“What?” Sadie blinked, momentarily thrown by the abrupt change of subject.
“Corbyn Pearce,” Jess said, her fingers flying across the keyboard. “He’s run off another developmental editor. I’ve been trying to buy him time to finish his latest manuscript, but the board is losing patience.”
Despite herself, Sadie felt a flicker of curiosity.
“Wait… Corbyn Pearce?TheCorbyn Pearce? As in the man whose last murder mystery sold a million copies on the first day?”
“You’re the only one I trust to handle this, Sadie,” Jess said, her tone serious though she avoided meeting Sadie’s eyes directly. “Pearce is a handful, but you’ve got a saint’s patience. I still remember how you saved Stella Adkins’ book last year when everyone else was ready to toss it.”
“You’re not telling me something,” Sadie said, recognizing the avoidance and the attempt at flattery. “How many editors has he gone through?”
Jess winced, her tone sheepish when she replied, “You’re the fourth since New Year’s. But I genuinely think you can reach him where the others couldn’t.”
“Jess, please tell me you’re not asking what I think you’re asking,” Sadie groaned, knowing her friend too well.
“You, my dear couch surfer, are my editing ace,” Jess said with a smirk. “You’ve tamed worse than Pearce. Plus, the board is convinced that his comeback novel could be the title of the decade. You are the only one who can drag this project across the finish line.”
Sadie couldn’t help but snort at that.
“Plus,” Jess continued, “here’s your shot to wrangle someone who actually gets things done, instead of just whining about it.”
She meant Nate. Sadie had spent years trying to help him find the inspiration to finish a project… any project. It had never ended well.
“I…” Sadie started to protest, but stopped when she saw the hopeful look on Jess’s face. “So, how do I do this? Call him up? Or does he only do smoke signals and carrier pigeons?”
Jess’s expression turned sheepish, and she replied, “I thought it might be better if you took a little all-expense paid working vacation. You know, Great Missenden’s supposedly very quaint.”
The words cut through Sadie’s mental fog, and she blinked, trying desperately to process what Jess had said.
“Great… Missenden?”
“Yep,” Jess said, popping the ‘p’ with relish. “Cute little town in Buckinghamshire. Roald Dahl country. Just imagine the inspiration!”
Sadie’s mind whirled, and she stammered, “But… Corbyn Pearce? There?”
“He’s holed up in some rickety cottage, probably scribbling with quills by candlelight,” Jess chuckled, typing something on her computer. “Your job is to drag him, kicking and screaming if necessary, into the 21st century and finish his book. You would be saving me from an early grave, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find your own muse while you’re at it.”
“I don’t know, Jess, this is pretty sudden,” Sadie began, doubt gnawing away at her gut. Nate’s voice rang through her mindagain, her confidence faltering. “I have a pile of manuscripts on my desk…”
“Which I am currently working on reassigning to the rest of our team,” Jess interrupted as Sadie’s phone buzzed with an email notification. “Surprise! Your chariot to Heathrow awaits. You leave tonight.”
Sadie’s eyes widened as she looked at her phone. The email was from British Airways confirming her travel plans.
“Tonight? But…”
“Your lease with Nate doesn’t end for another two months,” Jess interrupted, her voice gentle but firm. “And as your best friend, I think you need to get off this sofa before you sprout couch potatoes.”
Sadie glanced around the cluttered space, over the stacks of books and half-unpacked boxes. She had tried to settle in and wait out the lease, but the truth was that being surrounded by the mess had kept her in a spiral of self-doubt for the last month.
“I need you on this project, Sadie,” Jess’s uncharacteristically serious tone pulled her from her thoughts, “and you need to do something other than mope on my sofa bed.”
A watery chuckle escaped Sadie’s lips. “Gee, thanks.”
“I mean it,” Jess insisted. “This isn’t just about Pearce and his book. It’s about you, too. It’ll give you a chance to heal, without having to worry that Nate might be lurking around the next corner.”
“Not to mention I’d be saving your ass with the board,” Sadie replied before exhaling sharply.
Jess grinned, laughing a bit when she responded, “Yes, that too. Come on, Sadie, you used to talk all the time about going back to England. Back in freshman year, we couldn’t get you to shut up about the trip you took in high school.” Jess’s smile turned mischievous before she added, “Do you remember thatred hair you used to rock? Before Mr. Moody convinced you it was ‘too attention-seeking’?”
