Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Me too.”
“She’s steadily getting my shit in order.”
“It’s about time you had someone helping you out.” Horace flipped over the contract’s first page and pointed to the next place for me to initial. “If you try to fire her or the maid, then I will protest.”
“I bet you will.” I finished initialing there.
Horace went to the third page. “Back to the fact that you do not need to write Zombie Love.”
“Oh, here we go.” I let out a loud breath. “Stifling my artistry.”
“Zombies are absolutely not in anymore. No one reads or cares about them.”
“But, I love zombies.”
“It would be a complete waste of time to write a zombie romance.”
I went to the next contract. “But, it’s my passion project. I told you I’m going to start writing more things I’m passionate about this year, versus the books that I know will sell.”
“Writing books that sell are why you just moved in this huge three-bedroom house with a chef, maid, and now assistant.”
I rolled my eyes. “But—”
“Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Johnson. A package just came in for you.” Shi hurried into my office with a medium-sized black box in her hands. “I was just on my way out to print the manuscript when I bumped into two men in black suits delivering it.”
“Two guys in suits?” Horace quirked his brows. “The mailman didn’t bring it?”
“No, sir.” Shi set the box on the desk.
“Why do you have to go print the manuscript?” Horace pointed to my printer in the back. “Why not use that one over there?”
Shi and I spoke in unison, “It’s broken.”
“That’s the fifth printer this year, Maya.” Horace chuckled. “What are you doing to these machines?”
“Stop judging me.” I set the pen down and put my attention on the box. “Shi, did the men say who it was from?”
“They didn’t.” Shi picked up scissors stuck between two books and handed them to me. “All they said was that I was supposed to give this box to Ms. Maya Johnson.”
I cut through the black box with the scissors. Once it was open, I moved the flaps to the side and looked inside.
A 3D wooden heart rested in the center. It must have been four inches high and eight inches wide. There were tiny wooden pieces cut into the top. Each piece had a different number. The numbers went from one to fifteen but were all out of order. The pieces looked like they could be moved around the heart, but I wasn’t sure.
I lifted the wooden heart out of the box. “What is this?”
“Honestly.” Horace leaned his head to the side. “It looks like some sort of 3D puzzle.”
“Why would someone send me a puzzle?” I raised the wooden heart high and felt something shaking within the wood. “I think there’s something inside of it.”
Horace studied the heart. “Hmmm. Maybe, press on those numbered pieces to open it.”
I placed the wooden heart on the desk. “Who would send me something like this?”
Horace grinned. “Do you have a secret admirer?”
“When do I have the time to talk to anybody, but you, Helen, and now Shi?” I touched the piece numbered one and tested it out, seeing if I could move it. The piece slid to the left, giving a tiny space for the other numbers to slip into a new position.
I blinked. “This is some sort of puzzle.”
“Maya, you know you really should take a break when you can.” Horace crossed his arms over his chest. “When’s the last time Claire and you had a girl’s night?”
“I’ve been busy this year.”
“No dating either?”
“Not one date.”
“How are you going to write romance when you’re not getting any romance?”
“I’m getting to it.”
“No sex is why you want to write about zombies. Your vagina is probably dead.”
“Wow. I’m going to ignore that.” I slipped the piece numbered three to the right and all the other numbers moved to the left. “What am I supposed to do with this damned heart? I don’t get it.”
“I think it is one of those sliding puzzles. I believe you should put the numbers in order.” Shi gestured to the top. “I love puzzles like this. In order to master one of these, you have to solve them in sections.”
I looked up at her. “Sections?”
“Yes. The trick is to solve one corner and then move on to the next.” She touched the number one and slid it back. Then, began moving other pieces around so that the number two was next to it. “Like this.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed my pen. “I don’t have time for a puzzle today, and I absolutely have no idea who sent this.”
Shi chuckled. “I can solve it for you if you are okay with that?”
“No need. I’m done with it.” I returned to initialing parts on the new contract.
“But, you have to solve the heart puzzle, Maya.” Horace went next to Shi. “Whomever it is had two men deliver it. He could have lots of money.”