A Book Deal || Nathaniel + Holly
Holly drummed her fingertips against the top of the table in the coffee shop. She stared at the manila envelope that lay before her and felt her heart leap within her chest. Despite the anxiety that wracked her brain she felt more clearheaded than she had in years. Holly had come to Camden in an effort to fall off the map, but now that things were changing she wasn’t so sure she wanted still wanted to. After a few years of bleak hopelessness Holly had found potential in herself again; a date that weekend, a long overdue commitment to make herself well, the people around her worth getting well for, and now this.
It was almost more than Holly could take to sit still. The combination of anxiety, excitement, and caffeine caused Holly to fidget in her seat at the coffee house like a restless child, peering out the window for the arrival the author who might lead to Holly’s big break. She glanced down at her satchel, a worn copy of The Angels Kiss lent to her by Nathaniel, the author himself. A small tinge of guilt shot through her body. Perhaps it was rude of her to have spent her time writing her own piece for him to consider and possibly pass on to the publisher before reading the work of the man who was doing her the favor in the first place. However, the time had ticked along well past the time they had agreed to meet and Holly’s mind was more consumed with the fear of being stood up than the fear of hurting his ego.
Flipping open the envelope she removed what work on the piece she had accomplished so far; a first chapter, and no more. She was well aware that even a first chapter was the maximum any publisher would read. A consideration of an entire chapter was lucky. It was a one shot deal and it needed to impress. Holly wasn’t sure if she had accomplished that. Her eyes scanned the page for what was possibly the hundredth time. By this last minute read over it wasn’t of much consequence. There was no time to reprint after fixing any errors, not that Holly had left a single comma out of place after the third revision.
Halfway through her reading of the first page she heard the door open behind her and a cold, chilly draft at her back. Holly quickly reminded herself not to get her hopes up in fear that it wasn’t Nathaniel, that the entire situation was too good to be true, before allowing herself to turn around and look still hopeful that it was the author she so hoped would soon become something more of a partner or mentor.
