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When Gloria finishes editing a manuscript, she prints it up into galleys and passes them out to the staff so everyone can read it like a physical book and proofread it. Thirty is how many errors Lulu found in the latest galley.
Gloria’s not exactly friendly, and she definitely suspects I’m up to no good, but she answers my questions without hesitation. “When we started this game, the team was so competitive they found a slew of non-errors just to inflate their numbers. It made more work for me, so I changed things. For every non-error they mark, they lose points, so Lulu’s thirty won’t be official until I’ve reviewed her work.”
“Okay, makes sense. But what’s the prize?”
“Once a month, we all go out to dinner and mini golf together. The winning staff member is treated by the rest of us.”
They’re all friends, not just work friends but true friends. They chat about their lives and even help each other out. Like when the entire staff went to Delia’s youngest daughter’s softball game to cheer her on, because Delia’s older daughter was in a play the same night. Delia’s a single mom, but she told me herdaughters feel like they have four extra parents because of this place.
“That sounds like fun.”
“You’ll find out. Our next one is happening in two weeks.” Gloria narrows her eyes and stares me down. “If you’re still here.”
I look away, my chest aching. If everything goes well, I’ll be gone in two weeks.
So far, nothing except this job is going well. I’ve still got no information on Cynthia Bennett, I’ve been avoiding my sisters, and there’s been this distance between me and Noah.
“What about you?” I ask. “How can you win a paid for dinner and mini-golf outing?”
She shrugs. “I don’t need the others spending their hard-earned money on me when I’ve got so few expenses.” Her smile sweetens to nauseating levels. “I’mnot a taker.”
I choose to pretend she didn’t just aim a barb directly at me and hit the bullseye and go back to editing my first project with Lovemore Publishing. It’s a steamy billionaire rom-com. Having very little money left after paying rent and buying groceries every month in New York, I can appreciate the allure of a luxe billionaire life.
“Daisy,” Joy says as she walks in. “Could I see you in my office for a moment?”
My heart flips and my stomach sours. I glance at Gloria, but she doesn’t even look up from her work. Maybe this is the standard procedure for the office?
“Uh, sure.” I save the document I’m working on and follow Joy into the house. She’s silent as we walk and my nerves go into overdrive. There’s no way this is good news.
Joy waits for me to enter her office before closing the door and sitting behind her desk. “Have a seat, Daisy.”
I sit and cross my legs, then uncross them. Then cross them again. At Tenth Avenue Books, I always dressed in business casual, but the dress code is far more relaxed here. I’m in jeans and a comfortable blouse today. I feel severely under dressed for this meeting.
Joy’s warm smile relaxes me a bit, but there’s worry in her eyes. “I’ve looked over the manuscripts you feel might be a good fit for Lovemore and I’ll be contacting a few authors. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“My concern is that two of the manuscripts you recommended are literary love stories, more women’s fiction than romance.”
I stare at her, feeling like she’s speaking another language. “I don’t understand the difference.”
“Romance books all must have a happily ever after or happy for now ending. Based on the synopsis the authors included, there were two books that did not end happily. They would be considered love stories or women’s fiction.”
“That makes sense.” I remember now that the three books she suggested I read ended with a happy couple. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
“I’m more concerned that the books we publish won’t be enough for you, Daisy. Your first love and your background are in literary fiction. I’d love to say we can branch out, but we don’t have the staff or the money to do that at this time. It’s a future possibility, but I can’t promise you’ll ever have the opportunity to edit literary fiction here. I’m certain there are publishers who’d allow you to work for them remotely, if that’s what you’d prefer.”
“Is this your roundabout way of saying you don’t think I’m cut out to edit romance?”
She presses a hand to her chest. “Not at all. I just want to be sure you can be happy here. The work you’ve done so far has been exceptional, but I want to be sure Lovemore is a good fit for you as well. If not, I need to continue searching for the right person.”
Guilt weighs heavily on my shoulders. I should tell her the truth. But if I tell her the truth and Tenth Avenue doesn’t take me back, I’ll have one more strike against me in the publishing world and be out a job.
“I can see myself working here long-term.” I’m careful not to outright lie. “I can’t promise you I won’t one day wish to go back to editing literary fiction and I understand there’s a learning curve for me to edit romance. Gloria’s been giving me a masterclass in genre expectations and tropes, and I’m getting a good feel for the genre.”
Joy beams. “I can’t ask more of you than that. Gloria says you’re a fast learner and a hard worker and I have no doubt you’ll be doing amazing work soon.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate you giving me a chance.”
