Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 130255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
He stared at me with his big, amber eyes.
“No, don’t look at me like that. I’m mad at you. How did you even get out? All the windows are shut!”
He trilled, then raised his right paw and licked it so he could clean his pointy little ears.
“Oh, that’s right. Just wash your ears. I’m starting to wish I’d left your furry arse with Megan!”
He didn’t even acknowledge me.
I mean, he was a cat.
He wasn’t going to respond to me, was he? I wasn’t exactly Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Thank God.
I didn’t want to think about Winston with a voice.
He was chatty enough without knowing the English language. If I wanted a pet that could talk back, I’d have procured myself a parrot.
Or a boyfriend.
I checked his bowls and refilled his water—something he was quick to dart to, unsurprisingly. Another random escapade outside had definitely helped him work up a thirst.
Little shit.
I was going to have to search every inch of this place to see how he was getting out. I knew for a fact I hadn’t left any windows open this morning when I’d left, and all three doors in and out of the house were locked.
If he kept doing it, I would have to seriously consider locking him in his cat box every time I left—or finding a pet store and getting him a crate.
Mind you, given enough opportunity, he’d probably figure out how to get out of those bloody things, too.
Harry Houdini had nothing on my cat.
I kicked off my shoes and pulled my phone out of my bag. I had one text from my brother updating me on the litter of kittens he’d rescued a few days ago and one from Megan.
MEGAN: Soooo. How’s the writing?
The million-dollar question.
ME: I have words on the page.
MEGAN: Actual words? That will make a book?
ME: Actual words that will make a book.
MEGAN: Careful. You’ll have a series written before you know it at that pace.
ME: Don’t you have work to do?
MEGAN: I do. Apparently, though, my ideas for bringing sales of this stupid paranormal book up are “all totally shit,” and I need to do better.
MEGAN: Ironically, so are the sales of the bloody book. She was the only one in marketing who pushed for it after the new editor wanted to bring Rose over here, but we all knew it wouldn’t sell.
ME: You’re STILL working on that? What link does your boss have to Rose?
MEGAN: I don’t know, but I’m starting to think she’s got something. I’ve seen her sales figures from your publisher thanks to Samantha having one too many drinks. We never should have signed her, but Yvonne wants the editing team to push to buy the rest of the series.
ME: We shared an agent for a while. Abby dropped her for a reason, and it was because her books just weren’t that good. She was surprised when I told her that you’d signed her.
MEGAN: Mm. I remember that. Do you think she used a ghostwriter?
ME: I don’t know. If she did, why stop? Don’t people usually get those after they’d made money?
MEGAN: Maybe you should get one.
ME: I’m far too much of a control freak to let anyone else write my books.
MEGAN: Including yourself!
Bitch.
ME: I’m glad you think you’re funny.
MEGAN: Someone has to.
MEGAN: You’re right, though. I wonder if Rose and Yvonne are connected somehow. I’m going to have to see what I find out.
ME: Over to you, Detective Saunders.
MEGAN: Thank you, Officer Aarons. I’ll report back shortly.
I dipped my head, laughing. That conversation might have been a mistake—when Megan got a bee in her bonnet about something, there was no stopping her going down whatever path she felt she needed to.
It was weird, though.
I shook that off before I ended up finding myself down the same investigative path as her. Instead, to quench my curiosity, I texted my agent to ask.
ME: Hey. Do you know of any link between Yvonne Lewis and Rose?
She replied surprisingly quickly.
ABBY: And here I was, thinking you were texting me with book news.
Everyone was a joker, weren’t they?
ME: Hi, oh great agent of mine! I have words! My retreat is really helping! I’ll have some chapters for Emily in a week! Now, do you know of any link between Yvonne Lewis and Rose?
ABBY: Good to hear. It sounds like you needed this break. You haven’t taken one in years. Even if you are working.
ABBY: And no, I don’t. Why do you ask?
ME: Meg is having huge issues with Yvonne. She keeps throwing down all her ideas and wants her to focus on Rose’s book even though the sales are bad. And she’s teaming up with Rose’s editor to make them buy the rest of the series.
ABBY: Really? Last I knew, she hadn’t sold enough for them to even consider it. That’s why Clockwork dropped her.