Page 18 of All the Right Words
Olivia’s face fell. ‘This fucking day cannot get worse.’
‘She’s anxious about the company folding,’ Gina told her.
Olivia perched her bottom on Gina’s desk in what was becoming her go-to position. ‘OK, so, I guess I might need a meeting with Brenda. Sort this out.’
‘Actually…’ Gina began. She didn’t want to overstep her bounds and pretend she was saving the day or anything—the very thought. ‘I talked to Harper, and we came up with a possible solution. Well, I mean, it was mostly Harper.’
Olivia raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’
‘It’s just an idea. But I…Shewondered if maybe Brenda could do with a little help. An assistant to take notes. But really just someone to talk to, get her thinking, clear the blockage a bit.’
‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Olivia noted. ‘Did you have anyone in mind?’
Gina cleared her throat. ‘Not really.’
Olivia was amused. ‘Notreally? Come on, who?’
God, this was embarrassing. ‘Well, Harper thought… And I told her I couldn’tpossiblybecause you need me and everything. But she thought, well… Me.’
‘You?’ Olivia said. The cogs began to turn, ‘Oh, because you used to be a writer, didn’t you? That’s smart. She doesn’t know that about you, so she wouldn’t think another writer was helping her. She wouldn’t have to feel threatened by it. I like the sound of this. I like it a lot.’
It seemed like Gina’s conflict was about to stop mattering. Olivia was too hot on the idea. And when Olivia got an idea in her head, it tended to happen. Gina didn’t know if she’d made a colossal mistake even telling her it was floated.
***
Gina didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. She was scared about this Brenda business. Harper might not have wanted to push her into this, but Olivia had no such compunction. When it came to Brenda, she would make it work at practically any cost because without Brenda, things might get quite dicey at Parker Press. If she decided this was the fix, Gina wouldn’t get out of this.
Olivia had already asked her to send her book to Harper. ‘So she knows how good you are,’ Olivia had said. That was the thing that made it hard to say no to Olivia. She kept telling her how much she believed in her. It was annoying because Gina thought it was well-meaning but essentially misplaced belief. Gina had reached her limit in life. She was settled there. Maybe not happy. Maybe not satisfied. But comfortable. Her life was the devil she knew. And she had read that people who strived for success often weren’t even that happy when they got there, so Gina was just skipping ahead to how things would end up anyway. The low-risk, low effort way.
But there was a shake-up in the works, and there was no getting around it. Gina emailed Harper a PDF at three in the morning so that she could stop worrying about it. She added a message that briefly said she’d talked to Olivia and changed her mind. Half of that was true.
She could only pray she would never find the time to read it. Or maybe come up with a different solution. Or find someone else to do the task. All these improbable scenarios made Gina feel better.
***
She got an email from Harper at lunchtime the next day. Twelve twenty-three, to be exact.
I’m a third of the way through the book. Iknewyou were the woman for the job.
Gina’s throat felt suddenly tight. What the hell wasthis, now? Harper had already consumed a chunk of the book, and she appeared to like it? Gina didn’t appreciate the approbation. It did not make her feel good. Probably because it didn’t align with Gina’s view of herself. Sure, the book had crept toward publication. But the crucial thing - the foremost fact about it - was that it didn’t happen in the end. Gina hadn’t cut it. So she was sure that Harper was telling her a kind lie. Which was worse than being told the book sucked.
And now Gina would have to go on some secret mission to fix Brenda Kildare, a real novelist and a total arsehole to boot? How the hell had she gotten herself into this fix? She was going to fail. Then Harper would know she sucked, and the book wouldn’t get written, the company would fail, everyone would lose their jobs, and it would all be on her shoulders.
Gina couldn’t remember the last time she’d experienced this pressure level. Maybe never. When she’d failed in the past, she’d only ever failed herself.
Olivia practically leapt into her office. ‘So, we’re a go with Brenda, then?’
‘How did you already…’
‘Harper called.’ Olivia had a funny little grin that Gina elected to ignore. ‘She’s already signed off with Brenda. You’re going to go this afternoon.’
‘How much time will I need to spend with her?’ she asked miserably.
Olivia didn’t notice. ‘As long as she needs. Don’t worry. I’ll cope here.’
‘Great,’ she said, pretending to give a damn about that. Her panic was rising. Brenda awaited.
Twelve
