Page 130 of Someone Exactly Like Me (Wounded Hearts 1)
“Yup,” I say, putting the mint chocolate chip pint in front her and handing her a spoon.
“What does that mean for you?” she asks, grabbing the spoon.
“I don’t know yet.” Taking the lid off my mocha chip, I scoop a spoonful into my mouth. “Bev said they’d like to negotiate something with me first since I’ve been such a good tenant for so many years.”
“Well, that’s good, right?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I don’t think I can afford this place on my own as far as buying it. I certainly don’t have any kind of down payment saved up. I have no idea what I’m going to do. I emailed her back today saying I’m open to discussing it with them, but I honestly don’t think I can swing it.”
“Des. I’m so sorry. Can I help at all?”
“There’s really nothing you can do. But I love you for wanting to help. My mom told me about a few openings at Creative Artists. I called today and have an interview next week.”
“Ugh. You don’t want to do that.”
“I don’t, but what choice do I have? I can’t believe what a mess my life is right now.”
“Your life isn’t a mess,” she says finishing the last bite of her fried rice and lifting the lid off her mint chocolate chip ice cream. “You’re just in the midst of some challenges. Youwillget to the other side of all this. And your life will be better than you imagined. I know it. I know it in my soul.”
“I hope you’re right.” I take another scoop of ice cream. “On the plus side, I finished the book today and I’m sending it to my betas tomorrow after I make sure the formatting looks okay. I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
“Ooo, that’s amazing! When will you publish it? I wanna read it.”
“Next month. Your signed copy will be waiting for you.” I wink at her.
She squeals, drumming her feet on the floor. “I can’t wait!”
The next week passes quickly. My betas absolutely love my book and I’m thrilled. My interview at Creative Artists goes well. Though I’m not looking forward to hearing back from them, I probably need to suck it up and get some stable income coming in. While my beta readers, editor, and advanced copy readers love the book, that doesn’t mean anything about what my sales will look like. Bev and Tom are out of town so we set up time to talk when they get back.
Nicco has finally stopped trying to reach me. It’s for the best. There’s nothing to say. Still, he invades my thoughts more often than not. His tender side, his depth, his kiss, his passion.
He’s in every breath I take.
