Page 86 of Not on the Same Page

“I’m not worth the effort,” I say sardonically.

“You are,” she insists quickly. “Suzanna never deserved you.”

My eyes sting as I shut the television off. “Thanks, Scarlett.”

“I don’t need to remind you that you believed in my first book. And every book after that, too. It would have been so easy for you to drop me after five years of silence, but you didn’t.”

“I never considered it,” I say quietly.

“I know.” She pauses. “You were the only person who was there for me when I came back. You’re not just my agent. You’re my friend. Your belief in me and my work bolstered me, empowered me to ask for what I needed. I’m still writing because of you…but more importantly, I’m happy because of you.”

Tears are streaming unbidden down my face. I sniffle, uselessly wiping some of the wetness off my cheeks. “I’m so glad.”

“I have no details about what happened, but I know you, and I know your job is important to you. So I’m going to ask, and I want an honest answer. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I answer automatically.

“Trina…”

“I am. I think. Suzanna has been insufferable for a while now, and I’m better off without her.”

“I won’t argue with that.” A squeaking sound and a grunt tells me Scarlett is shifting to a different position. “Does this have anything to do with Casey?”

Blinking rapidly, I’m stunned enough that the tears almost stop. “Um⁠—”

“Before you try to come up with some non-answer, I saw the way you two were looking at each other that day Imani came in to sign her contract. Ryan thinks I’m oblivious but imagine his surprise when I told him you two have had something going on since before I signed at Anastasios.”

I gape incredulously at the wall in front of me. “How the hell did you know that?”

She chuckles under her breath. “I’m a writer. It’s my job to observe people. You two sat next to each other at almost every meeting. You were always talking about one thing or another, and you had a way of beating me to the office when shit hit the fan. Shall I continue?” Her cockiness is well-earned, though I really did think we had been better at hiding it.

“I feel pretty stupid,” I admit.

“Don’t.” The word is sharp and leaves no room for argument. “Have you told him you quit the agency yet?”

“No.” I sigh. “It’s…complicated.”

“Fair enough.” Scarlett won’t push the issue, and for that, I’m grateful. “But I’ll remind you that you’re my friend. If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

I sniffle again. “I don’t think you know how much that means to me.”

She huffs. “I’m no stranger to having literally one person left in my corner.”

“Things turned out okay,” I say, mostly to remind myself that there’s nowhere to go but up from here.

She must sense that I need the reassurance, because she says, “They did.”

We sit in silence for a while, and it’s nice not having to say anything. Knowing she’s there is a comfort in and of itself.

“So,” she says after a few minutes. “What now?”

I take a deep breath, surprised to find it feels really good. “This might sound crazy, but I think I’m going to start my own agency.”

“Hell yeah. I was hoping you’d say something like that. Where do I sign?”

“What do you mean?” I frown.

She laughs. “What do you mean, ‘what do I mean?’”