Act One, Wish One
Page 32
Despite myself, I shivered. What did this guy know about long nights? I looked down the hallway, toward my office, toward Dean’s empty one. It was well past dawn, well past time I should have heard from my absentee boyfriend. Well past time for me to wrap up this conversation and find out what was going on in the conference room.
I reached out for Ryan’s envelope. The manila corners were crisp and neat, as if he’d carried his treasure carefully all the way to our office. He’d used a computer to print out his address label, putting both his name and my own in clear, legible type. The plain white square was centered precisely on the envelope.
Given the muck of unsolicited manuscripts I’d already waded through that morning, the condition of Ryan’s submission seemed to be a sign from some benevolent heaven.
“I can’t promise anything,” I warned him. “Ordinarily, we only take submissions through agents, and even then, it can take several weeks for us to get around to reading them.”
Again, he gave me that shy grin, and he buried his hands in his pockets, as if he wanted his clothes to swallow him whole. “I completely understand. I wouldn’t have bothered you at all, if Jennifer hadn’t said…” He trailed off, obviously worried that he was going to get my assistant in trouble.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
His relief was almost palpable. “I won’t take any more of your time, Ms. Morris. I enclosed a card with all of my contact information. I really appreciate the chance that you’re giving me.”
“My pleasure,” I said automatically, tucking his envelope under my arm to symbolize that we were done with our conversation. He nodded, taking the hint, and then Jenn magically concluded her phone call. Suddenly suspicious, I wondered if she’d been chattering on a dead line for the past few minutes. “I’m afraid, though, that I’ll have to let Jennifer show you out. I’m on my way into a meeting.”
Jenn stepped out from behind her desk, a smile broad across her face. She started to walk Ryan toward the door, taking only a moment to look over her shoulder, to mouth a heartfelt, “Thank you!” to me. I nodded and barely waited until they were out of sight before I turned toward the conference room. My hand shook as I opened the door.
Immediately, I was the target of a dozen pairs of eyes as every board member looked up from the table. A heartbeat of a scan, and I could see that Dean wasn’t there. Dean wasn’t, but a stranger was—a man who sat at the head of the table, shuffling papers as my interruption froze the entire meeting.
My knees trembled, but I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or even more afraid. I still had no idea where my boyfriend was, but at least I could pass on the Crystal Dreams disaster to Hal. One crisis would be off my plate. “Excuse me,” I said, focusing on my boss. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this is an emergency. Hal, may I speak with you for a minute?”
My boss blinked his sapphire eyes, emphasizing his surprise by running a hand through his short gray hair. His lips were narrow in his immaculate close-trimmed beard. “Whatever it is will have to wait, Becca.”
I shook my head. “This can’t wait.”
He laid his hands flat on the table, as if he were trying to ice his palms. I knew the gesture, even though we’d only worked together for six months. It was an indication that he was out of patience, that he was completely exasperated with the people around him. That he was determined to have his way, then, immediately, without delay.
“It can wait,” he said, and his voice was as chilly as his gaze. “In fact, I was just about to call you in here about something else entirely. Come in, Rebecca. And close the door behind you.”
It took every last ounce of my willpower to step inside that room.
* * *
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.
Mindy’s travels took her through multiple careers. After graduating from Princeton University, Mindy considered becoming a professional stage manager or a rabbi. Ultimately, though, she settled on being a lawyer, working as a litigator at a large Washington firm. When she realized that lawyering kept her from writing (and dating and sleeping and otherwise living a normal life), Mindy became a librarian, managing large law firm libraries. Mindy now writes full time.
For years, Mindy’s dating life was a travel extravaganza as well. She balanced twenty-eight first dates in one year, selecting eligible gentlemen from sources as varied as Washingtonian magazine ads, Single Volunteers of D.C., and supposedly-certain recommendations from best friends. Ultimately, she swore off the dating scene entirely. After two years of carefully-enforced datelessness, she made one last foray onto Match.com, where she met her husband – on her first match.
Mindy’s travels have also taken her through various literary genres. In addition to her Harlequin Special Editions, Mira, and Red Dress Ink books, Mindy has written six traditional fantasy novels for Roc (including the award-winning, best-selling The Glasswrights’ Apprentice), short stories, and nonfiction essays.
In her spare time, Mindy quilts, knits, and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. Her husband and cats do their best to fill the leftover minutes.
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