Jesus, they were running out of time and this guy hadn’t heard a single word Donna had read. “Yes, sure.” Impatient now, she waved her hands, trying to usher him from the side stage and back to his seat in the audience. “Whatever you want,” she finished, and when he still didn’t make any move to leave, she took a step toward him to more physically encourage him back out front.

“Great! That’s great.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulled out a business card, and handed it to her. “But just in case.” He pointed to the linen-colored card. “It is really busy in here, so just in case we don’t connect after. Please call me. I’m really interested in you… I mean, in your work… I’d like to read more of your work, for sure.”

Clare blinked at him. “Okay,” she said, hoping he was leaving now.

“Okay.” He smiled at her again and, finally, turned to go. Just when Clare thought it might be possible for him to at least hear Donna’s last page, he turned back around. “You swear,” he joked. “I mean, I know talent when I read it. Promise you’ll find me, or call me. There might be other agents here.” He looked over his shoulder, like it was possible someone else could be waiting to muscle in on him at any moment.

“I swear,” Clare said, and shooed him with her hand while turning fully away from him and directing all her attention up at Donna on the stage, hoping this would give him the clue he needed to pay attention.

“Great!” he said.

Clare didn’t dare turn and look or acknowledge him any further until she felt certain he had left. After a few seconds, she leaned back and checked to see if he had made it back to his seat. He was just settling back onto his stool and taking hold of his drink, turning toward the stage…

Right as Donna’s voice dropped away at the end of a sentence, paused, then concluded with, “Thank you very much.”

Clare closed her eyes. “Shit,” she whispered, then headed up the stage stairs to announce the next reader.

Halfway across the stage, out of the spotlight but still in full view of the audience, Donna walked right up to Clare until their faces were only inches apart. “Did you have a nice chat?” Donna seethed, careful to keep her voice low enough so that no one else would hear.

Intimidated by Donna’s obvious fury, Clare fell back a step. “I didn’t…” She glanced quickly out at the audience, who maybe couldn’t hear them, but they obviously could see. She looked back into Donna’s fiery glare.

“You didn’t what?” Donna snapped, her eyes glistening from the tears beginning to form along her bottom lid. She shouldered past Clare and fled down the stairs.