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“Jill S? Stands for Sherman, according to her email address. I don’t…what? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Her eyes had sharpened the second I mentioned Jill’s name.
“Isabella,” she said slowly. “Jill Sherman is one of the biggest thriller agents working right now. She reps Ruby Leigh.” A trace of rare excitement ran through her voice.
Shock knocked the breath from my lungs. Ruby Leigh was my favorite erotic thriller author and my introduction to the genre. I had an entire shelf dedicated to her books. I hadn’t researched agents yet because I wanted to finish my manuscript first, but querying Ruby’s agent had been at the top of my post-completion to-do list.
“But…I don’t…” How the hell did Ruby Leigh’s agent get my email? Was this simply someone pretending to be her? If so, I didn’t see the point; the email didn’t contain any phishing links or requests for payment.
The more I thought about it, the more real it seemed.
Croissant flakes and coffee churned next to a tiny, dangerous seed of hope.
“Let me see the email.” Sloane studied the message after I handed it to her. “This is her. Right email, right signature. She always signs off in all lowercase with her last initial, no period. It’s not something people outside the industry would know.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” My pulse thundered as the implication of what she was saying sank in.Not a scam.“Unless she hacked into my computer, there’s no way she could’ve gotten a hold of those chapters.”
“Did you show your manuscript to anyone?” Alessandra asked.
“No, I…” My sentence trailed off, subsumed by an unbidden memory.
I’m not sure whether it counts as a gift since I can’t guarantee it’s good, but you wanted to read it…
“Kai,” I whispered.
A deep, unsettling ache reverberated in my chest.
He hadn’t said a word about my book after I gave him the sample chapters. Why would he submit them to an agent without telling me?
“Because he thinks it’s good, Isa,” Vivian said softly, and I realized with a start I’d voiced my thoughts aloud. “You know Kai. He wouldn’t have shown it to anyone if he didn’t stand behind it.”
Not just anyone, buttheone. The biggest agent in the genre.
Sloane returned my phone. I took it, my throat aching with unshed tears.
It wasn’t just about Kai or Jill. It was about the fact thatsomeonebelieved in me. Enough to send my manuscript out when I didn’t have the courage to do it myself; enough to take the time and give detailed notes when her inbox must be flooded with similar queries.
Kai always said he had faith in me, but seeing him act on it was different from simply hearing it. I’d spent so many years internalizing my failures that I didn’t trust anyone who didn’t confirm my insecurities. There was comfort in the familiar, even if the familiar sucked. Being small was easier than putting myself out there for other people to judge.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Sloane’s voice dragged me back to the café.
I swallowed my tears and blinked, trying to reorient myself to the present. “What?”
“Jill’s request for a revise and resubmit.” She nodded at my phone. “I skimmed the notes. There aren’t many. You could probably knock out the edits in a week.”
“What a coincidence,” Alessandra said innocently. “You also have the next week off at Floria. I’m…taking a work-free vacation.”
A frown bent my brows. “Didn’t you just go on vacation over the holidays?”
“Isa!”Sloane, Alessandra, and Vivian’s groans formed an exasperated chorus.
“Okay, okay! I get it.” A trickle of exhilaration leaked into my blood, erasing some of my melancholy.Ruby Leigh’sagent wantedmyrevised manuscript. Why the hell was I still sitting here? “Do you guys mind…I have to…”
“If you don’t leave right now, I’m pushing you out the door myself,” Vivian said. “Go!”
“Good luck!” Alessandra called after me. “Drink lots of caffeine!”
I waved at them over my shoulder as I rushed out the door. I almost knocked over a passing couple in my haste to catch the next train home and rushed out an apology. The guy yelled something at me, unappeased, but I didn’t bother stopping.
