A Way Out

Chapter 17

I waited for a call that never came. Cole hadn't canceled our appointment and Donovan never send out a message to me about the offer. As a result of not being blown off, I stood in front of Dane Publishing. While balancing back and forth on my feet, I didn't know if I just needed to discard everything or if I should walk inside like I owned the place.

"Excuse me," a man said as he pushed past me and walked into the building. I couldn't stand here all day and followed the guy, trying not to think about the destination.

Cole's instructions were to let the receptionist call him and he would come to get me. I looked at the reception area and grimaced when I saw the same blond girl sitting behind the desk. I took a deep breath before walking up to her.

"Hi," I greeted.

She looked up as she twirled her hair around her manicured finger. "Are you serious?" She looked me up and down and rolled her eyes. I clearly made an impression on someone.

God, here we go again. "I'm here to see Mr. Hughes."

"Name?"

I wasn't surprised that she didn't remember my name. Hell, it was a wonder that she even remembered me coming here for my appointment with Donovan. "Everly Florence."

She dialed the number, her nails harshly ticking against the phone. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hughes. Miss Florence is here to see you. Okay, goodbye." She put the phone back down and said, "Mr. Hughes will be right down."

The tone in her voice stunned me as there was no venom to discover. Someone brightened up her social skills. "Thank you."

I took a seat in the waiting area and picked up a random magazine. While I mindlessly scanned through it, I couldn't help but wonder if Donovan Dane was present right now. Did he know about my appointment with Cole? Did he care at all? Maybe I could subtlety ask Cole if he knew what was going on with Donovan. The only thing I had to do for that was to puzzle my confidence together before the meeting was over.

"Everly?"

I looked up to find Cole smiling at me. "Hello," I said, shaking his hand.

"I hope she wasn't too hard on you this time," Cole said as he nudged his head towards the reception area with a smirk.

"She wasn't," I told him with a grin.

"Good, let's go."

On our way, we passed Donovan's office and I let my gaze linger on the door for a moment. What if I just burst through the doors asking him what the hell was up? I think it would earn me a direct ticket out of here and a prohibition of ever entering the place again. So, I decided against the idea and continued to follow Cole.

"Take a seat," Cole said.

As I took a seat in his office, I noticed that it was somewhat smaller than Donovan's office but other than that it looked pretty much the same. Except Cole had some pictures hanging on the walls, making his office a lot more personal.

"So, how are you?" he asked, placing his hands on the desk and intertwining his fingers.

I tore my attention away from the pictures and looked at Cole. His mere question causing nerves to build up within me, but I didn't let them faze me. "I'm good."

"I'm glad to hear that. Donovan told me you wanted me to oversee your manuscript." Cole placed a paper in front of me. "Also, we put your wishes on black and white. That's our way of showing you that we respect them. Donovan signed it, and he also kept a copy. I hope it's fine like this."

I stared back and forth at the paper and Cole like I was watching a tennis match. That Donovan still respected my wishes and also put them on paper surprised and relieved me. A weight fell off my shoulders. Donovan was still behind the offer and it made me have faith because the 'cold' he displayed towards me didn't freeze up yet.