Page 97 of Our Little Cliche
“Your man here is pretty funny.”
Holly’s face turns white wash, causing both Renee and I to giggle again. “It’s okay, my love,” I say the words with confidence, not that anyone else is around to hear them. “Turns out we both had pretty soul sucking secrets to get out.”
My attention breaks as the music lulls to an almost inaudible volume, then the sound of a glass being tapped on with silverware fills the room. The chatter, dancing and laughter silence in an instant.
Ooh, a speech?
“Thank you for your attention everyone. Please can we have everyone seated for the award announcements?” Since we are already seated, we return to our conversation while waiting for everyone else.
“So…” Holly’s breathlessness excites me. “What do we do now?”
“We scream it from the fucking rooftops!” Renee takes the words right out of my mouth.
“Yeah...that.”
Chapter Fifty
HOLLY
While the announcerbegins awarding the authors of children’s fiction and sci-fi, I lean in front of Cyrus who’s between Stacy and I, and whisper in her ear, “So, how are you going to tell him?”
“Got any ideas?” she asks.
“I think in a meeting. Privately. He’s an old fashioned bastard, catch him off guard and you’ll live to regret it, Ren,” Cyrus puts in his two bob’s worth as I finish off the last of the foamy liquid in my glass, leaving the coffee beans at the bottom. I don’t understand why he calls her Renee, she told me she doesn’t like it, but maybe she hasn’t mentioned anything to him about it.
“He’s right.” I nod. Based on all of our emails, and very few calls, Quinn is a grouchy old man at times, so telling him in an enclosed space, alone, is a wise idea.
“What about you two?”
“Now that I don’t know. But the sooner the better, I think,” he says.
“But what about the New York Times?” Stacy asks exactly what I’m thinking.
“What about it?”
“Aren’t you scared to lose the opportunity of getting it? Quinn won’t allow…that…in his firm.”Thatbeing two of his employee’s shacking up.
“It’s just a title. It’s just money. Two things that can always be found again. But what I won’t find is another Holly.”
Oh, be still my beating heart.
Stacy looks concerned, as if nerves were kicking in so Cyrus says comfortingly with a hand on her back. “Hey, put it this way. At least if he doesn’t like either of ourconfessionswe can all fly to the land down under. I’ve heard it’s nice and warm there. We could resort to writing books on the beach instead of by a warm fire.”
“Is this a New Year’s resolution?” she asks.
“I already have one.” He fixes his eyes on me. So steamy, full of hope and desire. “But I’ll have another.”
“I… I’d love to show you my home,” I say with an abundance of butterflies swarming in my belly.
“It’s settled, then.”
“So, what’s this New Year’s resolution of yours? The first one.”
“To kiss Holly. At midnight. Under a?—”
“I swear to god if you say…” I cut him off, thenCyrus starts fiddling with something in the pocket of his jacket that’s thrown over the back of the chair. “If you pull a holly out of your pocket.”
And sure enough, a little vine of sharp, green leaves, nestled around a bunch of bright red beads stares back at me as it hangs in the grasp of his fingers.
