Ugly(97)

I’m trying to interrupt her, but her panicked rant doesn’t let me get a word in edgewise, until I finally say, “Just be quiet for a minute.”

“Oh.” And she rasps a sharp intake of air. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”

“It’s okay. Now, I want to talk to you about Love Is Perfection.”

“Oh God,” she painfully moans.

“Michaela, it’s really good. You have nothing to worry about.”

“It is?” she shrieks in surprise.

“It really is. It’s fantastic. You really need to get this story out, and as soon as possible. I’ve gone over it, and fixed the obvious errors, but I’ve also added some notes to it, too. There are a couple of areas I think can flow better, and some of the transition scenes were weak, so I added my suggestions to it. You of course don’t have to take anything I suggest on board, it’s just I identified some areas of weakness that with a few sentences or paragraphs could be made stronger.”

“Oh my God. Really? I thought you were going to rip me to shreds.”

“Why would I do that?”

“I’ve been watching the indie book author community, and some people just love to rip others apart. And logically, I know not everyone is going to love my story, but I’m hoping there’s more love than hate.”

“I think you have a great book on your hands, and I was totally drawn into the world you wrote. It’s really fantastic and you should be proud of it. I’ll send the USB drive back with Shayne tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much. What do I owe you?”

Geez, I’ve not thought of a price. “Consider this one a freebie, but if you want to use me again, we’ll negotiate a price.”

“Can I have your number, and I can look at what you did tomorrow and call you?”

Crap. “Um, I prefer not to give out my number, but I’ll give you my email address. Just drop me a line, and I’ll call you when I get home from work.”

“Thank you so much, Lily. I really look forward to seeing what you’ve done.”

“You’re welcome.”

I’m just about to hang up, when Michaela says, “I want to credit you for what you’ve done. What’s your last name, so I can write it in my acknowledgements?”

I don’t want to give her my surname, because what happens if Trent ever comes after me? I think quickly on the spot, and I remember my favorite teacher in high school was Mrs. Richards, my English teacher. “It’s Lily Richards,” I say. I need to be wary of Trent.

“Well, thank you so much, Lily. I really can’t wait to see what you’ve done with my baby.” When she says ‘baby’ I can almost imagine her hugging the paperback as she dances around the floor, holding it. And I smile. It’s sweet for someone to have a passion so intense.

“Bye,” we both say together, and hang up at the same time. I’m so happy, everything is going really well. I just hope she likes the changes I suggested and the work I’ve done on the book.

I lie back in bed, and look at the clock. In two hours I’m having a driving lesson, but for now, I kind of want to call Max.

I sent him a text message when I activated the phone, thanking him and he sent back a text saying ‘you’re welcome’. Other than that short exchange, I haven’t spoken to him since we had lunch last week.

I scroll through the very few numbers I have, and find his, dialing the number. It rings three times before he answers. “Lily, are you al-alright?”

“I am. I just wanted to talk to you, see how you are.”

“I-I’m working r-right now. H-how are you?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, I’ll let you go.” I sit up in bed, and cross my legs.

“No, don’t go. I-I have a f-few minutes. How are you?”

“I’m really good. I just wanted to thank you again for my phone. It really was sweet of you to buy it for me.”

“Y-you’re welcome. I f-finish in f-five hours. W-would you like to get a d-drink t-tonight, or m-m-maybe d-d-dinner?” His stutter is worse when he’s nervous. It’s something I’ve picked up on.

“I have a driving lesson in two hours.”

“Oh,” he says and I can hear the disappointment in his voice. “M-m-maybe a-another t-t-time.”

“What I’m saying is I’d love to go but I won’t be back until later in the afternoon.”

“Th-that’s perfect because b-by the t-time I’m finished you should be d-done, too.” His stutter is better and I can tell there’s enthusiasm in his voice.

“Great, where should I meet you?”