Page 77 of Rewrite the Rules

I have several back-to-back text messages from Tessa who is urging me tocall her…ASAP…seriously.Her last text asked me if I was alive because I never sleep this late. I am clearly predictable to everybody on this plane—a creature of habit.Sigh.

I duck into the hallway to call Tessa, half expecting her to be in the hospital based on the all-caps text messages.

“Addie! Finally.”

“Hey, Tessa. What’s up?”

“Why are you whispering like that?”

“I’m in the hallway because my friend is in my apartment sleeping.”

“Yourfriend?”

“My best friend from college. Reese.”

“Oh.”

“But to answer the question you didn’t ask, I had sex with Joel last night.”

“What?!” Tessa chokes. “You actually…how was…okay, you know what—I’m going to have to circle back to that one later because I need every single detail and my flight is about to be called.” Tessa being at the airport explains the obnoxious background noise from her line. “But I needed to tell you something ASAP. Are you sitting down?”

“No.” I wince as I shift my hips.

“Ted landed you a book deal. With a fat advance and everything.”

“What?” I shriek. Which is a lose translation of,what the fuck? I didn’t ask for a book deal. What book?

“We pitched the idea for a series covering all the different kinds of heartbreak. Or more like a collection. It’s going to explode. We’ve already got Jess Turner and Apple Kaid committing for books three and four. I don’t need to tell you of all people who those authors are. Anyways, at first Ted, my agent…our agent…thought you should just ghostwrite the second book too but I dug my heels in. This one is going to haveyourname on it, I’ll make damn sure of it. Are you elated?”

Hm.Elated is not the first word that comes to mind. Shock, fear, panic, anxiety, failure, exhaustion, panic again—are the more prominent descriptions I’d use.

“Um…Tessa, I…I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

Hm, again.I don’t really feel like thanking her right now. I’m not one for violence but I’m considering dragging Tessa down with me as I fall from the plank that she just pushed me off of. We can sink to the bottom of the ocean together.

“Thank you, Tessa. I can’t tell you what this means to me.”Mostly because I’d need to shout profanities.

“There’s just one catch. The timeline is ambitious. They want to ride the success train ofTWM, so we need a pitch and full synopsis as soon as possible. We’re pushing for a January launch.”

“What the fuck?!”Whoops, the profanity slipped right out.

It took triple that time to getToy With Meready. And that was with Tessa babysitting me. I still have a full-time job, friends, and a life to live. Also—and here is the real hurdle—I have absolutely no idea what to write about. Unless Tessa has another divorce up her sleeve that she wants to pour her heart out over, what the hell am I supposed to write about? Ghostwriters are given topics and assignments. As far as an original idea? I’m screwed. I’ve had a sex life for less than twenty-four hours. I don’t know love. My college boyfriend is, and probably was when I dated him, gay. That’s not even romcom material because hell, neither Alan nor I are really living our happily ever after right now.

“Addie, you can do it. I promise you. You have me. You have my agent, my editor, the entire publishing team is here for you. Don’t think about it, just do it. I sent you something for a little encouragement, okay? This is a life-changing opportunity. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it’ll be worth it. The first time is always the hardest.”

“Yeah—I keep hearing that.”

“Look, I’m in L.A. for the week but when I’m back, I’ll set you up with Ted. He’s an ass, but he’s the best—I said I’m coming!Okay, Addie, I have to go. I’m about to throw down with this flight attendant because obviously my purse is not a carry-on, it’s a personal item.” Tessa grumbles that last part, not for my benefit. She’s too busy arguing so I eventually end the call myself.

I walk back into the apartment like a mime just in case Reese has turned into a light sleeper within the last fifteen minutes. I grab my tired laptop off the small writer’s desk in the corner of the living room. I hold it out at arm’s length and stare at it expectantly. It suddenly feels so heavy with pressure and expectations I’ll never live up to.

My name. My stakes.I don’t know what Tessa is thinking.

“Good morning.”

I yelp in surprise and my laptop plummets to the floor, breaking into several pieces. It was on its last leg and the impact of the fall finishes it off.

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