Research: Romance

double trouble

She raises her half-masticated cookie, preparing to launch it at his forehead, then she looks at it and takes another bite. Henry chuckles, assuming the beast has been sated, and continues explaining why he's visiting. 

Since Maizy's visit the relationships between the studio and the publishing house have been better than ever. Everyone is excited for the new book, and for Robin to be cast as love interest. Henry gets at least 100 emails an hour with information regarding PR events, interview opportunities, casting schedules, adaptation timelines from screen writers, etc. All of which are shared between him, Desi, and Drew. 

On top of that, my other books are flying off the shelves at rates I had never seen before. Business was booming for the publishing house, and after being dead for three years, it was a god send to see cash flowing in. That, and it was reassurance for Desi and me that my fans were as eager for this novel as we were. 

Though nobody outside us knows about the project except Maizy, there is some buzz that he has been MIA since the Delynn Crawley scandal. It's causing a stir among fans, who are wondering where he's been. A debate regarding what happened has resurfaced overnight, questioning what really happened. The studio, of course, is using the scandal as leverage, encouraging Robin to do as little press as possible to create suspense among followers. That way, when it comes out Robin Moore has been secretly filming a romance, the news will explode in the press. In short: we sell lots of books, they sell lots of movies, and Robin gets rebranded as a heartthrob instead of a slimy celebrity. Triple wins for all of us. 

"The thing is," Henry turns to face me, leaning against Desi's desk, "With so much excitement... they want to bump up the deadline." 

"For the book?" I gape, "I only have three months as it is. How much time are they giving me?" 

He grimaces, passing a look at Desi. They hold a secret conversation before Henry turns back to me and says, "Maizy wants the book in stores by December 31st. 

"WHAT?" My jaw drops. "That's less than ten weeks! I can't write a novel, edit it, and have it ready for print in ten weeks!"  

Desi pushes her hands out to calm me, "Deep breaths, Leah. It can be done. We'll just have to be extra careful with our time. Ten weeks leaves plenty of room to get things done." 

I feel like the walls are coming in around me and the food in my stomach churns. Sucking air into my chest, I push my hands to my head, "This is my nightmare." 

"Is there anything we can do?" She turns to Henry, and says quietly, "Have you talked to Robin's manager about this?" 

"He has." A new voice comes from the doorway.

 Lifting my face from my hands I turn to find a man standing at the threshold of Desi's office. He looks like an actor from a Fast and Furious movie or an exceptionally good backup dancer for Lenny Kravits. Decked in an expensive black leather jacket, a deep green button down, and dark washed jeans, this man radiates cool and collected. His hair is the same deep brown as his skin, and curls tightly in its close-cropped style. It highlights the attractive lines of his features, which are high and broad. 

I forget my fears and feel my jaw drop before I can stop it. A wheeze noise leaves my mouth. 

"Drew, thanks for coming." Henry offers a smile and stretches out his hand. Drew's lips quirk up in a friendly way, and he meets Henry warmly. 

That's Drew? XO, don't blow it, Drew???

I admit, I imagined him undernourished and buttoned up...like Henry. Despite being tall, Henry looked like he was four seconds from blowing away at any moment. I'm fairly sure that was due to him only consuming green protein smoothies and all forms of coffee...Then again, I've rarely seen Henry in anything but a structured suit so who's to say he's not well-built for his frame.