Page 92 of Save the Drama for your Mama
“Speaking of Mr. Wonderful, he’s calling on the other line.”
“Take that call and put another ring on it!” she said.
“Bye.” I laughed and switched over to Cooper. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, beautiful,” he said in a low, deep voice.
“Ooh—is this your inside-train voice?” I asked.
“It is,” he said. “How’s my favorite antique hunter?”
“I’m having a blast in the attic, and Romeo is napping on his bed next to me, as I search through this pot of gold.”
“Speaking of that,” he said. “I found a hidden treasure in my laptop bag. Would you know how your manuscript got in there?”
“Huh, I havenoidea!” I said, letting out a nervous giggle as I wondered if he opened it and peeked inside to read a few pages. “Sounds like your mom is up to her shenanigans again!”
He chuckled. “Well, I read it.”
“Wait—all of it?!” I said, practically yelling.
“Yes. The whole thing. I’m a fast reader.”
My heart pounded as I held the phone to my ear. Cooper had read my manuscript. All of it! I couldn’t believe I had worked up the courage to let him see my writing. Me, letting a New York Times bestselling novelist read my historical romance novel.
But why wasn’t he saying anything else? Was it a complete disaster, and he was trying to figure out the best way to break the bad news to me?
“You’re killing me!” I said, preparing myself for brutal honesty. “What did you think?”
“Honestly . . . it was one of the best stories I have read in years.”
I blinked in disbelief.
Was he just trying to spare my feelings?
My eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait, really? You’re not just saying that because my hands are registered lethal weapons?”
Cooper chuckled. “Are you kidding? Melody, I loved it. Your writing had me hooked from page one. You have a strong voice and the story is compelling.”
I was blinking rapidly, trying to process what he was saying.
He liked my story!
“Jane was a headstrong heroine, I’ll tell you that! And I loved the way she bounced around 1840s London. She was completely real to me. And that plot twist with her father! I never expected him to be the villain.”
I was beyond thrilled that he was drawn to the characters.
“And at the end, when Ambrose finally kissed Jane,” Cooper continued.“Holy smokes! I practically cheered out loud. It made me want to rush home and recreate the entire scene with you.”
I was floating, drunk on his lavish praise. “Wow, thank you.”
“Thanks for writing such an entertaining story,” Cooper said. “I think you’ve got something special here. In fact, I want to pass your manuscript along to my publisher, if you don’t mind. They need to read this.”
“Wait! What? You think I could get published?” I stammered.
“I’m sure of it,” Cooper said.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said. “Thank you.”
