Page 48 of Not on the Same Page

Anastasios tilts his head back and forth. “It might just be that they want to test the waters elsewhere. They could still come back.”

I shift my weight on my feet and narrow my eyes at him. “You don’t seem concerned.”

“You shouldn’t be either.” When I blink at him incredulously, he smirks. “A little fall off is to be expected. If you spend time mourning those who have left you, you’ll inevitably forget to focus on those who stay. It’ll become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the imprint will fold within the year. I’ve been there, Casey. Merit will prevail, and the rest will do as they may. Don’t worry about them. Focus on what you’ve got in front of you. Make their experience so good that they do your recruiting for you.”

It’s not bad advice, per se. I’m just not used to losing writers. The ones who have worked with me are almost always happy. Plus, something about this feels off. Why would three writers all announce their departure within one week? It’s too much of a coincidence.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll…try to do that.”

“Do.” Anastasios nods once, then cocks an eyebrow. “I heard you picked up a great debut in Denver.”

“It’s not official. She needed an agent, so I set up a meeting with her and Trina. They’re working on their contract, and then she’ll be in touch.”

At that, both of Anastasios’s dark eyebrows rise with interest. “Trina McBryde? She hasn’t been around in a while.”

If it were anyone else, I’d think he were fishing for information. After everything blew up with Scarlett last year, it was easy to let everyone assume that Trina was taking a step away from working with us for a while. And when she didn’t come back with more pitches, I thought I was the only one who really noticed.

“I figured she’d be the best agent to handle Imani’s success.” Short, simple, and true. I’ll leave it at that.

“You hope she has the type of success Trina will need to handle,” Anastasios adds.

I shake my head. “I know she will.”

He eyes me again. “That’s the attitude you need to make it in this industry.”

“Slightly delusional?” I joke.

“Confident,” he corrects, but he smiles as he says it. “And willing to take calculated risks.”

“And focused on loyal authors.”

“They will be your bread and butter.” He picks the paper he had been reading back up in a clear signal that he has important things to do, and this conversation needs to be over.

With a little thrill, I realize I also have things I need to do. I say a quick “thank you” and walk back to my office. After shutting the door behind me, I check my cell phone, which I had left on my desk in my haste to talk to Anastasios. There’s a missed call from Trina, and when a goofy smile creeps up my face, I’m glad my office door is closed and I’m alone. I waste no time returning her call. She answers on the second ring.

“You used to carry your cell phone everywhere,” she says by way of greeting.

“I was ten steps away, talking to Anastasios for five minutes.”

“Still.” She sighs. “I sent Imani the agency contract today. She should get it back to me any time now. When can we start talking about her offer?”

“Whenever you want.” I settle into my chair. “Tonight at my place? Or yours?”

She makes a little non-committal noise. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you are dangerously close to mixing business and pleasure.”

“Not mixing. Strictly business.” I can’t help but smirk as I add, “Then pleasure.”

“Casey,” she whines, but her voice shakes with restrained laughter. “Oh my god. Stop. I was thinking I could pop by your office later.”

I spin in my chair so my back is facing the door. “You were the one who said no fucking in the office.”

A low groan comes through the phone, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

“If you want to work together, I’m going to need you to take this seriously.”

That sobers me up. I spin back to face my desk and rest my elbows on it. “You’re right. I do. I am.”

She’s silent for so long I have to look to be sure the call didn’t get disconnected. Out of nowhere, she says, “Shit, hearing I’m right is a major turn on.”