Page 101 of The Words We Lost

“You’re wrong, SaBrina,” Barry says coolly. “There’s no excuse that can justify your actions—”

“These fan groups hold more power than we give them credit for,” she cuts in. “Their online chatter equals book sales, even the negative chatter. But once the discussions die, they move on. Nobody wants to start a series without the final book, and sales were declining because we had no final book to push. The only reason our sales didn’t completely plummet was because I kept the dialogue about Cecelia Campbell alive.” She stops herself from saying more, but in her silence, something starts to click.

“So you kept them talking by making up stories—conspiracies?” Outrage builds in my core at her audacity. “By sending them on wild goose chases through the Olympic Peninsula, searching for clues that they’d never find? Harassing the Campbell family and their community? You can’t actually believe any of those things are responsible for an increase of sales.”

“They’re still talking about the Nocturnal Heart series, aren’t they?” Her smug stare bores through me. “Because of me, they haven’t forgotten about Cardithia or that horrible cliffhanger Cecelia left for her fans in book four. As soon as there’s a publishing date forThe Fate of Kings, you’ll be thanking me for my interference.”

“I will never thank you for the hurt you’ve caused innocent,grievingpeople.”

“Don’t be so naïve, Ingrid. Our industry is only one generation away from extinction. Everything I’ve done is to help protect our future readership, and every person in this room has reaped the benefits.”

Heat sears through me at her words, but before I can fire back, Barry steps in. “Unfortunately, SaBrina, the board members I spoke with yesterday afternoon in an emergency meeting don’t share your sentiments. And as such, we’ve decided to terminate your services at Fog Harbor, effective immediately. Our legal team will be following up with you shortly.”

“You’re making a huge mistake. This one publication has the power to bring everything back into the black. With the marketing efforts I have planned, this will be the biggest launch in the history of Fog Harbor Books—”

“You’re right, it will. And your name will be nowhere near it,” he concludes.

Her eyes flash. “You will be hearing from my lawyer.”

“I count on it. Now, please go gather your things. Chip is waiting outside the door with security to escort you to HR,” Barry calmly concludes, as if he’s just placed a routine coffee order and not just fired his editorial director. “They’re expecting you and will give you further instructions from there.”

“I will fight this,” she grits out.

“I would expect nothing less from you.”

“This is about favoritism,” SaBrina lashes out at Barry. “It’s always been about favoritism. You’ve had a thing for the underdog ever since that little intern of yours stumbled onto the scene.”

“No,” Barry interrupts sharply. “Thisis about ethics. Ethics you have abandoned a dozen times over.”

SaBrina steadies a hand to her chest. “I graduated with my MFA from Cornell and still had to work my way up the ladder—and what did she have? Nothing but a basic degree and a stroke of good luck. Ingrid is a one-hit series editor who knows nothing more than—”

“That’s enough—” Barry tries to interject, but SaBrina talks over him as she rises to stand. Joel angles his rigid body protectively, as if ready to jump to my defense at any moment.

“Are you really going to sit there and act likeshe’s done things the ethical way? We all know the story of how Ingrid lied about finding a manuscript on the slush pile when really she brought one in from her little Golden Goose.” She glowers at me but speaks with a sickly sweet voice. “But then your luck ran out, which is exactly why I applied for this promotion when I did. I had a gut feeling that if I kept you around long enough, that missing novel would eventually surface, and I was right.”

“Cece’s storytelling won her that contract,” I fire back. “Not luck, not me! You don’t deserve to touch her work!” I struggle against Joel’s tether on my arm, which keeps me in my seat.

SaBrina tilts her head and smirks ever so slightly. “At least I’m not the one riding the coattails of my rich, dead friend’s memory.”

“That’s enough,” Joel calls out at the same time Barry shouts for security with a final, “You are dismissed, SaBrina!”

Her chest heaves as she looks between us all one last time, her mouth twisted into the kind of grimace that’s better read on the page than seen in person. The security guards are waiting for her in the doorway, along with Chip, and as she storms past him, he flashes us a thumbs-up before quickening his steps to follow after them.

Barry stares at us as if completely befuddled by the events of the last ten minutes. Not that I can blame him; I’m still spinning. And by the way Joel’s jaw is jumping, he hasn’t quite calmed down yet, either.

“I’d like to apologize to you both for every count of SaBrina’s inexcusable behavior.” Barry heaves a long sigh. “I’m not at liberty to go into detail about much, but she’s been under scrutiny with the board for a while now.”

“What did she mean by getting sales back into the black?” Joel asks in an all-business tone.

Barry purses his lips and then nods, as if deciding to share more than he planned to with us. “SaBrina grossly overpaid for a cookbook from one of our bestselling mystery writers, Harry Green. The launch flopped, one of the worst flops in our long history, to be frank. It put our whole division in the red.”

“So she needed a huge payday, something that would buoy the financials and her career path,” Joel fills in.

Barry’s nod is grave. “That’s the best I can come up with, but it fits her strategy of stirring drama with Cece’s fans. I’m sure she would have kept feeding them all sorts of things throughout the publication process, too.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Ingrid. I wish I would have known what was really going on here—”

“None of this is your fault. I should have called you sooner.” I smile at him, this man I’ve respected for years.

“We appreciate how swiftly you acted on the information we sent you,” Joel says, taking my hand in his.

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