Free Boundaries by Elizabeth Nunez

tells her that she does not know what she means.
    “He’s African American,” Tanya says.
    “And?”
    “And you are from the Caribbean.”
    “What difference does that make?”
    “Tim understands African American readers. He knows what they want.”
    “And what is that?” Anna asks.
    “I read the bottom line, Anna. That’s all. People tell me what they want; I don’t ask them what they want. The sales numbers give me all I need to know. Here, here.” She rifles through a stack of papers on her desk as if searching for proof, for the report on sales figures.
    “You don’t have to bother,” Anna says. “I read the sales report.”
    Tanya lays her hand flat on top of the papers and fixes her eyes on Anna. “You’re not upset, are you?” She wrinkles her forehead as if perplexed. “Because I thought …” Her voice drifts.
    Anna is sure she is feigning bewilderment. She decides to ask the question that has troubled her since Tim arrived.
    “Is Tim Greene to be my assistant editor or yours?”
    “We work for the same company, Anna,” Tanya says, smoothing back the furrows on her forehead. “There’s no yours and mine. There’s only what’s best for the company.”
    “For Windsor or for Equiano?”
    “Anna, Anna,” Tanya coos.
    “Equiano is my responsibility,” Anna says.
    “And I am the publisher of Windsor. Equiano is an imprint of Windsor. I don’t think I need to remind you of that, do I?”
    “So that is it?”
    “You surprise me, Anna. I thought this would be what you’d want.”
    “I want to publish more literary fiction, but that does not mean—”
    “But that does not mean what, Anna? Are you saying you want us to publish more novels like Raine’s?”
    “I’m aware those books keep us afloat,” Anna says.
    “More than afloat,” Tanya says sternly.
    “I’m aware they are profitable.” Anna cools down her tone.
    “Good, good. Then you understand.” Tanya stands up. “If you take your emotions out of this, Anna, you’ll see this is a win-win for both of us. Tim knows the territory; he has a feel for the kind of books Raine and Benton write. He’ll make money for the company. It will be good for you and for me. I’ll have a better bottom line and you will have a better bottom line. Think it over. You’ll see how this makes sense.” She comes around her desk and places a hand on Anna’s shoulder. “Look, I didn’t mean to upstage you or usurp your authority or anything like that by speaking to Tim. It’s just that I thought it would be better if the assignment came from me. It wasn’t easy getting Tim to leave his company for us. I wanted him to know we appreciate having him here.”
    An apology. Anna is not convinced it is sincere. Even if she suppresses her emotions, the fact remains that twice Tanya has bypassed her and made decisions that should have been hers to make.
    “You are still in charge, Anna,” Tanya says as if reading Anna’s mind. “I’ve made that clear to Tim. You have to approve the final edits. No manuscript from Equiano goes to the printer without your approval.” Her hand remains resting on Anna’s shoulder; she squeezes it playfully. “This will be good for you, Anna. You’ll have more time to concentrate on what you enjoy. You’ll like Tim, you’ll see. He’ll expand your list. Equiano is going to get even bigger.”
    Back in her office, Anna e-mails Paula who responds right away. She’ll come over to her apartment after work. They’ll sort this thing out.
    What Paula notices first is Anna’s tan. “God, I miss the sun,” she says, flopping down on the couch. “Look at you. You’re golden brown.”
    Anna has taken off her workday suit and changed into blue jeans and a white T-shirt. The bright whiteness of the T-shirt is a strong contrast to her sunburnt skin. “And you are warm chocolate,” Anna says.
    Paula grins. She is already dressed for fall in an olivegreen cardigan and matching full skirt which she pulls tightly