Ash, who has such a beautiful heart that he's all but forgiven his stepmother, even though he hasn't acknowledged it himself. I could tell it from how he included her in our Friday night outing for the Christmas lights.
He told me she didn't mind the twins being around someone he knows. For all her faults, Victoria isn't homophobic. But the agreement was that she'd hand over the twins, and then go meet a friend or go for a walk while the twins got to spend time with their big brother.
"Wow, I've seen it all now," Mia says, coming in with a large mug of coffee from the staff room.
"Seen what?"
"Your whipped face. I thought I'd never see past the crush phase, but with Ash, you're taking me on a real journey."
"You think you're so funny."
"Hilarious."
"Anyway, back to work. Can you book a meeting with my dad and the event planners for the Ball, please?"
Mia grabs her notebook from her desk and scribbles a note.
"Have the invites been sent to the semi-finalists?" I ask.
"I believe so, but I can check with the admin team."
I nod.
"Do you agree with me thatLove Tendershould win?"
Mia smiles wide. "One hundred percent. It's one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever read. The story itself is one that could be told by many people up and down the country. It's how the author wrote it that really got to me."
"You're so right. I also think that story will do far better with us than any other publisher out there because we already have the romantic fiction corner taken."
"I'm glad you're saying that because it's definitely not a romance, and I’ll die on this hill, but a romance needs a happy ending."
I chuckle because I've heard Mia have this particular argument many times with the publicists.
"Okay, draft a sample contract to hand over to the winner at the Ball."
She writes down her notes and then raises her pen as if she's just had an idea.
"I'm going to make a list of people we can introduce the semi-finalists to at the party. That author with the dystopian romance should definitely meet Joe. I'm going to be a little bold here, but with his help, I think that novel could be turned into a series, and we should totally get in on that."
I'm about to make a note on that when I remember this is new business I need to delegate to a successor or a colleague. I look at Mia, and I know she knows what I'm thinking.
"We had a lot of fun, didn't we?" she says.
"We sure did."
I've lost count of all the rough manuscripts that have come into our hands and we turned into best-sellers. The ones no one wanted to touch, when all they needed was the right push, a small change.
"Right, no more moping. Get to work," Mia says.
"Yes, boss," I answer back, and she winks.
I pull out theLove Tendermanuscript from my bag and start working on it. I have a few notes for the author and want to make sure those carry forward with the manuscript for consideration by the editor.
When I look up again, it's almost lunch time and it's snowing outside.
I did have a feeling this morning on my walk to work that snow was coming. The air just had the right kind of bite, even with the lack of wind.
My next thought is Ash. Will the market stay open? How will he sell his stuff?
