She wasn’t looking at him, but not because her eyes were focused on the ground as his were. Hers were always set ahead, looking toward the door as she fished through the drawer for her keys, always moving to the next big thing.
‘This could be your only chance Elliot. Don’t you get that? Do you have any idea what kind of opportunity this could be? This could be it for you.’
‘I know that,’ his voice was small. ‘That’s exactly why I’m not going.’
She was moving from bathroom mirror to kitchen sink to lint roller in a flurry of movements he found hard to follow.
‘You being there can be the difference Elliot. A personal connection is very important.’ She folded a handful of paper towels and placed them in the flap of her purse.
‘How long have you been trying to get a break?’
She didn’t give him time to answer.
‘Forever. And how many people do you know who get a meeting with a publisher who asks to meet them personally? It doesn’t happen. That’s your answer. That doesn’t happen. It’s a once in a lifetime thing Elliot.’
Her words made more sense to him than she knew.
‘What if he meets you and for whatever reason just connects?’ She reached into the junk drawer and grabbed several pieces of tape. ‘Do you know what I’m talking about? You know when you meet someone and you just know, like, wow, I really connect with this person. I want to do everything I can to make this person’s life a little easier.’ She plucked at pieces of fluff invisible to the lint roller, Elliot,