“Yes.” My supervisor beamed at me. “Come have a seat.”
Charlotte gestured toward the chairs facing her desk, and I took one of them.
What on earth was going on? I hadn’t seen Charlotte this giddy since Stephen King tweeted that the Daily Report’s book section was his favorite of all the national papers.
My bottom had barely hit the seat when Charlotte began. “So… I have some good news for you. The biggest publisher in the city has just offered us the biggestgetinyears, and I’m sending you to Rhode Island to do the interview.”
She raised both brows, anticipating my appreciation. Iwasexcited but also a little confused. Which author was big enough to qualify as the “best get in years?”
And why had Charlotte selectedmefor the honor? I’d written some well-received articles, but I was far from the most senior writer on the staff. I wrote book reviews and covered literary news of the more mundane variety.
“Shouldn’t Alexandra do it?” I asked. “She usually does the big interviews for her Story Behind the Story column.”
“Alexandra has put in her notice. Which means we’re going to have to find a new voice for the column.” Charlotte paused with a significant glance. “This interview could give you abigleg up on the competition.”
Desire grabbed my heart like a giant hand. That job would mean a higher salary, and what could be better than doing interviews with awesome writers full-time?
Well, writing myownnovels, but that ship had sailed.
“Wow,” I said. “Thank you. Who is it?”
Charlotte delivered the answer in a deliberate staccato, halting dramatically between each syllable. “Jack. R. R. Bestia. Can you believe it?”
I couldn’t. The hand around my heart squeezed harder, becoming painful.
“But he doesn’t do interviews. I mean, not for the past couple of years anyway.”
“Well, he’s going to do one with us next week. Withyou, I should say.” Charlotte grinned widely, clearly expecting me to be thrilled out of my mind.
I might have been out of my mind, but I was definitely not thrilled. I couldn’t. Ireallycouldn’t.
“I can’t.”
Charlotte’s smile dropped instantly. She blinked. “What?”
“I can’t do it. You should send someone else. How about Suzanne? She loves fantasy. She did a great job on the Maas interview last year.”
“I don’t understand, Bonnie. I thought you’d be thrilled. You love Jack Bestia.”
“Exactly. That’s why I can’t interview him. It wouldn’t be… objective.”
A laugh hissed between Charlotte’s teeth as she shook her head. “It doesn’t have to be objective. It’s a coup just to get him totalkto us. It’s a color piece, a victory march to create hype for the release of the final Onyx Throne book. No one’s expecting any sort of big expose on the ‘secret life of a reclusive author.’”
“But the release doesn’tneedany hype,” I argued. “Believe me, Jack’s fans have been salivating over this book foryears. It’ll hit the top spot on the bestseller list on day one.”
“Andwe’llhave the exclusive interview with the number-one best-selling author,” Charlotte said.
Starting to feel desperate, I searched for an out. “I can’t leave my father.”
Charlotte looked concerned. “I thought you said he doesn’t need full-time care?”
“He doesn’t. But he doesn’t know many people here. And… he can’t cook for himself.”
My dad had moved in with me seven months ago following my mom’s death. Though he wasn’t elderly, only sixty-three, he had late-stage macular degeneration, and his vision loss was now at a point where he was legally blind.
With his loss of eyesight, cookinghadbecome too hazardous, though admittedly, he’d be more than happy to eat microwave meals—or order takeout Chinese or pizza. He loved that particular perk of living in the city and took advantage of it as often as he could.
I wasn’t a very good cook.
