The Neighbor Favor(97)
“Don’t worry,” Henry said. “You’re the man, remember?”
Nick let out a surprised laugh. He was definitely in need of a pep talk. He just hoped it had the same effect on him that his pep talk had on Henry months ago.
“Thank you,” Nick said, looking at both of them. He was thanking Henry for more than the pep talk, and he was thanking Yolanda for more than her advice. He planned to be around for a lot longer to show them how grateful he was that they’d welcomed him into their lives.
They wished him luck as he rushed out of the elevator through the lobby and hopped in a cab.
Now he was here at the party, and he thought he’d heard Lily call his name a second ago, but Zara thought Nick had arrived for a completely different reason.
“I, um, that’s not why—” Nick stumbled over his words, attempting to disentangle himself from Zara’s tight grasp.
“Mary!” Zara whispered loudly to a redhead in front of them. “N.R. Strickland is here. Nick, this is Mary. She’s your publicist!”
Mary turned around and gasped, causing the others in their vicinity to look at Nick too. “We have to get him to the podium!”
“Ah no, no. Wait,” Nick said, backing up.
“This is amazing. Everyone will be so excited,” Zara said, talking over him. “The head of our division basically made it seem like I ruined the party when I told her you weren’t coming. I was honestly afraid she might fire me.”
Shit. Nick could easily pull away from Zara and Mary, but how could he do that after what Zara just shared? He couldn’t leave her hanging.
He spared one more glance around the party, looking for Lily, but instead he spotted Marcus, cutting across the party toward him, sporting a puzzled expression at Nick’s presence.
They reached the podium, and Zara hurried to whisper something to a blonde-haired woman, who then rushed to the podium and whispered something into the ear of a tall, balding white guy who had been in the middle of telling everyone how this fall was going to be M&M’s best season yet.
The man paused and listened to the blonde woman. Then he flashed a surprised smile.
“Folks,” he said, turning back to the microphone. “We’ve got a real treat for you tonight. N.R. Strickland, the author of one of our major fall books, The Elves of Ceradon, is here after all.”
There was a collective gasp from the crowd, which was followed by a flurry of whispers.
Zara ushered Nick up to the podium, and the white guy eagerly shook Nick’s hand.
“So nice to meet you, Mr. Strickland,” he said. “I’m Vincent Meyer, the CEO of M&M. Thank you for joining us.”
Holy shit. The CEO?
“Nice to meet you too,” Nick managed to say. Then Vincent stepped aside and left the floor to Nick.
Nick stared out at the crowd. A sea of blurring faces waiting for him to speak. The Elves of Ceradon cover flashed on the screen behind him. He cleared his throat. Where was his special reserve of extrovert energy when he needed it?
He started to break out into a sweat. If only he’d had time to plan what he’d say. He noticed a few people holding up their phones, recording him. This would end up on the internet for everyone to see. Down in front, Zara gave him an encouraging thumbs-up, but looking at her made him feel only more pressure. He’d have to deliver, because that meant she would deliver too.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his erratic heartbeat.
And then he saw her.
Lily was on the outskirts of the crowd, staring back at him. And then it was like everyone else on the rooftop faded away. She smiled at him, soft and warm and so her. She nodded her head. It was all he’d needed. He could do this.
He leaned down toward the mic. “Hi,” he said, then immediately winced at the loud burst of feedback. “Uh, I’m N.R. Strickland. I wrote The Elves of Ceradon . . . which all of you know because Vincent just said that. I’m obviously not British, as you might have been told. I grew up in North Carolina eating barbecue and hot dogs and apple pie, and all the other stereotypical American foods.” There were a few chuckles, and that loosened him up. “Um, just to clear up some rumors, I’m not dead. I’m only one person, not multiple people. And I have spoken to Zara before, who is amazing, by the way.”
He cleared his throat and glanced at Lily, steadying himself again.
“I wrote this book when I was twenty-two years old,” he continued. “I was a college senior with grand plans that didn’t come to fruition. I lied about my backstory for several personal reasons. I’m sorry that I made you all believe I was someone that I’m not. What’s true is that I am the author of The Elves of Ceradon. This story and its characters came from deep inside of me. I needed Deko to survive despite the many life challenges he experienced, because I needed to survive the challenges in my life too. I gave up on this book and the idea of being an author, but I’ve learned that sometimes we’re lucky enough to get a second chance. I’m so thankful for everyone here who had a hand giving Elves a new life.” He paused. “But I didn’t come here tonight to talk about my book.”
There were a few confused murmurs, but Nick focused his gaze on Lily again. She was beautiful and still. He didn’t take his eyes off her as he continued to speak.
“I came to the party because I was looking for someone who means a lot to me,” he said. “More than my career. More than anything, really. She is the best part of my life, and I want her to know that if she’ll let me, I’ll spend forever returning the favor.” He stepped away from the podium, eyes still on Lily. Then he awkwardly leaned toward the mic again and said, “Thank you. Have a good night.”