Chapter 2

Kasey

Kasey scanned the dining area in search of her best friend. From the far corner of the seating area, Nicole stood perched on the foot rest of her barstool, waving her hand frantically until she locked eyes with Kasey. Migo’s was their favorite Mexican restaurant in the city, and at least once a month they scheduled a date for margaritas and girl talk.

She could feel all the eyes on her as she made her way through the packed crowd, but the attention of men was nothing new. Kasey had been fending men off since she was a teenager. When she was halfway to Nicole, a bold blonde stood in her way, his broad chest blocking her path. After first trying to move right, and then left, only to learn he was intentionally holding her up, she looked up into his bright blue eyes.

“Can I help you?” she asked, trying to bury her irritation. She’d just finished reading a dreary novel by an author she thought could be a new client, and was more than ready for the margarita she’d seen was waiting for her on the table across from Nicole.

“I don’t know. Can you?” The strange man answered with too much confidence for her liking, running his fingers through his hair as he looked down his perfectly straight nose, flashing a pearly white smile.

“No.”

It was all she said before side stepping and continuing in the direction of Nicole, who was overly amused by her best friend’s lack of interest in the man. Kasey could hear him huff and puff behind her, but thought nothing more of him as she all but dove into Nicole’s open arms.

“I’ve been counting down to see you all day!” Nicole squealed when they finally released each other.

“I had to finish that book, so I’ve been in the zone,” Kasey explained before taking a long sip of her margarita, closing her eyes slowly to emphasize how tasty is was. Nicole giggled before chastising her.

“Kasey, you don’t need to work on weekends, too, you know!”

“I thought I had one. A winner, you know? It’s a guy I’ve been chasing for months. There aren’t many men in the romance genre. I thought he’d be an anomaly, but he turned out to be more of a catastrophe!” she said, sticking her tongue out after the last word, showing her distaste.

Kasey prided herself on discovering new talent, and was rarely ever wrong. Her disappointment would surely fade before the sun set, but until then, she would mourn the failure of the writer like a friend, because all of her clients—even those she never signed—were near and dear to her heart.

“Well, I know Trisha isn’t a catastrophe. When you told me you’d signed her, I bought her latest book—you know, the one with the racy cover. I knew from the lingerie that I was going to like it,” Nicole blushed.

“Oh, she’s so good. I can’t wait to see this new series she’s working on come to life. She’s such a student of her craft, it’s impressive to see her work,” Kasey gushed, looking at Nicole, but her vision was in the clouds, back at the office, where she brought her dreams to life.

“I got so lost in the book, I literally lost track of time and let the phone ring off the hook,” Nicole admitted with embarrassment covering her face. She was a good employee, and hated to think of letting her bosses down.

“You shouldn’t be answering phones at a doctor’s office anyway. You know you’re too talented for that, Nicole,” Kasey began her continuous plea for Nicole to leave the job that did nothing more than pay her bills.

“And let me guess, I should be a famous writer instead?” Nicole pretended to be annoyed as she moved her index finger in a circular motion, signaling to the waiter they were ready for a second round of refills.

“You read more than me! There’s never a new emerging artist you’re not familiar with, and you’re more than capable of comparing writers, and understanding trends. Whenever I have a new author, you’re the first person I share their work with, because you know what it takes. You should be writing your own stories! You have the blueprint!” Kasey screamed across the table, thankful the restaurant was packed, so her outburst easily blended into the cacophony of the restaurant.

“Reading a lot of books doesn’t make you a good writer, the same way watching basketball every day doesn’t mean you can dunk. I’m a bibliophile, nothing more, nothing less,” she said, too casually for Kasey’s liking. They were interrupted by the waiter, who was struggling to make room for their new drinks.

“Would you like to order dinner or appetizers?” he asked, after finally replacing their empty glasses with fresh drinks, the color of a ripe lime.

“Chicken tacos for me, and a beef burrito for her,” Nicole ordered their regulars before sending the waiter away.

“Fine. I won’t push.” Kasey backed down with a soft smile of defeat, before taking a sip of the strong margarita, the tequila warming her from the inside. “For now, at least,” she added, after swallowing the cold liquid.

“It’s fine. I have my own quarrels to pick,” Nicole began, sipping her margarita without taking her eyes off her best friend.

“What did I do?”

“It’s not what you did, but more what you should do,” Nicole answered, without revealing her premise.

“If you’re talking about giving this writer a chance, I’ll let you read his work. I know everyone can grow, but trust me, Nicky, this guy is not going to be a hit.” Kasey revealed her level of intoxication by using Nicole’s nickname, typically a reliable barometer.

The two had met when Nicole was the receptionist for the first small publishing house in Kasey’s career as an agent. Within a week, they were inseparable, and even after they both moved on from the small operation, their friendship stayed intact.

“This has nothing to do with your career. I’m talking about you getting back out there and dating.” Nicole knew she was entering dangerous territory, but she always felt the need to voice her concern.

Kasey had been shying away from dating ever since her fiancé called off their engagement during their senior year of college. In some ways, Nicole feared Kasey had never fully recovered from the heartbreak, but it was difficult to criticize someone as successful as her friend.

“You know I don’t have time for that,” she answered solemnly, with a hint of what almost sounded like regret in her voice. Nicole didn’t want to push the subject, but she couldn’t help herself.

“At what point do you think your career will be safe enough to focus on other aspects of your life?”

“When I’m not worrying about paying my bills,” she responded swiftly, looking directly into the eyes of her best friend.

“No argument there. You know I think you should be making a lot more for all you do for that shitty company,” Nicole said, just as the waiter arrived.

“It’s not about the money, and you know that. My writers are family to me, and they hire me because of the friendship. I would never be able to survive in this business if I was just like every agent—only after my percentage.”

It was the truth. Kasey was the most successful agent in the region, but she worked for a publishing house that may not be known by someone in the city. She was too loyal for the wrong reasons, but feared if she ever left, her clients would think she’d do the same to them.

“Just consider your options,” was all Nicole said before digging into her tacos.

The rest of the dinner was spent on more lighthearted girl talk—like their favorite reality TV shows and updates on mutual friends. By the time they each got into their separate Ubers, full of Mexican food and tipsy from the margaritas, Kasey was even more grateful they carved out these times to catch up.

However, when her iPhone pinged with a new email from Passions Publishing, she was forced to sober up. Kasey was so focused on the simple request for a meeting that she offered the driver an extra five dollars to let her sit in the back seat for a few minutes after arriving at her townhouse.

The message was addressed to her from Jay Canton, and of course she knew his name, he was the most successful publisher in Minnesota—possibly in the whole country. But, it couldn’t actually be from him. He couldn’t possibly know who she was. Could he?

She asked herself these questions before agreeing to a meeting at the famed publishing house the following Monday. With a flash of a smile, she handed the driver a five dollar bill and thanked him, walking into her building filled with anxious excitement for Monday.