Page 117 of What If I See You
“Is it official?” Corrigan asks with a drink in her hand lifted and ready to clink with my glass.
I nod, beaming at her proudly. “I officially hit publish this morning and the book is now live!”
Ella claps her hands and then lifts her glass as well. “Yay! Oh, my gosh, this is so exciting! Congratulations, Layken!”
“Thank you so much!”
Scarlett clinks her drink against mine and Corrigan’s and Ella’s while also cheering me on. “Yes girl, congratulations! I’m going to download it right now.”
“Maybe we need a little reading club between the four of us.”
“I’ve already read most of it.” Corrigan smirks. “But that’s bestie privileges. I’m totally in for a group read.”
“Oh, my gosh though,” I say, covering my face. “I don’t know if I want to know where you are in the book or if or when you’re reading it at all.”
“What?” Corrigan says, taken aback. “Girl, why?”
“Because! What if it sucks? I don’t want you to tell me if it sucks. And if I know you’re reading certain parts and you don’t say anything about it, I’ll think you hate it and I don’t want that. Also, I don’t want to disappoint you guys. Ew. I’d be so embarrassed.”
The girls laugh and Scarlett shakes her head. “That is not going to happen. First of all, I read your other books and they are stellar! I’ve told you that before.”
“Right,” Ella says, nodding. “And if this one is all about hockey? Hell yes! I’m in my hockey era twenty-four seven so I am here for this!”
“See?” Corrigan shrugs. “Told you, you would be a hit. How many downloads do you have already today?”
I feel bad for smiling because I’m anything but a braggart. I know I worked my ass off for this book. It’s been a long four months of writing and editing and marketing but seeing my book out there being downloaded by people who don’t know me at all makes me feel all the warm fuzzies. My cheeks redden as I softly say, “Two-thousand, seven hundred and twenty-one.”
“WHAT?” Scarlett shouts in the middle of the Mexican restaurant where we met for lunch. “Are you serious?”
Corrigan and Ella laugh as I nod affirmatively. “Yeah. And that was an hour ago when I last checked.”
“Girl.” Scarlett shakes her head, smiling. “Do you have an affiliate program, because I need to get me some of whatever you’re doing right now!”
I snicker as I grab for a chip and dunk it into the bowl of queso. “This coming from the high-profile vlogger with millions of subscribers.”
She shrugs. “What can I say? I’m resourceful and opportunistic.”
Corrigan gives me a high five and shakes her head, impressed. “I told you. I just had a feeling this one was going to be big. Readers love their hockey guys.”
“You’re right.” I nod. “They definitely do.”
“I’m so fucking proud of you friend.”
“Well don’t be super proud of me yet,” I tell them all. “Release day or release week is one thing. Success comes when the book is still going strong a month or more from now. I could easily be forgotten for the next author’s release.”
“Never going to happen.” Ella smirks. “Not this time.”
My phone dings on the table and I catch a quick glance at the sender of the received text.
“Julie?”
“Who’s Julie?” Ella asks.
“Julie from the hospital?” Corrigan inquires. “You’re old boss?”
“Yeah.” I lift up the phone to read the text.
Julie
