The Man Who Has No Sight - Victoria Quinn Page 0,93
it was interesting to hear him do it now.
“Don’t let this scar you. Because you will find the right woman when you’re older. You will have a deep and meaningful relationship with someone who is loyal, true, who would never, ever hurt you like that. She’ll be your best friend…and mean so much to you that you’ll forget what your life was like before you met her.
“I don’t know about that.”
“You will, Derek.” He looked me in the eye. “I promise.”
I turned away.
“You still carry the bitterness of your mother’s abandonment, and I don’t want you to carry this too. Forgive—not for them, but for yourself. Otherwise, you’ll hurt people who aren’t responsible for the scars others left.”
“Dad, I don’t think everyone has a relationship like what you and Mom have. It’s not that common.” And I’d learned that the hard way.
“Maybe. But it will happen for you. I know it will.”
“Why?”
He stared into my eyes for a long time, searching for an answer. “I just do.”
Teaser Chapter 1
Ten Years Later
Emerson
I’d started at Astra Books two weeks ago, taking the position the previous editor suddenly vacated to move across the country to care for her elderly father. It was an unfortunate circumstance for her but a great one for me.
It was my dream job.
To top it off, one of the authors on the roster was my favorite author of all time.
Derek Hamilton.
He wrote a sci-fi series that had everything a reader could want, interstellar space travel, lovable characters, exciting climaxes, and painful deaths that left tears in your eyes even though you were just reading words on a page.
He was supposed to have submitted his manuscript for the newest book months ago, but he’d still failed to turn anything in.
I started to worry, not just as an editor, but as a reader.
I’d sent him an email from my desk two weeks ago, my hands shaking slightly because I was contacting the only person in the world I was awestruck by.
Mr. Hamilton,
Unfortunately, Hannah is no longer with Astra Books due to a family illness. I’ve taken her position, and I’m very eager to get my hands on your manuscript because I’m a big fan of your work and want to make this volume in the series the best yet. Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Emerson Lane. So lovely to meet you. Well, virtually at least. =)
I checked that email a million times before I sent it, and I was disappointed when I heard nothing in response.
Nothing at all.
I asked a colleague about it. “Derek Hamilton…is he a diva author?”
“Diva?” Janine asked. “No. He’s just…different.”
“Different how?”
She shrugged. “It seems like any time you talk to him he doesn’t want to be present in the conversation. Like you’re annoying him. He’s too busy for you, basically.”
You know what they say—don’t meet your heroes.
I emailed him again.
Mr. Hamilton,
I haven’t had a response from you, so I wanted to check in again. Could you give me an update on the manuscript? Will it be finished soon? I would love to jump on a call and discuss the specifics. I can even begin to edit whatever pages you have. As a big fan of your series, I can be used as a sounding board as well.
Eagerly awaiting your reply,
Emerson Lane
There was still no response, not even a week later. I decided to take it a step further and call him directly. Most of the time, we didn’t call authors because they were all introverts who were overwhelmed by simple conversations, but Derek Hamilton was forcing me to push when I didn’t want to push.
He answered. “Derek.” His voice was deep, and he sounded young, not what I imagined. His photograph wasn’t on the back of his novels, so I had no idea what he looked like. Based on the quality and depth of his work, I assumed he was a middle-aged man who had a lot of life experience.
I didn’t say anything at first, because I was caught off guard. “Mr. Hamilton, this is Emerson Lane. I’m your new editor at Astra Books. How are you?”
Silence.
“Hello?” Did the line go dead?
“I’ll submit the book when I’m finished.” Click.
The phone started to beep when the connection was severed. “Did that bastard just hang up on me?”
Janine chuckled from her desk, her eyes on her computer. “Told you. He’s different.”
Now that he knew my number, he didn’t take my calls at all.