Chapter Thirty

Cam put down his cup of coffee and stared out the window of his kitchen. The view looked a lot different than it had the past several weeks. Instead of mountains and acres of green grass and forest, there were a few trees, an abundance of concrete, and buildings that looked almost identical to his own townhome. He loved his life in L.A., but it took a couple of days to get used to it again.

He heard his front door open and close and then Nolan rounded the corner into the kitchen, a few pieces of mail in his next-door neighbor’s hand. The sight of Cam startled him.

“Jesus, you scared me. What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming home until this weekend.” Nolan added the mail to the pile stacked up on the counter.

“Hey, sorry. I decided to come home a little early. Thanks for bringing in my mail.” He and Nolan had moved in around the same time three years ago. And coincidentally were both screenwriters, which made them instant friends.

Nolan poured himself a cup of coffee. “No problem. How was the family?”

“Good. Did I miss anything here?”

“Just the normal borrowing of sugar and picking up after your dogs.”

Cam nodded. At least some things didn’t change. He rubbed a hand across his chest. With every beat of his misguided heart, the ache there smarted. A constant reminder that he and Reese had parted on poor terms. His fault. He’d set the terms by saying he needed space, then five minutes after walking out of the guesthouse, he’d regretted almost everything he’d said to her. She was the best person he knew and he’d made her feel small. Insignificant. If he could, he’d kick his own ass.

“You okay?” Nolan asked.

No. “Yeah, sorry. Zoned out for a minute.”

“You finished your screenplay, I take it?” Nolan opened the fridge and pulled out a container of milk. He opened the cupboard and took out a box of Cheerios, then snagged a bowl and spoon. Nolan had apparently brought the milk and cereal to eat here after his daily mail deliveries.

“I did.”

“And?” Nolan sat at the table and did the breakfast thing.

Cam grabbed a bowl and spoon to join him. He’d gotten in last night around seven, unpacked his bag, taken a shower, and hit the sack. Mid-morning now, his stomach made it known that he should eat. “Leo hates it.”

Nolan’s spoon clinked in his bowl. “You’re shitting me.”

“It gets better. He may try to ruin me.”

“There’s a story there.”

“Yeah, one more suited for tonight with a six pack.”

“Done. And if there’s anything I can do…”

“Appreciate it. I’ve got to say, this is the lowest I’ve ever felt in my career.”

“That sucks, man. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. I’ll know more later this morning. What’s going on with you?” Cam asked, more than ready to steer the conversation in another direction.

“Looks like Netflix is going to make my Christmas thriller.”

“That’s great. Congrats.” Cam filled his bowl with cereal, added milk.

“The age-old question of, ‘Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?’ helped.” He downed a spoonful of cereal, chewed, swallowed. “Did I tell you about my sister’s new venture?”

Cam shook his head as he ate. He hated when cereal got soggy.

“She’s starting her own company and wants me to be a part of it. She’s calling it Daily Talk. An online site for news and original content that will cover politics, business and entertainment.”

“What’s your role?” Cam asked around a bite of food.

“A podcast, actually. We’re working out the details but it’s going to center around movie reviews.”

Nolan liked to talk, so Cam imagined this was a perfect fit for him. “Nice.”

“We’ve been looking for a co-host and haven’t found one yet. I was thinking about reaching out to Reese to see if she might be interested. She loves movies, likes to talk, and she and I get along great.”

His stomach dropped. Nolan had a thing for Reese, but she’d kept him in the friend zone, not interested in him that way. What if they worked together and that changed?

“What do you think?” Nolan asked when Cam hadn’t said anything.

She’s mine.

You can’t have any part of her.

“It’s worth an ask,” he forced himself to say. “But she’s still at CTC and working really hard. She wants…” He trailed off. She’d basically told him—shown him even, with how passionate she was when reading scripts for Shay—that she wanted to be an agent one day and he’d essentially dismissed it. His stomach fell further. He didn’t actually know if she still worked there.

“Cool. I’ll shoot her a text, or will she be around later?”

His heart squeezed like the Hulk had it in his hand and wanted to crush it. “Shoot her a text.”

Nolan looked at him quizzically but didn’t say anything. They finished their cereal in uneasy silence on Cam’s part, and then cleaned up. “Kristina’s having a get-together tomorrow night. You should come since you’re home.” Nolan clearly fought a smile.

Kristina lived across the street and made no secret of her desire for a boyfriend. Especially if that boyfriend were Cam. He’d made the mistake of going to dinner with her once. That’s all it took for her to have them mentally married with children. He’d nipped it in the bud after that, stating firmly but kindly that they would just be friends. She’d mostly backed off.

“Or we pretend I’m not back yet.”

“You think she didn’t notice you pull into your garage?”

“You didn’t.”

“True, but I’m the least likely to notice anything around here. Besides, I think she’s seeing someone.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Fair enough.” Nolan walked out of the kitchen toward the front door. “Glad you’re back.”

“Me, too.” It made it easier to forget about Reese’s gorgeous blue-gray eyes, naturally full lips, soft reddish-brown hair, and smile that stopped his heart when they weren’t living a few hundred feet from each other.

He was full of crap. Out of sight did not mean out of mind. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Last night had been torture, not having her in his bed. Not talking or texting. They’d rarely gone this long without communication and he needed to figure out how to live with the mess he’d made.

An hour later, he walked through the glass doors of CTC. He’d heard Leo’s threats loud and clear, but Cam wasn’t about to sit back and take it. Instead, he’d reached out to Deena at the studio to explain himself. It didn’t mean they wanted his new script, but it hopefully meant he’d saved his career.

Leo sat in his office, back straight, shoulders squared, waiting. He did expensive minimal to perfection. Nasdaq desk, leather chairs, original artwork on the cream-colored walls. A view of Beverly Hills out the floor-to-ceiling window. “Hello,” Leo said, extremely businesslike.

“Good morning.” Cam took one of the leather chairs across the desk from him, surprised to find Shay sitting in the other one. “Morning,” he said to her.

“Hi Cam. I’ve been asked to sit in this morning.” At Cam’s confused expression, she added, “By Parker.”

Parker Weiss, the man who had started the agency thirty years ago. And the man married to studio executive Deena Weiss. From the look on Leo’s face, his tirade yesterday morning had been met with some disapproval.

“Before we get started, I need to say something,” Cam said.

“Sure,” Shay answered, making it clear she was running this meeting even though it was Leo behind the desk.

Cam looked Leo straight in the eyes. “Don’t ever speak to Reese again. Don’t look at her. Don’t go near her. Don’t text her. Delete her from your contacts right now.” He gave a go-ahead nod, indicating Leo needed to pick up his phone right this second and comply.

“Fine.” Leo lifted his phone off the desk and did as told.

“Thank you,” Cam said, maintaining professionalism when what he really wanted to do was punch his agent in the face. The tips of his fingers actually tingled. He hated Leo and was eager to be done with him.

“I apologize if I caused her any worry,” Leo said sincerely.

“Shouldn’t you have apologized to her?” Cam asked.

“I have.”

“The unfortunate situation with Reese has been handled,” Shay said. “And if it’s okay with you Cam, I’ll be taking over for Leo. Given the nature of events, Parker and the team think that’s best. Leo is taking a step back for a while.”

Sitting stock still and looking miserable and resigned, Leo nodded. Cam barely recognized him without the usual glint in his eye, but Leo had made his bed and now he had to face the consequences. Cam’s muscles relaxed for the first time in twenty-four hours.

“In regard to your script, Deena isn’t saying yes or no yet, but she’d like the first look, so we’ll send it to her.”

“Fair enough,” Cam said, relieved it would at least be read.

Shay stood. “Have a minute to talk in my office?”

“Absolutely.” They left Leo with a frown creasing his face and headed to Shay’s office. He wished a certain beautiful, smart, kind-hearted assistant was here to join them, but he knew from a quick phone call with his mom last night that Reese was driving back today.

About to take a seat across from Shay’s desk, his phone rang. “Excuse me a minute?” he said. Shay nodded and he stepped into the hall to talk to Henry. He’d emailed the script to him last night and had a funny feeling that’s why he was calling.

“Hey, Henry.”

“It’s almost there,” Henry said in lieu of hello, pride evident in his voice.

“What am I missing?”

“It isn’t a coming-of-age drama.”

“What is it?”

“You tell me. The journey your hero takes is great, but the real crux of the story…”

Cam found a quiet corner near a window to think. He leaned against the wall and glanced outside. As he did so, a butterfly fluttered across the glass and out of sight. His thoughts immediately went to Reese and he knew. He knew that these past few weeks with her had made the difference in his writing, but he hadn’t made it clear in the story.

“It’s a love letter.”

“Attaboy. Do some rewriting and you’ve got a major winner. It’s some of your best work, son. Congratulations.”

Gratitude and pride hurled through every muscle in his body at Henry’s praise. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Send me the revised script.”

“I will.” He hung up with Henry just as a text from Nash appeared. Forgot to send this to you. A split second later, a picture of Reese wearing shorts and a Baby Yoda T-shirt and sitting under a tree reading a book popped up.

The book was one he’d given her when they were teenagers: The Client by John Grisham. He’d been reading it and when he finished she asked to borrow it. He’d handed over the paperback and told her to keep it. Since then, he knew she reread it sometimes. Apparently, she kept it with her and had read it sometime this past month when he wasn’t looking.

Cam stared at his phone for a long time, the photo both beautiful and sad. Did Reese miss him as much as he missed her? They’d only been apart for a day and yet it felt like much longer.

He pocketed the phone and hurried back to Shay’s office.

“I had a chance to read Kiss of Life last night,” she said as he took a chair. “What inspired you to write it? There were moments when reading it felt real to me.”

“Because they were. It’s based on a true story.” Cam took a breath, gearing himself up for his personal life to be on display. “I’m Emmett.”

Shay leaned back in her chair. She didn’t look at him with sadness or pity, but with respect, and in that moment Cam knew he’d be more than okay with any inquiry into his past or digging into his personal life. Telling his story in a work of fiction had been necessary, and writing it this year, at this time in his life, had been the right decision.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. I have an amazing family now, so it turned out okay for me.”

“And the best friend? Aria? Is she still—”

“She’s Reese.”

A smile bloomed on Shay’s face. “I thought you might say that.”

“I’d like to make some changes to the script before we send it out, particularly where she’s concerned. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll email you the revised copy tomorrow?”

“That works. By the way, she gave me her two-week notice.”

“What?”

“She emailed me her resignation letter this morning. I’m hoping when she comes in tomorrow, I can talk her out of it.”

Cam’s head spun. “Did she say why?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t discuss something like this with a client, but given you two are close and…” Cam leaned forward, waiting for Shay to continue. “It concerns you. She’s leaving because she feels it’s a conflict of interest.”

I asked for space and she’s giving it to me.

He took a minute. Reese was acknowledging his need for boundaries and cared more about him than herself. The unkind words he’d said to her came back to haunt him. He had to make this right.

“She can’t quit. She loves this job and loves working with you.” Cam ran a hand along the back of his neck. “She wants to be an agent one day.”

“I’m happy to help her get there, but if I can’t convince her to stay, I’ll help her land somewhere else.”

“No.”

“No?”

“She belongs at CTC with you. We both know what a cutthroat business this is, and she’s dealt with one asshole already. She stays…or I’m going. I don’t want to be the reason she leaves. She deserves to be at CTC.”

“I’d hate to lose you Cam. The agency and Parker would hate to lose you. Let’s table it for the moment.”

“One day she’s going to bring you clients that set CTC far above every other agency.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

He believed in Reese with his whole heart and he needed to tell her that. He needed to tell her he loved her. His career was heading toward an all-time high, and yet his biggest joy came not only from writing, but from sharing it with her. Reese was his everything and more.

…

Reese put down her iPad and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. Early evening light streamed in through the window of her apartment, her suitcases sat in the middle of the room, and her couch didn’t feel nearly as comfortable as the one in Rustic Creek.

She had to stop spontaneously crying.

Cookies would probably help with that. She padded into the kitchen to grab the leftover package of Nutter Butter Bites from the drive home. Collapsing back onto the couch, she glanced at her iPad screen and decided the rest of the submission could wait until tomorrow. She couldn’t concentrate. She had Cam on the brain, and that interfered with everything else.

She took out her phone to text him, to see if he’d met with Leo or gotten any word on his screenplay. Before she could send a message, though, her cell rang. It was Cam’s next-door neighbor and good friend, Nolan.

“Hi, Nolan.”

“Hey, Reese. How are you?”

“I’m okay. You?”

“I’m great. I’m calling because I have a job opportunity I’m hoping you might be interested in. Are you a fan of podcasts?”

“I’ve listened to a few.”

“My sister has started an online publication called Daily Talk, and one of the things she’d like to see happen is a weekly film review podcast.” Nolan paused and Reese sat up taller, even though no one could see her. “You love movies and you’ve got a great voice and personality.”

“Thanks.” The flattery lifted her spirits some.

“We’re looking at a co-host situation and I think you’re a good candidate. What do you think?”

“I’m interested. Has the other host been chosen?”

“You’re talking to him. Does that convince you to audition?”

Reese chuckled. She knew Nolan pretty well and liked him. He’d definitely make the job fun and entertaining. She hoped to find another job assisting an agent or reading scripts, but maybe she could do both.

“Here’s how we see the podcast running,” Nolan started. “We’ll pick a weekly film to discuss, be it in theaters or streaming. We’ll watch separately. Write our reviews separately. That way we keep it fresh until we meet in the studio for a discussion in a sixty-minute format. You’re welcome to suggest other content or catchy segments, and together we’ll come up with a rundown to follow regularly that suits us both.”

The few times she’d listened to a podcast, she’d enjoyed it, mostly because she was able to put away distractions and connect to the person speaking. Taking the time to hear someone else gave her a chance to learn, be inspired, and not feel alone. Movies weren’t the most important thing in the world, but they did offer an escape and a chance to bring people closer.

She liked the idea of bringing people together. Agreeing. Disagreeing. Laughing. Sharing. Cheering for their favorite characters.

“Do you need an answer right now?”

“You can think about it,” Nolan said amiably. “My sister is hoping to start the podcast at the beginning of October, so we’ve got a good solid month. The next time you’re at Cam’s, knock on my door and we can talk about it more. If you want to audition, I’ll need to know within the week.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for thinking of me.”

“No problem. See you soon.”

She disconnected and pulled up her text messages, eager to reach out to Cam. She typed a text to him. Deleted it. Tried again. Deleted it. The perfect words eluded her. The screen started to look a little blurry and she let her head fall back on the couch. She’d driven six hours today. Thought nonstop about Cam and her job and their families, and she was exhausted. A minute later, she fell asleep.