Page 58 of The Midnight Book Club
“Fine—he’s your editor, then.”
“Isn’t there anyone else?I know you say it’s a publishing closet, but there must be other editors tucked away in there.”
Her mind swam through visions of how awkward it would be to work with Oliver when their mutual friends were constantly trying to get them together.But then she remembered how supportive he’d been at dinner back in December, and how the books he’d recommended had actually been very helpful.
“There are but, kidding aside,” James said, dropping his teasing tone, “I think you two would work well together.”
Aurelia let out a heavy sigh.He wasn’t giving her any other options, and she didn’t exactly have a wealth of friends in publishing.The goal was to get the book published for Vronsky, she reminded herself.Couldn’t she push through her own feelings to help him?And Oliverhadoffered to read a draft, even if she’d been terrified of the idea back when she was working on the early chapters.
“Do you honestly think he’s a good fit for my writing?”she asked.
“I do—he has a great eye for fiction,” James said excitedly, sensing she was giving in.“Lately he’s been working on a manuscript that came in at nearly a thousand pages.Everyone’s been raving about how much he’s done to help the author edit it down into something really beautiful.”
“Okay, then,” she said with another sigh, just for show.“Let’s give it a try.Should I ring him?I might still have his card somewhere.”
“I’ll stop by his office now and get a lunch date on his calendar.”
“I mean it, this isn’t another set-up—”
“‘Date’ as in a meeting.Don’t be so tetchy.I’ll get a lunchappointmenton his calendar and ring you with the day and time.I assume your schedule is open?”
“You know it is,” Aurelia said.She dropped her salty tone and added, “James, I really do appreciate your help.”
“Oh, you’re going to have lots to thank me for!”
Sighs and eye rolls escaped Aurelia throughout the rest of the day as she thought back over her call with James.What would he tell Oliver?Would Oliver think she’d been pining over him all this time and was desperate to see him again?
A brief call from James just before closing confirmed lunch with Oliver for noon the next day at a bistro that was a short walk from the shop.Apparently, his schedule was just as open as hers.
Even though their lunch was not a date (as Aurelia kept reminding herself the following morning), she couldn’t help but worry over what to wear.If she overdid it, Oliver might think she was trying too hard, but if she wore her usual work attire, he might wonder why she hadn’t tried harder to impress given that this was a writer’s equivalent of a job interview.She felt silly to be facing the same dilemma, only slightly different, as she had before their first date.In the end, she settled on a navy blazer, white t-shirt, and jeans, which seemed to send a mixed message that matched her mood.
When she walked into the bistro, Aurelia scanned the tables and spotted him.He hadn’t seen her yet and she caught a look of boredom, and perhaps annoyance, troubling his face.Almost the same expression he’d worn on their date:excellent.Determined to win him over, she put a smile on her face.
“Hi, Oliver,” she said as she reached the table.
“Aurelia.Hi.”
He half-stood and shook her hand, and her mind stuck on that handshake.It felt formal given that they’d met a handful of times before.Telling herself to ignore it, Aurelia sat opposite him, her smile flattening as she tried to calm her nerves.She noticed that he was wearing an oxford shirt again, one button undone at the neck, this time in white with a dark grey jacket.No, it was too hard to ignore the icy chill radiating from him.
“It’s good to see you again,” she said at last.“Without David’s maneuvering, for once.”
“You too,” he said, smiling though there wasn’t much warmth to it.“Well.James said you wanted me to look at the book you’ve been working on.”
Straight to business, then.
“Yes, I’m almost done with the first draft—the one I was working on when I saw you last—and I’d like to get it published.”
“I’m sure you would,” Oliver said, barely suppressing a laugh.
Aurelia bobbed her head, acknowledging that getting published generally took a bit of work.
“Right, I know.But this isn’t just a hobby or a one-off thing,” she said, deciding to level with him.“I have a master’s from Goldsmiths and I’ve had a few short stories published.”
She hated to boast, but right now it seemed necessary.Hadn’t they left things on friendly terms?But then her face warmed as she remembered the look she’d given David at the end of that dinner months ago—had Oliver seen?It wasn’t until this very moment that she remembered it, but maybe it was fresh in his mind now that she was calling in a favor.
“If you want to give me your draft, I can take a look,” he said.“Let you know whether it’s something we’d be interested in.”
“Oh.”
