Page 87 of From Us, Forever

“Thank you,” I said, smiling at my man.

“Don’t mention it.” Jay smiled back, squeezing my thigh as he slid in next to me.

“Oh fuck. This is good,” Raphy moaned, digging into his pie like a starved animal. “Is there any way I can get her, man?” he directed his question to Mikey.

Jay grew still, shooting daggers at him.

Mikey chuckled. “Just stick around; he is bound to fuck up.” His playful eyes volleyed between Jay and me. “But it’s impossible,” he added softly.

“Why?” Raphy’s eyes rounded with confusion.

“You’ll know one day,” Mikey replied with a far-off look on his face. Almost as if he knew what it was like to love—love that one person, soul-deep in an unbearably heartbreaking way, and how impossible it was to love any other. The way I loved Jay.

“I have zero clue what you’re talking about. Or maybe you guys are just too old.” Raphy shrugged, going back to his meal while we all exchanged glances, shaking our heads.

Later that day, I was staring at a blinking cursor on my laptop, searching for inspiration to write something, when my phone rang.

Puzzled, I saw the caller ID flashed Jo’s name.

Work wasn’t supposed to start for another week, so why was she calling me? My immediate thought was, am I being fired?But I scraped it off my mind when Sarah’s voice played through my head about not letting negative thoughts get to me.

“Hey, Jo,” I chirped in a cheery voice—shifting my nervousness.

“Hello, Evy. I hope this is a good time.”

“Of course.”

“Umm, I don’t know how to say this.” She laughed nervously, and my heart thumped louder. “But I hope this isn’t a breach of trust. I forwarded your draft to a friend of mine. I know you sent it to me for input and advice, but I just saw so much potential in it and knew it would be something Angela likes. That’s my friend—Angela Lanson, I don’t know if you know her, but she is an amazing human being and a reputable agent in the industry. She emailed me earlier today saying she would like to meet you to discuss things but only if you’re interested. I know this is out of the norm, but I would hope you would consider it, Evy. And I am truly sorry for sending it without your permission.”

My heart thundered so loudly in my chest that I felt my ears buzzing. I knew who Angela was, if Nora was top tier, then Angela was elite category. She was one of the most reputable and sought-after agents in the industry, and she just doesn’t represent anyone. And now she wants to meetme?

“Evelyn, are you still there?” Jo’s concerned voice reached me.

I shook out of it. “Yes, Jo, right here. Sorry,” I managed to say, surprisingly in a steady tone. “And please don’t apologize. It’s completely fine. I trust you to do the right thing, and yes, I would love to meet with Angela.”

“That’s wonderful, Evy. I’ll have her email you and remember you deserve this.”

“Thank you so much for the opportunity. It means a lot.”

It took me a moment of baffled silence to understand what just transpired.

I was actually going to be meeting an agent, but instead of feeling overly excited about it, a tinge of fear and doubt hit me, thinking about my last meeting with an agent. I decided to keep an open mind and be rational about it this time. I forced myself to focus on how I could do my best instead of worrying about the outcome.

“You look…” Jay paused, eyeing me while he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Shell-shocked.”

“Maybe I am.”

“Why?” His throat worked as he drank the water.

“I just got a call from Jo.”

“And?” He raised a brow.

“She said a literary agent wants to meet with me.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

I gave him a look. “A good thing, of course.”

---