Come Dancing (33 page)

A clerk came over to greet us. “What ages are your kids?” she asked as I handed her the list. She had stared at Jack when we first came in, but her manner didn’t give anything away.

“They’re for a friend,” I said.

Jack and I browsed some lavishly illustrated fairytales while she stacked his purchases on the counter. “Oliver would love this,” he said, opening a Grimm’s. I stood close to see the page, but any thoughts about it were driven away by his nearness. Instead of the brilliant bookplate of Rapunzel letting down her locks, I gazed at the fine dark hairs on Jack’s wrist. He chose several volumes for Oliver and Emma, and we left with two big shopping bags.

“I imagine you need to get back home,” he said as Rick pulled out.

“I guess.” I hoped he’d invite himself over. I didn’t want to ask, since he might have plans with someone else for the afternoon. It was hard to sit so close and not touch him; it brought back in torturous detail how good his body used to feel.

“Thanks for coming along,” Jack said. “I have to do this parallel thing where someone reads with me, and then I do it alone. Somehow I can’t see doing it with Mary Jo. She can be a little impatient, you know. Although I dearly love that woman.”

“That sounds like a good exercise.”

“Maybe you could help me with it sometime, if your professor wouldn’t have a problem with that.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem. He knows you and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.” I thought Jack might pick up on that so we could discuss it, but he just looked out the window for a few minutes.

As we pulled onto Broome, Jack draped his arm around my shoulder. “In a way, it’s nice just being friends.” He regarded me with his warm brown eyes. “Kind of takes the tension out of it, if you know what I mean.” His face was close to mine, the heat of him searing my skin. “It’s good to see you, Julia,” he said in a low voice. I waited, holding still, tipping my face slightly toward his. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

“I’m going to take you up on your offer of help with the reading,” he called to me as I got out of the car.

So he sees us as just friends now
. If possible, I felt even worse than before.

Making Flippy Floppy

“Time for the meeting, Julia,” Meredith said. Surreptitiously I folded the
Times
over the
Post
; I’d been absorbed in a fascinating tidbit on Page Six. I followed her into the conference room, where everyone was already seated.

“All right, any additions to the death list?” Harvey began. “We’ve got Bette, Marlene, and Katherine, but we need a few more.” He’d brought from Esiness a running list of actresses who might be expected to pop off at any moment. A hack writer was waiting in the wings, ready to cough up a quick biography within weeks of their demise.

“Liz isn’t looking too hale and hearty, but she hasn’t even hit fifty yet,” Charlie said.

“This isn’t for the D-list, but I might have an in with Ruby Carr,” Briar piped up. “I got to know her agent when the magazine did a piece on her Broadway show.”

Harvey beamed. “That’s fantastic, Briar. Why don’t you set up a meeting with her? The rest of you need to put on your thinking caps and see who you can come up with. Charlie, anything good?”

“I have something I’m excited about: The Fireman’s Diet,” Charlie enthused. “These guys in one station in Queens have lost fifteen pounds apiece in two weeks.”

“Isn’t that kind of bridge-and-tunnel?” Briar asked.

“Too down-market. Don’t waste any time on it,” Harvey said as Charlie scowled. “Kate?”

“I’ve got a novel about four women who meet at Woodstock, and how the concert affects the rest of their lives. I’m on the fence about it; maybe Julia could take a look,” Kate said.

“Sure,” I replied. Anxiously I wondered if she’d read Isabel’s manuscript. I’d asked her about it a few days ago, but she hadn’t gotten to it yet.

“To be continued,” Harvey said. “Edgar, anything new in the fascinating world of crafts? Sea glass collections, bottle caps?”

“I’m considering a book on quilt making,” Edgar said in a dignified tone. “I’ll get back to you about it.”

“I’ll be on tenterhooks. Anyone else?”

I clenched my icy hands in my lap. “I wanted to bring up Isabel Reed again. I know you didn’t love it, but I wanted to get some other opinions. Did anyone else have a chance to read it?”

I held my breath during the pause. Meredith removed her half-rims. “She writes so poignantly about growing up without her mother. And any fan of the show would be fascinated by the peek behind the scenes. That moment with her costar in the dressing room is priceless.”

“But does anyone care about Isabel Reed these days?” Harvey asked.

Briar sat forward in her seat. “No one I knew ever watched her show.
I
certainly didn’t. That whole singing teacher gimmick was just a lot of hype.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Charlie countered. “She has a real cult following. You can still catch reruns if you stay up late.”

“She’s been getting some nice press about this new big-budget film,” I added.

Kate tucked her hair behind her ears. “I think it’s great. She was a huge role model for young women, and they’re just now hitting book-buying age.”

I could have kissed her feet.

Harvey frowned. “We cranked out a lot of these things at Esiness. They’re a drain on the publicity department, and in the end most of them don’t earn out.”

“I disagree,” Kate said. “This one’s special.”

“If we positioned it right, we could have a real sleeper on our hands,” I said, gaining steam. “And I don’t think we’d have to pay that much for it.”

Edgar nodded. “You’d be absolutely insane not to grab this. She has a huge following among gay men.”

“I still think Rayner’s memoir would be a much bigger draw,” Harvey said. “In fact, let’s go ahead and pass on Isabel, in lieu of Pryce.”

Briar gave me a triumphant look.

I cleared my throat. “Interesting you should say that. I was just reading in the … in the newspaper that he’s been checked into rehab in Orange County. Apparently he ran a bunch of red lights, crashed his car, and punched a cop after a police chase. It sounds like he’s in for a pretty long stay.”

My heart pounded as everyone looked at Harvey.

“Well. That certainly puts a new spin on it,” he said, glancing around the room. “His book was supposed to be all about his big spiritual conversion. Okay, Julia. Run some numbers after the meeting and see if you can come up with an offer that works.”

Hooray!
I felt like doing a victory lap around the conference table.

Harvey left, and the others came over to congratulate me. Briar rushed out, looking like she’d sucked a lemon.

I raced over to the Chelsea to make the offer in person.

“I was really hoping for a little more,” Isabel said slowly. My mood took a nose-dive. “But,” she smiled, “I guess I can make it up in royalties. Yes. I accept.”

I gave her a big hug, inhaling a hit of patchouli. “I’ll get the contracts drawn up right away. And our publicity director wants to set up a meeting as soon as possible.”

“I’m absolutely thrilled. I couldn’t have done it without all your hard work,” she said graciously.

“I really appreciate that, Isabel.”

“Are you all right? You’ve seemed down lately.” She regarded me with her keen blue gaze. “Did something happen with that guy?”

“We broke up.” It felt even worse to say it out loud.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like a bad one.”

I sighed. “It’s been pretty awful. I thought he’d been with another woman, then it turned out he hadn’t, but I said some terrible things. I saw him a few weeks ago, but he hasn’t called me since.”

Isabel patted my hand. “Well, he’s crazy if he’s letting a girl like you go. Take some advice from someone who’s been around the block a few times: either get him back or find another guy who’ll appreciate what you have to offer. Grab hold while you’re still young and beautiful. It all goes so fast.” She glanced at the beaming portrait over the mantel. “Sometimes I lie in bed at night and look at pictures of myself when I was your age. What I wouldn’t do for just one day of having it all back, especially if I knew what I know now. I’d be unstoppable.” She smiled. “And that’s the end of the lecture.”

“Here’s your paper. I’m pretty sure I made all the corrections,” I said, handing Art the manila envelope. I wanted to drop it off before we went with a group of his friends to see a Philip Glass opera. I’d stayed extra late at the office for the past two weeks to retype the eighty-page annotated document, which struck me as dry and heavily footnoted. But I reminded myself that this was almost a requirement of academic writing.

“I’m totally in your debt,” Art said as he uncorked a bottle of wine. “I just saw the
Times
review of Fyfe’s novel. Congratulations; that’s a real coup.”

“Yes, everyone was pleased. And his new one’s even better. I’m about two-thirds of the way through it now.”

“It’s great that you get to edit your house’s big author. They must have a lot of confidence in you.” He got two glasses out of his neatly stacked cabinet.

“It’s probably more about divvying up the work load.”

“Maybe after this, they’ll give you something you can really sink your teeth into.” He noticed my frown. “You know what I mean, Julia. Freeman Fyfe isn’t exactly an intellectual giant. I need to reconnect with some of my publishing confreres. Maybe Farrar, Straus has an opening; their list would be more your cup of tea.”

“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to manage my career.”

“Well, I’m eternally grateful to you for retyping my paper. I can think of one way to show my gratitude.”

He took my wrists and drew my arms around him. Warm and tender, his kisses were so easy to fall into. I sighed when he stopped and went to get our coats. I really needed to get past this longing for Jack and move on. Art was smart, good-looking, and interesting; anyone would consider him a catch. There was no logical reason for me not to get involved with him again.

“Do you ever hear from Jack at all?” Dot asked me over the phone the next morning.

“Not since I saw him for coffee a while ago. We aren’t getting back together,” I said morosely. I’d left Art and his friends at a bar after the concert and took the subway home alone. I hadn’t been in the mood for socializing.

“Well, guess what? I’m coming there to cheer you up.”

“Up here?”

“I’m taking the bus to Philadelphia next weekend, then straight to New York.”

“But that’s an awfully long trip. Are you sure?”

“I’ve already bought my tickets. You sound so out of sorts lately. And I want to meet this professor.”

“I don’t know, Mom. Art’s pretty busy,” I said uneasily. I couldn’t imagine what the two of them would have to talk about.

“Busier than Jack? I’m sure he can make time to meet your mother,” she replied in a confident tone.

The next morning Harvey summoned me to his office. “Have a seat.”

I perched on a chair in front of his desk, wondering what I’d done now. Harvey cleared his throat. “Briar is leaving the company. She’s decided to go back to school.”

I tried to assume a nonchalant expression, but inside I was euphoric.

“I’m going to have to reassign the things I’d given her to handle. Are you up for taking on some more? I know your plate’s pretty full as it is.”

“I’m always up for work.” I knew I didn’t have a choice.

Harvey surveyed me with his icy blue eyes. “That’s true. I was wrong to think a pretty young woman like you would have more frivolous interests. But you’re very serious about this job, aren’t you? No one else is staying until seven o’clock every night.”

I folded my arms. “I couldn’t be more serious about it.”

“Well. Given the sudden staffing gap and the fact that you’ve brought in Isabel’s book, I’m going to promote you to associate editor. If you can start pulling in some submissions. You’ll have to really get out there and lunch the agents.”

I almost had to ask him to repeat himself. “That’s great! I mean, thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“I’m giving you a three-thousand-dollar raise, and you can have a small expense account. More of both when you start acquiring. You’ll have to continue doing the things you do for me,” he added. “I don’t have the budget to hire a new assistant.”

“I can definitely do that.” I stood up to go.

“Julia.” Harvey cleared his throat. “Congratulations. You deserve it.”

I stopped in his doorway. “Thank you, Harvey. I think I do deserve it.”

I ran to find Meredith. “I hear your friend Briar has decided to go back to school for photojournalism,” she said.

“Good riddance, isn’t it? Guess what, I’m getting promoted!”

Meredith gave me a warm hug. “I may have had something to do with that. I told Harvey he’d better promote you, or else another house would snatch you up once word got out that you’d landed Isabel. I keep reading about this new film she’s starring in; it sounds like it’s going to make a splash.”

“Thank you so much!”

“It’s purely selfish; no one else gets their jacket copy in on time. I also told him,” Meredith said, lowering her voice, “that if he doesn’t stop making inappropriate suggestions to the young women in this company, I’ll call his wife and tell her what’s going on.”

“I hope he won’t get back at you for that. What did he say?”

“He just glared at me, but I think he got the message. I was talking to Vicky’s colleague Sarah Wittner the other day. She mentioned that Harvey’s father-in-law footed the bill for their fancy apartment. We thought that might give me a little leverage.”

“You’re the best.” I hugged her again, and then ran to my office to call Vicky. For once, her line wasn’t busy.

“You won’t believe this: Briar quit, and Harvey just promoted me!” I exclaimed.

Vicky gave a whoop. “That’s fantastic! Finally things are looking up for you, Julia. We’re going out tonight to celebrate—I won’t take no for an answer.”