Page 43 of We Met Like This
I smiled when what I really wanted to do was sigh. Then, without waiting to be asked, I sat in the big rolling chair opposite him and clasped my hands together.
“I noticed on the schedule—”
“It’s me. Your eleven o’clock is me.”
His eyebrows popped up. I sensed with his coffee stunt that he already knew it was me. Had put two and two together with the phone number I’d added next to the appointment. He must’ve known my number after all. Or maybe Rebecca had told him. But with the expression on his face now, I second-guessed myself. Maybe he really did want creamer in his coffee today.
When he picked it up without adding any, however, and took a sip, he had me confused all over again. This was the story of our whole relationship.
It’s going to go well, I reminded myself.The amazing first query this morning, my celebration with Oliver later, the party tonight. All good vibes.I tried to channel my inner Audrey for this encounter: cool, calm, confident.
“You said we could talk,” I said. “I put myself in your schedule so we could do that.”
“I said we could talk?” His eyes shot to the open door behind me.
Now I really did sigh. He thought I wanted to talk about us. “About becoming a full-time agent, Rob,” I clarified.
“Oh!” he said, and relief washed over his face. “Today isn’t the best—”
“I scheduled us an hour. You have an hour.”
An amused smirk came on his face, then he held his hands out to his sides as if to say,The floor is yours.
Nobody in our little office had moved from assistant to agent in the time I’d worked here. Most assistants lasted a year or so and moved on to positions outside the company (it’s what I should’ve done. Except… I was screwing my boss). I thought he’d tell me the steps to make it happen. But obviously he was waiting for me to lay out a plan. I looked over my shoulder for Rebecca, but she wasn’t here yet. “I was thinking we could start by giving me full ownership of the clients I’m a junior agent on.” That would mean I wouldn’t have to split commission.
“We sold them on you by promising me. That won’t work.”
“I have a strong relationship with all of them.”
“Knock knock,” Rebecca said from behind me, and my shoulders relaxed a degree. It felt like I suddenly had backup. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Rebecca,” Rob said. “Margot and I are about to have—”
“I know!” she said, coming in and sitting in the chair beside me. “She asked me to join. I’m surprised you didn’t ask me since this involves the agency.”
“It’s just a preliminary meeting,” he said. “Of course I intended to have an agency meeting once I assessed her readiness.”
They met eyes and I could’ve sworn a little smirk cameonto Rebecca’s face, making me question the nature of their relationship all over again. No, I was just imagining it.
Rob turned back to me with a hardness behind his eyes I didn’t recognize. He was angry I’d invited Rebecca. Or angry I hadn’t told him I’d invited her. Or angry about the meeting. He was angry aboutsomething. “Is there more to your plan?” he asked.
I swallowed, sat up straighter, and tried to remember the rest of the speech I had practiced with Sloane that morning, but my mind was blank after his rejection of what I thought was a given. I grasped at the first thought that came to me. “I found a manuscript in the slush this morning that I’m really interested in. I thought maybe…”Be confident, Margot.“It would make a great manuscript for me to solo on.”
“You want to offer solo representation to a person who emailedme?”
A lump rose in my throat as embarrassment took over and I swallowed it down. I inhaled a calming breath. “Yes. It’s the type of story you typically pass on. But you’re welcome to look at the query to make sure.”
His eyes went wide. “I’mwelcometo look at a query written to me?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, realizing my misstep.
Rebecca stepped in with a save. “And you think this aspiring writer will accept your proposal? It’s not what she’ll be expecting,” Rebecca asked.
I was confused. I thought sharing the slush pile was a standard practice. Maybe it wasn’t standard for this agency.
“I think I’m good at selling myself,” I said, even though I wasn’t proving it in this particular moment.
Rob templed his fingers. “You’ll need to start by putting yourself out there asyourselfand wait to see if writers email you. You post on your socials, you announce yourself in Publishers Marketplace, you go to conferences and then you start sifting through the emails that come in hoping for one that shines.”
