"So, you didn't get any answers?" Desi surmises, frowning at me over the screen of her computer. The bagged meal I had brought for her lunch was sitting untouched off to the side. The smell of her pesto pasta wafted strongly around the room as I ate mine on the couch.
I had spent most of Wednesday morning writing the first few chapters of the novel, which went surprisingly well. The love interest had yet to show himself, but there was no rush to reveal him quite yet. All that mattered was I was writing, and it was a glorious feeling after so long. Especially given my timeline to produce this novel was dwindling by the day. A worry shared by Desi, even if she didn't say it out loud.
Her current worry was that I had lost my mind.
"All of that...trouble, and you didn't get an answer?" Her eyes narrowed as if there was some duplicitous reason. "Hmm."
"No, don't hmm, Des." I stuck my finger at her, raising my eyebrows in warning. "Do not break out the hmm."
"Hmm..." She echoed again, this time to herself, which was far more dangerous. "I don't like it."
I spun the pasta around my fork, focusing on getting the maximum amount of sauce. "It's fine. I have it all under control."
A knock at the door was enough to make her drop it. For now.
Desi got up and crossed the room, opening the door for Henry who walked in with an armload of paperwork, a latte, and at least a dozen cookies. Desi watched him curiously, adjusting her glasses mindlessly when Henry passed her. He didn't bother greeting us, instead he just started to arrange things on Desi's desk as if it were his own.
Munching on my food, I tried not to smirk when she checked him out from behind. That is until she caught me watching. Desi flushed red and scowled at me. I wiggled my eyebrows, slurping from the straw of my drink for emphasis.
"Thirsty, Des?" I offered her my drink cheekily.
She glowered deeply, cheeks burning.
This random bit of conversation has Henry turning around to look at us. He scans me, finds nothing strange (me grinning like the cat that ate the canary when Desi and Henry were in a room together was a usual occurrence), but when he scans Desi, he lifts an eyebrow.
"Why are you so red?"
"Sunburn." She responds dryly, marching back to her desk and sitting down with a huff.
"You went outside?" Henry asks, like he can't believe what he's just heard. His eyes widen when he watches her cross the room. "I assumed you spontaneously combusted if you crossed the threshold."
Desi doesn't care to respond. Instead, she grabs one of the cookies from the desk and rips off its packaging.
"Those are promotional!" Henry interjects, trying to swipe it from her, "Don't--"
She sinks her teeth into it angrily, tearing a chunk off and chewing aggressively. She looks at me like it's my head she's chewing, but the glare doesn't faze me in the slightest. Smugly, I take another drink then continue to eat my lunch in satisfaction.
"Animal." Henry's face curls in disgust as he gestures to her maniacal chewing, "At least tell me you were on a leash out there. People could have got hurt."
She directs her glare at him, "Is there a reason you're here? I take it wasn't just to waste my oxygen?"
"We both know you don't breathe anything but fire, darling." He winks at her.
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.
Point remains, Drew was not what I expected. He was a portrait of swagger that shadowed most of the doorway. My eyes floated to Desi who had the exact same look on her face.
She put her hand over the side of her lips and mouthed. What?
I know! I mouthed back and pretended to faint.
She smiled brightly, laughing. It was enough to catch the attention of the two men, who promptly turned to find me dramatically splayed across the couch with pasta sitting in my lap.
"This must be our writer. Hello, Leah." Drew spoke, and I snapped up so fast that I nearly spilled my drink.
"Hi! Yes," I stood awkwardly, setting my food on the floor before standing up and extending my hand. "That's me."
He smiled at me, and I nearly squealed in excitement. I had spent week after week with Robin Moore, and yet Drew felt like the celebrity. I was utterly star struck.
His hand wrapped around mine cordially, "Robin has told me a lot about you. It's nice to put the name to such a lovely face."
"Wow." I breathed, my cheeks all but swallowing my eyes, I was smiling so broadly. That is until I caught Henry's tightlipped expression from beside Drew. It was a very brotherly look, screaming in true Henry fashion: Do not embarrass me or I'll release all my blackmail photos of you to the press.
Straightening up, I rolled my lips into my mouth, "I mean, it's nice to meet you too. I am grateful for all the help you've given us with the project."
Henry relaxed, relief washing over his face in an instant. Drew chuckled, nodding. "You're just as Robin described. I look forward to seeing the project's results."
Nodding, he let go of my hand and turned toward Desi, who was standing like a statue behind her desk. Drew's smile broadened, "Which means you are Desi. My other, and it would appear more beautiful, half."
Henry stops at this, looking at Drew fiercely. I can see his suit jacket tighten as he draws breath, and his eyes trace a line from Drew's eyes to Desi's. His fists clench at his sides, then release.
"We've only spoken on the phone," Desi replied, almost bashfully, and straightened her glasses. A piece of black hair fell from her braid, and she tucked it away. Her dark red lips parted in a charming smile, "Pleased to meet you in person, Drew."
They shake hands, but Drew lingers long enough to make Henry step forward, "Drew has agreed to help us with the details of the book and movie's production. Since he's familiar with the kind of PR Robin receives, he'll be able to manage one side while we manage ours."
Desi nods distractedly, "That's very nice of you."
"It's his job." Henry deadpans, then grabs the remaining cookies off the desk and turns to Drew, "These are for you and your team. Though, we're one short now." A pointed look is directed at Desi, who doesn't give a flying fluff.
Drew drops Desi's hand to gaze at Henry. He takes the cookies in his arms and nods his head, "Thanks, Henry. They'll love it."
Then he looks briefly back at Desi before stepping back to address the room, "I know it's a tighter deadline than we would all like, but I see good things coming. As a thank you, I came here to tell you about this Friday night. He would kill me for mentioning it, but I'm his manager. He can suck it up."
Drew turns to me, "It's Robin's birthday this Friday, and we're doing a surprise get together for him at his house. If you don't mind bringing him to this address--" He manages to hold the cookies piled in one arm while he texts me the address, "Around eight pm Friday night, after your project is over, I'd love to see you there. All of you."
He has my phone number? I blink at him when my phone dings.
He smiles particularly at Desi and says, "It's a great chance to rub elbows and get a jump on PR. So, dress your best."
"Desi dresses strictly in the flesh of her victims for parties, but I'll make sure she looks suitable." Henry says tightly, making Desi glare at him.
"A delightful addition, as always, Hairy." She retorts sarcastically, "Maybe I'll make you the next victim."
Drew grins at Desi, laughing at her and Henry's banter. "I'm sure you'd pull anything off nicely. Even Henry."
She gets a gleam in her eye, one that I only see when she's reading romance novels. She hides them in her desk and reads them while pretending to mediate during her lunch breaks.
Before Desi can say anything, Henry clears his throat and takes up the stack of papers he set down, "Right, well, if you'll come with me, Drew. I have some details we should go over."
Drew nods at him and turns toward the door, "Lead the way."
They start to walk out, before Drew casts over his shoulders, "See you both Friday night!"
Desi and I both echo back to him, excitedly, earning us a profoundly disgusted look from Henry. He lingers in the doorway until Drew is out of ear shot before glaring at us in judgement, "You two should be ashamed of yourselves. This is a place of business. Have some decorum."
I smile mischievously, like a little kid getting chastised for stealing candy. Desi raises her eyebrows, "Is that Drew's full name? Because I'd love to."
My stomach ruptures into hilarious laughter, and I throw my head back.
Henry bites his tongue bitterly and rolls his eyes. "I hate you. Entirely. With my whole soul." He manages to grind out between his teeth, "Go worship the devil or whatever you girls do in your free time."
"Before witching hour, Hairy?" Desi clicks her tongue, then smiles victoriously, "Have some decorum."
He flips her off and abandons the doorway, leaving Desi and I in a fit of giggles.
----
Hello my lovely readers!
As the great Ace Ventura once said: "P-A-R-T- Why? CAUSE I GOTTA!"
So, the crew is going to a little soiree together, and that makes me overly excited. Thoughts on Drew? He seems a little suave, but I'm not sure if that is just his character or if he has a little thing for Desi.
Henry sure seems to think so, doesn't he ;) heheheh
Well, let me know what you think and can't wait to hear from you soon!
**Oh also, as a little side note. I don't really know a lot about how publishing works besides what I've seen or heard in other media, so if there's anyone with expertise wanting to share, I'd love to hear it. If not, please pardon any errors as this is just a silly little story anyway. **
Okay, that's enough chit-chat :)
Have a great day!
With love,
e.g.