The Romance Plan - Lila Monroe Page 0,70

of the many things I wanted to talk to you about.” She ushers me into her office, motions for me to have a seat. “First of all, sorry to have stalked you,” she says with a self-deprecating smile, once we’re settled in. “But everything is just happening so fast, and I wanted to make sure to get your take before we made any decisions about office space or the release calendar.”

I frown. “Office space?” I repeat.

Anne nods. “We’ve got room two floors down,” she continues, “but I wanted you to take a look at it before we commit to anything to make sure there’s enough room for all your people. Now, as far as your fall and winter lists go, we should be able to proceed as planned without any major disruptions, though I did want to ask you about delivery—”

“I’m sorry,” I interrupt as Anne rifles through a stack of folders on her desk. She’s going on like I know what she’s talking about, which I definitely do not. “I’m confused. Office space? My winter list? Delivery for what, exactly?”

Anne looks at me a little oddly for a moment. Then all at once the lightbulb seems to go on. “Oh my goodness,” she says, laughing a little, “did Mr. Sterling not tell you?”

I feel myself get very still. “Tell me… what?”

“Well, I don’t mind telling you, your boss drives quite the hard bargain,” Anne says with a smile. “He had a very long list of conditions he wanted us to agree to before he’d sign the acquisition paperwork.”

“What kind of conditions?” I ask in a small voice.

“He made us promise to honor the contracts with all your authors, for one,” Anne tells me, “and to keep all staff on for a minimum of one year. It was a real sticking point for him.”

“It was?” I feel dizzy, even though I’m already sitting down.

“We’ll be keeping the Sterling name as an imprint under the larger MediaCorp umbrella,” she explains, “so the company will live on.” She smiles. “And we’d love to have you at the helm.”

For a moment I just gape at her. I just hallucinated, I must have. “You want me to… stay on?”

“As senior editor.” Anne continues. “Of course, we understand you’re probably in incredibly high demand after your success with Verity,” Anne says quickly. “And the compensation package we’re willing to offer reflect that.” She smiles. “In particular if you can work your magic on Verity again!”

She slides a sheet of paper across the table towards me, and the number on it would make my legs give way if I wasn’t already sitting down.

“So, let me tell you a little how I imagine your role here at the Sterling imprint…”

I shuffle out of the meeting an hour later completely dazed. It’s all I can do not to wander out into traffic or body-check into any businessmen as I wander down the sidewalk, trying to process everything Anne just said. I told her that I’d give her an answer on the job within a couple of days, but I can’t believe the position even exists at all.

My own senior editor gig, heading up a Sterling imprint, with all my old authors, and most of the staff, too…

It’s incredible. Impossible.

And Liam is the one who made it happen.

I stop dead in the street, as the realization hits: If this was what he was trying to explain to me that night outside Verity’s launch party—

Then I was wrong about him.

Not just wrong.

Colossally wrong.

I cringe when I think back to everything I said to him. I basically called him a soulless money monster, accused him of selling us all out, when the whole time, he’d been fighting to keep Sterling alive in whatever form he could.

He fought for me. And I just drove him away, instead.

I have to find a way to make it right, no matter what it costs me.

I just hope it’s not too late.

23

Liam

“Harder,” Madison commands me a few days later, even as I thrust with as much force as I possibly can. Both of us are sweating, damp tendrils of Madison’s curly hair escaping her ponytail. Her cheeks are pink with exertion. “Harder!”

I go again, my whole body tensing with the strain. “Like that?” I ask with a grunt.

“Better,” she gasps. “That’s it. But go ahead and use me. Really put your weight into it. I promise it’s not going to hurt me. Yes. Yes!”

That’s when Jase strolls into the gym.

“I knew I’d find you here,” he