Page 116 of Her Wicker Guardian

Rachel’s eyebrows rise.

“That surprised you.”

“Yes,” Rachel says.

“Why?”

“Because she just told you to have Blair negotiate against her.”

“Is that bad?”

“No. It actually makes me trust her more.”

I forget Mara can still hear me until she laughs.

“I’ll take the endorsement.”

She tells me Blair should ask for more money because this is an exclusive interview with someone the entire world is trying to understand. I shouldn’t accept the first offer without letting Blair negotiate.

I like how direct that is.

“Send it to Blair.”

“I will. She negotiates, you review the final agreement with her, and then you decide whether you still want the interview.”

“Yes.”

Mara catches the distinction before ending the call. “Yes to reviewing the offer, not yes to the interview?”

“Correct.”

“Good. You’re already better at this than most celebrities.”

I do not know whether she is joking. Rachel does. She’s smiling when the call ends.

Rachel picks up her phone. “I’ll send Blair’s contact info to Mara and let Blair know to expect a call.”

She sends both messages, then puts the phone down on the table. We sit with the phone between us while the amount Mara named seems to take up more and more space in the room.

“That could be a lot of money,” Rachel says.

“Yes.”

“And before you give another thought to my bills, I want to say something.” She leans forward, one forearm resting beside the papers. “If you do this, you do it because you want the interview. Not because I missed work this week. I will figure out my bills.”

“Do you think I would say yes because you’re worried about money?”

Rachel hesitates. “I think you’ve already started worrying about things that aren’t yours to fix.”

“I wanted people to hear me before Mara offered money,” I tell her. “If I agree to the interview, it will be because I still want them to hear me.”

Rachel studies me, then nods.

“I also want the money.”

That catches her off guard. “Okay.”

“I want tools.”