Professor Feelgood (Page 16)

Today is going to be kickass. To quote Joanna, I can feel it in my boobs.

“Morning, Asha!”

“Hey, Mrs. Eidleman!” My octogenarian neighbor is power-walking her two Shih Tzus wearing bright pink sweats with the word JUICY emblazoned across the ass in large silver letters. “Looking good.”

“Don’t I know it? You too, honey.”

I give her a humble smile, but I know my outfit is working it. I may feel self-conscious naked, but wearing the right clothes, I feel like a queen. Today’s ensemble is a cherry-print blouse, tight black pencil skirt with a thick black belt, all topped off with a vintage Burberry trench I found at the Brooklyn Flea for just twenty-five bucks. Even my hair is on point. My usual auburn mess has been blow dried smooth, and it swishes around my face as I walk. I couldn’t appear more editorial if I tried. Now, I just need to practice my surprised face for when they offer me the promotion.

“Asha, hey! Beautiful day, right?”

“Sure is, Randy.” My favorite barista hangs out the fast service window of my local coffee house and holds out my regular order, right on time.

“Large green tea and a no flour, low-carb spinach cake.”

I hand him a ten and grab the cup and bag without stopping. “You’re the best, Randy. Thanks!”

“You’re welcome. And have a great day.”

I sigh happily as I head down into the subway. Life is good.

There were times in the past when I felt like I had to fight tooth and nail for every decent thing I got. Being poor and having dreams of going to college were mutually exclusive concepts in our neighborhood, but both Eden and I worked our asses off in high school to secure scholarships. And now, even though we’re not doing much more than scraping by, at least we have good jobs. And with the pay raise I’ll get as an editor, I may even be able to start paying back Nannabeth for the innumerable loans she’s given me over the years. I know she couldn’t care less about the money, but for me, it’s the principle of the thing.

I bounce through the rest of my trip to the office, and when I step into the elevator and find Devin there, I try to keep a lid on my smile.

He eyes me warily. “You look smug this morning, Tate. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. What’s going on with you?”

His confidence all but explodes out of him. “Oh, I’m getting a promotion today. Count on it.”

I clench my teeth to stifle a laugh. “You don’t say? Well, good for you.”

He turns to me, his face too close and his aftershave too strong. “You really think you have this in the bag, don’t you? Do you honestly think they’re dumb enough to gamble on some social media poser when they have a literary phenom like Sandra Larson waiting in the wings?”

I shrug. “I think they have a lot of factors to consider. You might be surprised.”

He snorts. “Yeah. Right. I think one us will be surprised today, but it won’t be me.”

The elevator opens on our floor, and we split up to head to our respective desks. I look over to see Serena already in her office, which is unusual considering I’m always here at least a half an hour before she is. She’s on the phone with the door closed, which is another rarity. I frown as I slip off my coat and hang it on the nearby rack. When I reach my desk, Serena flashes me an irritated look before facing the window as she continues her conversation.

Okay. This doesn’t look good. Maybe the professor had a change of heart.

Please, God, no.

As I’m about to sit down, Joanna appears right behind me, a concerned expression twisting her flawless face.

“It’s not my fault, I swear.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t tell anyone about the professor. Well, okay, I told my manicurist, but that’s it, and she mainly speaks Vietnamese, so I doubt if she had anything to do with what’s going on.”

“Okaaaay. What’s going on?”

Before Joanna gets a chance to tell me, I hear Serena’s door open and turn to catch her walking toward me.

“Come with me,” she says, gesturing for me to follow. “We need to talk.”

I glance at Joanna as Serena and I head toward the elevators. When we pass Devin, he gives me a casual wave.

“Where are we going?”

Serena pushes the call button with more gusto than usual. “Up to see Robert.” The tone of her voice makes my panic prick up its ears.

“What’s wrong?”

The elevator arrives, and we step inside. As soon as the doors close, she turns to me. “Asha, I hate having to ask you this, but we have a situation, so it’s imperative you’re honest with me, okay?”

“I’m always honest with you.”

“I know that, but …” She sighs. “There’s been an accusation that Professor Feelgood book wasn’t your idea.”

My mouth drops open. “What?”

“Apparently, Robert went to an industry event last night and someone said they’d heard about your presentation and that the professor is already in negotiations with another publishing house. Understandably, Robert was furious. He was impressed with your presentation, but now with the possibility you didn’t come up with it on your own … well ––“

I say try to stay calm even as my face flushes hot. I’m horrified that my integrity would even be questioned. “I contacted the professor myself. When we spoke, it seemed as though he’d never even considered publishing before.” I think back over our conversations to make sure I hadn’t missed something. I guess it’s possible someone else saw the potential in him, but surely he would have mentioned it. “He didn’t say anything about already having a publisher.”

“Do you have a record of your conversation?”

“I have some Instagram messages, but our main communication was verbal.”

“So you can’t prove he didn’t say he was with another publisher?”

“No, but I wouldn’t lie to you, Serena. Or Mr. Whip.”

When the elevator doors open onto the executive floor, I look out to the short corridor leading to Mr. Whip’s office. Right now, it’s as horrifying as something out of The Shining.

“Asha, Robert thinks your ambition got the better of you,” she says in hushed tones. “That you would rather cheat than lose out on the promotion.”

“Well, he’s wrong,” I whisper back. “We’ll just contact the professor and get his side of the story. He’ll tell you the idea was mine.”

“I called the phone number you gave me and received no response. Robert’s assistant is on the case now, trying him every five minutes.”

“What about talking to someone from the alleged other house?”

“Done that, too. They said they won’t comment on something that might affect ongoing contract negotiations, which does nothing to disprove the story.”

“This is crazy. I did nothing wrong. I found a great lead and worked my ass off on my presentation. What you saw in that conference room was all my work, no one else’s.”

“I believe you. But Robert is furious, and I’m working overtime right now just to convince him not to fire you.”

I shake my head and scramble to organize my thoughts. I can’t believe how quickly this day has gone to crap.

Devin’s words in the elevator float back to me. “I think one of us will be surprised today, but it won’t be me.”