Page 115 of We Met Like This
“Okay, sweetie,” he said.
I stepped into the house. The AC was on, and compared to the warmth outside it was freezing. Goose bumps instantly formed down my body. I walked through the oversized kitchen adorned with every upgrade available, through the neutral-colored living room with pops of burnt orange, and opened the front door. My suitcase looked small on the wide porch. I wheeled it inside and changed into my swimsuit in the guest bathroom.
I’d forgotten to pack a cover-up, so I just pulled my T-shirt over the top of it and deposited my suitcase back by the front door.
The delivery app showed me my subpar fruit tray was en route. There was also a notification informing me of another missed call from Rob. I ignored that one, but did not ignore the little red number one on my email. Thinking it might be another query, I opened it as I walked toward the back door.
It was from Marissa and my heart stuttered. This was too early. She said she wanted a week. I stopped on the middle of a fluffy beige area rug. Maybe it was good news. Maybe all the agents had gotten back to her fast and she was accepting my offer. That would be the boost I needed right now.
I opened the email.
Dear Ms. Hart,
Thank you so much for your interest inOver the Moon. It means the world to me that you were the first to believe in it. I reached out to the agents that still had my manuscript and informed them of a pending offer. I heard back from my dream agent at Mesner & Lloyd Lit. I accepted her offer this morning. Thanks again and good luck with your agency!
—Marissa
CHAPTER 34
My heart dropped as I closed the rejection email and exited my inbox. I’d been on the other side of this exchange for years. Authors reaching out to Rob with offers on the table to motivate him to read their books faster. It just hadn’t occurred to me until this moment that I was the negotiation piece now, not the goal.
I pulled up my texts and scrolled back to the one Rebecca had sent congratulating me about talking to Rob. My only reply to her at the time had been that I quit. She had been so kind to me and seemingly supportive and she was the only person I could think of at the moment to ask this question to. Or at least the only person whose cell phone number I had.
Rebecca, how long did it take you to start earning money as an agent?
I was lucky to have a roommate to share expenses with, but my ever-dwindling bank account needed to know when it was going to start receiving life support.
I got my first commission check at six months.Following hertext, Rebecca had sent a celebrate emoji, like this was a good piece of information she just shared.
My heart dropped to the floor.
Or did you mean a livable wage?was the follow-up text.
I did not want to know that right now. I was already reeling from the first answer.No, you answered the question. Thank you!
I stared at her name on my phone. I was so tempted to follow up my question with:FYI, Rob and I were sleeping together for two years off and on.At this point, I didn’t even want to do it to get him in trouble, but more to save her if she was on the verge of ruining her life with him. The problem was that I still wasn’t sure if I’d imagined something between them. If it was all in my head or not. The more I thought about it, the more likely the scenario that I’d just imagined it became.
Behind me, someone knocked on the front door, and I jumped. I opened it to see the delivery driver standing with my tray of fruit. “You Margot?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you.” I took the tray from her but she continued to stand there, waiting.
“I tipped you on the app. I don’t have any cash.”
“Cheap,” she muttered as she walked away.
I shut and locked the door, then nearly tripped over my suitcase as I headed to the kitchen.
The fruit tray was sad. Small, watery pieces of fruit filled cheap plastic compartments. I couldn’t take this outside. Not with my sister’s offering already there, beautiful and fresh. I stuck the tray in her overly wide fridge and went back outside.
“Are you swimming with us, Aunt Margot?” Sammy called from the pool.
I nodded.
“Everyone, this is my sister,” Audrey announced as I joined them.
“Hi, nice to meet you all,” I said, making my way to the steps in the shallow end of the pool. My mom sat on a lounge chair nearby and I took off my shirt and threw it toward her. She caught it.
“Tell me about your weekend,” she said as Jack handed me a pool noodle and then used the one he was holding to hit my new weapon. I engaged, wading to my waist in the water.
