“It’s still a risk, though. JMP sank a lot of money into that third book of hers, only to end up having to pull every resource they had slated when she backed out.”

“All due respect, sir, but they did that before their offer was even on the table. There was always a chance she would walk.” I keep my voice as measured as I possibly can. Anastasios Press was acquired two years after Scarlett left, and though I’m sure Anastasios heard rumors about it all, she had become both a pariah and a thing of the past by that time. Her status was almost mythological among the ranks at the press, and the speculation about her breakdown ranged from courteous sympathy to downright anger. Her disappearance only fueled the flames of conjecture for a while, though I’m not sure how much of that speculation made it up the ranks to the top.

It was always their intent to have Anastasios remain at the head the acquired imprint—even allowing him to keep the name under the guise of his name meaning resurrection and it being a symbol of rebirth for the company. They desperately needed a new image after Scarlett’s disappearance gave a number of authors courage to come forward about the stresses they themselves were under. But by the time the imprint was up and running, Scarlett’s situation was so far in the rearview mirror that I doubt he learned about any of the finer details. Like our relationship, for example.

“Trust me, there were conversations about their strategy behind closed doors. JMP’s relationship with risk has permanently changed because of that very debacle. But it got me thinking. She could walk again, you know.”

I’m immediately defensive. “She won’t,” I say. It comes out harsher than I meant, so I take a deep breath and try again. “She signed the contract this time, and she’s been in direct contact with me as we work on revisions. Everyone involved agreed that it’s been long enough for her to have changed and that her manuscript was good enough for a second chance.”

“For now, yes. But if this goes where I hope it’s going, she’ll be important again down the line with more books and bigger deals. I need to protect my investments at this imprint.” His voice trails off as if he’s musing on something else, and I hear the clicking of his keyboard over the phone. I wait for him to finish whatever it is he’s doing.