The Review

…Beep…Beep….

  Audrey awoke to her alarm going off; it was a little after ten in the morning and she opened her eyes to the blazing light of bright July morning. Today was bound to be a good day; she had just sold the

sequel to her latest release and reviews would be out today as well. But before she could even think about a review she needed to focus onher coffee and her crossword puzzle. She slowly got out of bed, padded downstairs and opened her front door and retrieved her paper from the

stoop. “Oh the hell with it the crossword”, she mumbled slowly thumping to the book review section of the Brooklyn Sun.  She caught a glimpse of the reviews for the newest Stephen King and John Grisham

and then she saw her name. As she briefly read through it she almost felt her heart drop into her stomach. “Brown’s writing style is just as dull and lifeless as the characters she writes. Never before have I had to suffer through a book such as this. The love story had no passion; the editors at New English are going to lose money on this book”

 Somewhere in the house the phone rang but Audrey could not bring herself to move from the spot her feet seemed to be glued in. “Audrey, Darling its Barbara. I can only assume that you have seen the review in the Sun. Darcy is an ass love, he doesn’t know a thing about what it takes to write a bestseller. Call me back hun! And if I don’t hear from you in fifteen minutes I will leave the office and take a cab to your flat”. With that Barbara hung up; still Audrey could not move. She just kept reading the review over and over again. She had written three other books, each a Roma tic comedy and not once had she received a bad review. But, this time it was different. She could have told herself that this happens to all writers. That even the greats have received bad reviews but she never had and it had never been this bad.

   Audrey managed to wander into the kitchen and fix her usual bowl of cereal. She would skip calling Barbara back. Even if Barbara showed up at her door it didn’t mean that she would have to answer. Then again, Barbara Stewart had been her agent some long that she was sure to have a key to her town house. Audrey knew that Barbara would walk in, attempt to cheer her up and drag her off for a latte at the coffee shop two blocks away from her Brownstone. In fact, Barbara has done that several time over the past six months as Audrey was recovering from the heartache of being stood up at the alter. After she finished her breakfast she threw the paper in the trash and stalked back up the

stairs to shower.

   Once showered Audrey slipped into a linen top and skinny jeans; complete with her favorite pair of leopard print ballet flats. As she looked at her brown skinned self in the mirror she reminded herself

that she was beautiful and a creative beast to be reckoned with; and that Liam Darcy was just another dumb ass guy with no clue on what it took to write a bestseller. As she was walking down the stairs Barbara was walking in. “You couldn’t call me back” she said, arching on of her perfectly arched brows at Audrey. Audrey shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her wallet and keys off the coffee table in the living room. “Let’s get this coffee date over with”, Audrey said as she opened the front door and let Barbara step out onto the stoop ahead of her.

The Grindhouse

The Grindhouse was just a few minutes walk from Battery Park and right off of Whitehall Street. When Barbara and Audrey arrived the at the coffeehouse it was already packed. Full of people that whereeither off work, using the free wi-fi to find a new job or had recently missed the fairy to Staten Island. The line seemed longer than necessary and part of Audrey could not wait to be out of this place as soon as possible. As she took her place in line she noticed an average height, Puerto Rican man strolling towards them. It was not until he was half way across the room that she recognized him as Mike Collins; another literary agent. They had worked together after college for a small independent publisher in Queens. She had not seen him since the fall; when he had attended her called off wedding. It had been Mike that had ushered her back into the limo and rode with her to a hotel so that she could avoid her ex as he was on his way back to the brownstone to pack up their life together. She had been so

appreciative of him for that.

   “Hey good lookin’” he said; his accent still Floridian after all these years in New York. “I have not seen you in months. Looking good their Brown,” he quickly swept her up into a hug. “I am well,” she said clearly lying through her teeth. He took a step back and regarded her with kind eyes. “Your as beautiful as ever,” he smiled. “Thank you Mike, your as full of it as ever” she smiled. “Oh sweetheart, if only you would have given me the time of day.” Audrey was suddenly bought back to a time where all she could afford was wings and cheap draft beers with Mike at a dive bar down the street from their NYU dorm. She remembered how he had always been there, and how she had favored her ex fiance over him. She never gave him a second look; at least not until he decked her ex outside of Saint Pat’s last September.

“Mike Collins….” Barbara breathed; and as soon as Audrey looked at her she knew something was amiss. “Hello, Barb” Mike said not bothering to ask how she was. There seemed to be a little tension between them that

Audrey just could not place. “So what brings you to the Grindhouse this morning? It’s a little ways away from your office in Manhattan,” Barbara asked the question with a tone that let Audrey know that Barbara already knew the answer to the question. “Just here meeting with a client is all. He lives in the area”, at this Mike looked

around anxiously. His client had yet to arrive and part of him hoped he wouldn’t until the two   had purchased their coffees and where well on their way out of the coffeehouse. “Next,” cried the Barista and Audrey stepped up and order her normal Iced Triple Shot Caramel Latte with extra drizzle and a Flat White with Caramel Syrup for Barbara. She was just turning to ask Mike if he wanted anything when she saw him. The tall, dark haired, dark eyed

young man standing next to Barbara and Mike. Mike seemed to be lost in conversation with the guy. Barbara looked confused and angry and for the life of Audrey she could not understand why. Barbara and Mike had

always had a very tight friendship and at one time Audrey was sure that Barbara had even had a brief thing for him. Though anytime Barbara was asked about it she always denied it.” Order for Audrey,” the barista seemed to scream. After collecting the drinks Audrey made her way to the entrance where the other three where conversing; which stopped as soon as she got close. “Don’t stop on my account,” she said handing off Barbara’s drink. No one said anything for a moment. “And who are you?” Audrey said right before taking a sip of her latte. “Um….I am Liam Darcy,” his name rolled off his tongue and in thick Welsh accent. Audrey’s drink suddenly launched out of her hand and found its self hitting him squarely in the chest; ruining his crisp white linen shirt. Before anyone could react or grab her she was at the door. Mike close on her heels. She only looked back once as Barbara walked out to join him on the sidewalk and in unison they called after her. All she could think about as she walked across the street to the ferry was how much it sucked that she’d thrown and wasted her six dollar latte on that lousy asshole who’d given her such a bad review.