I suck in a breath, reaching for a glass of water. This would be a lot easier if I wasn’t three sheets to the wind. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what Mel has told you, but I’m not looking for a man.”
All three of them stare at me, wide-eyed. I don’t know why they’re so shocked.
“I know I write about being single, but I’m not desperate. And Idon’tneed to be set up.” I glance pointedly at Mel and Cat.
Justin shakes his head, looking bewildered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Alex. We’re offering you a chance to write for us.”
What?
I glance at Mel, her arms folded across her perky chest, her head cocked to one side in mild amusement.
“Writefor you?” I echo.
Justin nods.
“About what?”
He gives an odd laugh. “Being single!”
Mel rolls her eyes, leaning forward. “Were you not listening before? I showed your blog to some of our editors and they loved it. They want you to submit a piece for our website. Justin is myboss.”
I place my glass of water down carefully. “What website?”
“Bliss Edition.”
“Wait—” I remember Mel said she works for a women’s website, but notthisone. “You work for Bliss Edition?”
Justin nods, mirth skimming across his features.
“And… you want me to write something for you?”
“Yes!” All three of them say in unison.
There’s a burst of excitement in my chest. Bliss Edition is one of the online magazines I’ve been trying to contact for ages!
Mel sits back in her seat, exasperated. Justin exhales and takes a sip from his cocktail, chuckling to himself.
“What was that you were saying about sleeping with Justin?” Cat asks.
“Nothing.” I flap a hand, feeling my face redden. “I can’t believe this! I’ve been wanting to submit something to your site. This is amazing.”
“You have an interesting take on single life here in the city,” Justin says. “We’ve been toying with the idea of creating a specific column on our site to connect with the eighty thousand single women in your age bracket, because we haven’t targeted them from this angle. Your blog is just like the sort of thing we’re looking to create.” He takes a leisurely sip of his drink, as if I’m not holding my breath and hanging on his every word. “And I thought, if you’re interested, you could submit a few sample articles. If we like them, there’s the chance it could lead to a permanent feature.”
My jaw slackens in shock. Holy shit.
“There are a few other people we’re considering,” Justin adds, “but you’re definitely in the running. Whatever you send us will be published on the site whether you get the regular feature or not, so it will be good exposure for your blog. But the sooner you can send me a few pieces the better, because we’re hoping to launch the column in the new year.”
A thrill runs through me. I can’t believe this! What an insane opportunity.
“Okay,” I say breathlessly, beaming. “That’s… thank you so much. I’ll get started right away.”
“Great!” Justin grins. “Send me something exactly like what you’ve been doing; single life here in New York, through a light, upbeat, positive lens. Can you do that?”
I feel my smile slip ever so slightly, but I quickly pin it back in place. Because I can do that, of course I can. Sure, I’ve been feeling a bit less than positive about being single lately, but I’m working on that.
I nod at Justin, raising my glass to his. “Absolutely.”
22
