceding and withdraw again, even further. If Shelby knew I was moving forward this time, she would burst. I could see her and Tara bonding, both of them with my best interests at heart. I moved a few pillows and leaned back. Once I started, I needed to finish. Despite the butterflies in my stomach, my head and heart were telling me this was the right time. The right person.
“In the beginning…” I laughed, and she did, too. “Just kidding. Breaking any tension left. Are you ready?”
She nodded, squeezing my hand, then letting go so she could take notes. I had the strongest desire to tell her exactly how I felt about her right then, but I pushed it down to get the stuff bubbling at the top out. If I was lucky, I’d have the rest of my life to tell her how much I cared.
“Okay. All joking aside, in order to tell you about the downfall, I’ll have to truly start at the beginning.”
“Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?” she asked.
I chuckled. “I was either going to be a writer or a stuntman. After I broke my leg trying to ramp over the kiddie pool in my backyard at seven years old, I decided writing was safer.”
“Good choice.”
“I entered all sorts of writing competitions throughout middle and high school, winning several of them. In college, I majored in English with a minor in journalism. But I knew I didn’t want to go the reporter route, no offense.”
Tara grinned. “None taken.”
“I entered what I would consider my first full novel into a contest in college. This small publishing company sponsored it. I didn’t win, but they approached me anyway, asking if I would mind working with them to tweak a few things. Of course I said yes. I knew it could be a big break for me. Six months later, it was ready to go.”
Pausing, I picked up my mug and took a swig of coffee. Thinking about the beginning was bittersweet. If I could go back and warn myself what was coming, I would.
“The first book did okay, nothing earth-shattering. We talked about some other plots I’d developed, and they liked one in particular. It didn’t take much altering to get to their standards, and it published just a couple of months after the first one. That was my sophomore year. By the time my twenty-first birthday came around at the beginning of my senior year, I’d written two more, and they were big hits. I ended up leaving school to tour with my book series. There was no way I could keep churning out books and finish school. And I was young and dumb. My thoughts were that I could always go back and finish the last semester.”
“Did you?”
“Actually, yes. No one but my agent knows that. But we’ll get to that part. Once I became known in the literary world, bigger firms reached out to me. They threw manuscripts my way, telling me I could tweak them and get a few more books out. It would be much quicker than writing from scratch. All of them were told no. I was, and still am, very loyal. I wasn’t going to leave the company that gave me my first break.”
“That’s admirable. A lot of people would have jumped ship for the next big thing.”
“I’m pretty certain they wish I would have. Especially with everything that happened. But Shelby—she’s my agent—has been with me through everything. I’ll never understand why. I owe her so much. I’ll never be able to repay her.”
“How did she feel about you moving to the mountains of Tennessee?”
I tilted my head back with a slight nod, remembering her initial response. “She wasn’t thrilled. But I convinced her it was the best move for me. Like I said, she’s been amazing. Are you done with your coffee?”
“I am.”
She handed me her mug, and I took both mine and hers into the kitchen. I knew I was stalling, and I was sure she did, too. It said a lot that she wasn’t pushing me forward. Trying to get to the good part, so to speak. Back in bed, I pulled the covers up to my waist.
“I had several best sellers in a row, and it seemed like I was on top to stay. But again, I was young and dumb. I took the popularity and ran with it. Staying out all night partying, a different girl every night. Sometimes two in one night. I was rude and spoiled. Shelby tried to rein me in. I honestly didn’t think about what my actions might do to her. I didn’t care.” I brushed my hand across my cheek. “Eventually, the paparazzi were following me, desperate to figure out what stupid thing I would do next. That’s what happened the night of the accident. For weeks, they’d been getting bolder. Posing as deliverymen to get up to my penthouse suite, sending women to offer me… well, I’m sure you understand.”
