AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My heart stops because I haven’t told Maya or Penny yet about my submission. Not that it’s a secret. It’s just that the fewer people who know about it, the fewer people I have to tell when I’m rejected. The fewer times I have to suffer the humiliation of having to admit I’m a failure.
I’m not going to get mad at Parker for letting it slip. She’s excited for me and I didn’t tell her to keep it a secret. That’s on me.
“I did,” I whisper like that will keep Maya and Penny from asking what the hell we’re talking about.
“You made sure to mention our arrangement and connection?” Parker asks.
I nod.
“Good. I’ll call her. Make sure she saw it.”
“Thanks,” I say as cheerfully as I can but I’m not getting my hopes up. Mina’s had all week to see my submission with Parker’s name attached. It doesn’t bode well for my chances that Mina hasn’t even mentioned it to her own sister.
“What the hell was that about?” Maya asks as we take our coffee and cupcakes to sit at the table by the window at the front of the shop.
I explain everything as quickly as I can, trying not to make it sound like a big deal. My nerves betray me though. My voice shakes and my breathing is labored when I mention The Rose.
“Holy shit, Skye. That’s fucking amazing. I hope you get it,” Maya says.
“Yeah, Skye. That’s really great. But… will you have to go? Live there, I mean?” Penny asks but her eyes ask another question. She wonders what I’m going to do about Theron if I have to leave.
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead. Odds are I’ll get rejected.”
“That’s bullshit,” Maya says. “Your paintings are gorgeous. And they sell.”
“It’s a completely different market.”
“Have faith,” Maya says taking my hand and squeezing it tight.
Penny does the same with my other hand. “If it’s meant to be, it will all work out.” Penny’s assurance doesn’t quite make sense in the context of this conversation but it makes perfect sense in the context of the unspoken conversation we had about Theron.
All I can do is hope that she’s right. With or without the gallery show. I hope things work out with Theron for more than just a week or so of sneaking around.
“Bonfire’s probably getting started,” Maya says after we’ve had our second round of cupcakes and coffee. I probably shouldn’t have even had the first peanut butter cup cupcake but they’re so damn good and Theron doesn’t seem to care that I’m a little thick all over. In fact, he really seems to like it. So why shouldn’t I?
“What’s that?” Maya asks when my phone buzzes and lights up where it sets on the table.
Shit. It could be Theron. I don’t know what she’ll do if she sees his name on my phone.
I snatch it off the table and stuff it in my bag hanging on the back of my chair.
“Are you crazy?” Maya says grabbing for my bag. “It could be the gallery.”
“It’s not,” I assure her but look across the shop at Parker. She’s already grinning widely at me.
No fucking way.
I smack Maya’s hands away from my bag while Penny shrinks into her chair, embarrassed as hell for the both of us.
My hands shake and my eyes close tight, afraid of seeing the dreaded “Thank you for your submission but…” message on the screen as I hold my phone on my lap.
“Come on. What does it say?” Maya demands.
Taking an uneasy breath, I pry my eyes open and look down at the screen.
Unknown: Let me just start off by saying I…
That’s it. I have to open the chat screen to see the rest. Another breath and I swipe up to read it.
