20. Este #2
“I experimented with a couple of different endings, and I hated them. So, I removed some scenes and ended it with the military boat coming ashore. Do you think it works?” I bite my lip nervously.
“Of course it works! It’s fucking mind-blowing—they think they’re all alone out there, and suddenly a huge ship arrives in the harbor they’ve been holing up in for six months?
Yes, please. I need to know what happens next.
I want you to send me the first three chapters of book six as soon as humanly possible! ”
Lainey’s enthusiasm is contagious. I jump up and down with the phone in my hand for a minute before I tell myself to calm down. I’m only a foot from the front door. I glance inside and see Mallory standing there with her gaze narrowed, hands on her hips.
I get off the phone with Lainey to see what Mallory wants since she looks so surly.
“I did payroll and ordered the supplies,” I tell her cautiously, eyeing her face, which she’s pulled into an unreadable expression.
“Don’t make me fire you, Este.” Her voice is firm.
I take a step back, almost speechless as my eyes bulge. “What? Fire me? What did I do?” I gesture wildly and hold my arms up in the air in the universal “what gives?” sign.
Mallory shakes her head, like she can’t believe I’ve missed the point she hasn’t arrived at yet.
“This isn’t your passion. Now that you’re back to doing what you love, you can’t let this place keep you from it.”
I shake my head. “Okay, so I wrote a book. One book. That doesn’t mean I can afford to sit at home and write all day, or that I’ll have unlimited ideas going forward. Who knows when I’ll arrive at my next writer’s block?”
“Call your publisher. Ask what kind of advance they have planned and then come find me.” Mallory disappears into her office, and I watch as she pulls out a massive file of resumes with a heavy sigh.
I call Lainey back, and she answers her phone. Usually, I get her assistant, but apparently, I’m special enough for her to answer.
“Let’s talk about my advance,” I tell her without a second thought, with confidence I don’t feel.
“Let’s do. I take it you may need some enticement?” I can see her eyebrow arching from here.
“Let’s just say I can’t afford to sit around and write all day without us arriving at an agreeable number.” I pace up and down the sidewalk in front of the real estate office as Lainey takes a second to make some calculations.
“Sixty?” Lainey suggests.
“Seventy-two-five.”
Lainey whistles. “Wait, are we talking first installment or total? Because, if it’s total, you are undervaluing yourself, and as your friend, I can’t let you do that.”
“I want a hundred and fifty total.” It’s the most significant advance I’ve ever asked for. Bigger than the last book, which had gained a significant advance due to its surge in popularity. Now, it’s been three-and-a-half years without a new release, and this is a big gamble.
“I’d be betting my ass on you, girl.”
“I’m worth it.” I grin and continue to make my demands. “I need eighty-five as soon as possible; the other sixty-five once it hits the shelves. And I don’t want to pay for a dollar of my food or lodging when I go on tour.”
“Okay. A hundred and fifty, lodging, plus a meal stipend, got it. God damn, girl. You drive a hard bargain, but I can get you what you want. I’m kind of a big deal these days.” I can picture her grin on the other side of the phone, and I can’t wait to see her again.
“And creative control! I want to send you my character sketches. Please try to cast the photo shoots as closely as possible to the way I’ve envisioned them. It means a lot to me,” I tell Lainey insistently.
“Done and done. By the way, I had chills half of the time reading it. You’re back, and you’re going places. Big places, Este Evans, so get ready. And you get me the first three chapters of that next book as soon as you have them. I don’t care how rough they are. You can’t leave me on a cliffy!”
I do the happiest of dances on the sidewalk, then pump my fist into the sky triumphantly, so hard I nearly fall over. “You’ve got a deal. Consider this my handshake.”
“Consider this mine. I’ll draw up the papers! I am so excited. Get your ass to the computer and keep writing. I need to know what happens! I’ll send you back a couple of notes I have on your manuscript, and then when you get it back to me, I’ll get it to the editor.”
“Perfect. I’ll get writing.” I let out a little giggle, shocked that this is my reality. “I’m so happy. Thank you for always being in my corner, Laine.”
“We’re going to have such a fun book tour. Ciao!”
When I head back in to see Mallory, she’s got a resigned expression on her face. “I take it your call went well?”
“So great! Eighty-five upon signing, sixty-five when it hits the stores. My biggest advance yet!”
Mallory gets up and we happy dance together, and then she throws her arms around me and holds me tight as happy tears spring to my eyes.
“You’re an author, Este. Go write.”
And just like that, my best friend releases me to the next chapter of my life.
“Call me if you need help. I’m always happy to sit at an open house for you,” I offer.
Mallory holds my shoulders as tears fill her eyes. She shakes me slightly. “You’re destined for so much more than open houses, bestie. Cole would be so proud of you. He really would.” She kisses my cheek and points at the door. “Now, get out of here.”
I fill a box with things from my desk, and when I leave through the back door, I wave goodbye to the office building.
I’m on to bigger and better, but this place, and Mallory, have been here for me through the worst days of my life.
My heart is filled with immense gratitude for her and everything I leave behind when I get in my car and drive off.