Page 23 of The Last Love Story
“Writer’s block?”
I don’t know what else it could be.
She looks to the side at a fountain in the courtyard. “No. Believe me, I know what I want to write and it’s killing me that I’ll have to wait, but I have a severe case of carpal tunnel. I have to have surgery for it in a little over a week, and I’ll be out of typing commission for three to four weeks, and it’ll be even longer before I can type as much as I used to.”
Shit.
“I’m sorry. That must be hard.”
She nods. “I have so many ideas in my head, and having to get through with voice notes when all I want to do is write—have the catharsis I need—kills me. And I suck at dictation. So here I am. I was hoping to at least get the process of audiobooks for the Mariano Family series started during that time, but now that won’t be happening either.”
“Why not?”
She laughs bitterly. “I was saving up so I could have all eight done, and then save up the rest for the last few books while those are being produced. But my insurance company decided that covering my surgery and all the therapy I’ll need after isn’t something they’re interested in, so I’ll have to dig into the money I was saving for audiobooks to do that.”
“What the fuck?”
Her eyes go wide, then she smiles softly. “It is what it is.”
“It’s not. It’s bullshit. Where is your insurance through?”
“I’m self-employed. So I self-pay. I’ll be looking at new options when my enrollment is up in January, but until then, I’m stuck.”
Leaning back in my chair, I shake my head. Insurance in this country is beyond fucked up. I’m lucky I get mine through my cousin. She runs a law firm, and since I gave hersome money to help found it back when I first started modeling, she keeps me on the books, and I help with their commercials and advertising whether it be modeling or voice over. It’s a small chunk of my income, but they have great insurance and that’s a huge plus.
Now I’m pissed for Jade, and I wish there was something I could do to help her.
She waves a hand as if she’s swatting away a bug.
“Can we change topic? I found out yesterday and spent all night wallowing—that’s why I didn’t respond much. I want to enjoy this weekend, not think about all that.”
“Of course.” I glance over at the courtyard, which is lit up with twinkle lights. “Up for a walk?”
She smiles brightly. “Yeah. Sounds great.”
I stand and hold out my hand to her. She stands too, and the second her skin brushes against mine, a crack of electricity ripples through me, aiming straight for my heart.
She must feel it too, because she freezes for a second before lacing her fingers with mine.
“How did you get into narrating?” Jade asks as we step off the terrace and onto the path that winds through the courtyard.
“Combination of things. My cousin Stacy had been suggesting it for years. She runs a law firm, and I do the narration for most of their commercials and radio ads. Then as I started getting attention for my book covers, I had some authors tell me my voice would be perfect for their books. I love the romance community, and the idea of narrating sounded fun to me, and like a complement to working as a model. I took some voice acting classes first to make sure I had the skill to back it up, and I also took a course on audiobook production. It was an investment to build out my recording area and to get the production software, but as soon as I started doing it, I fell in love. It’s so much fun.”
“Zoey tells me I should consider narrating audiobooks—particularly some of my own—but I don’t know…”
“You should. You have a beautiful voice.”
Again, her cheeks heat. “That’s something coming from you.”
I chuckle at that. “You like southern drawl, darlin’?”
She tries and fails to hide a shiver. “Maybe. But I’ve heard books you’ve narrated without it, and you still have a captivating voice. You’re excellent with emotional work too. That’s something I look for.”
“With your books, you have to. If I ever get a chance, I’d be honored to record one of your books.”
“Thanks,” she breathes. “What made you pick up the Mariano Family series?”
“Oh, darlin’, I am just like every other voracious reader out there. A good hook will get me. I believe it was the one about Lizzie, with her walking into the apartment after her prodigal mother returned, only to find her ex-fiancé Alex standing there… yeah. I had to know all the drama.”
