Page 108 of Bad Words

Hayden set her pen down. “Well, fine. But we want to give people something to click and share.”

“Mm,” I said. It occurred to me that I could admit that Parker and I were on friendly terms now. But maybe, in this small, inadequate way, I wanted to keep him to myself.

“We do want it to be printable, Hayden,” said Scott. “Selina, maybe I could sit in with you, or—”

A little laugh came out of me. “No, we don’t need a mediator … I’ll—it’ll be fine.”

“Do you want me to email his agent?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll reach out and let you know the details on timing.”

After the meeting, I shut myself into my office and texted Parker.

How would you feel about doing an interview with City Magazine to celebrate the upcoming release of High and Dry? More specifically an interview with me?

A minute passed. Then he said, Celebrate? I think you misspelled litigate. Or denigrate?

Ha, I said. I’m serious, though.

You? Serious? I need to sit down.

Parker.

He laugh-reacted to my message. Then:

Yeah, I’ll do an interview with you, Selina. Apparently my masochism knows no bounds.

“Your masochism?” I muttered. He had no idea. I was the one who was going to have to speak with him for an hour, trying to ignore my own inevitable reactions to the sound of his voice.

When are you free? I asked. The earlier the better, so that I can have the interview finalized before your release date.

You say that like this interview will help me sell copies of the book.

All publicity is good publicity, I said.

I’m beginning to think that phrase was invented by bad publicists.

I turned my chair away from the door as though, through solid wood, somebody might see me smiling at my phone screen.

I’m free tomorrow, he said.

Great. Would you prefer a video call or a phone call? I asked, but even as I hit Send, he asked,

Want to just do the interview over dinner?

I went still in my chair.

Sorry, he said almost immediately. We can do a call.

No, I said. Dinner is good.

An awkward pause.

I continued, Dinner is better for me, actually. I have two pieces to finish tomorrow.

Great, he said.

Another pause. I stood up abruptly, my palms tingling. Why had this become uncomfortable? It was a business dinner that happened to fall on a Friday. So what?