Page 64 of Swan Song

The next morning, she prints out the script (the Richardsons are pen-and-paper people) and knocks on the door of Bull’s office.

“Come in!” he says.

Coco takes a breath. This, she thinks, is it. This is why she’s here. She remembers back to the night at the Banana Deck—the paradise playlist, Harlan from WAPA, Give us all the appetizers—and thinks how astonishing it is that, only two months later, she lives on Nantucket and is indispensable to Bull and Leslee. Everything has gone exactly as she planned. Bull is going to agree to read her script, she just knows it.

She steps into the room. Bull is behind his desk, looking tan and relaxed in a navy polo shirt. He isn’t on the phone, isn’t screaming in English or any other language. In front of him is a green juice from Lemon Press that Coco procured for him earlier that morning, and he’s working the New York Times crossword.

“‘Actress Ellen in Same Time, Next Year,’” he reads. “Seven letters.”

“Burstyn,” Coco says, and spells it for him.

“You’re a whiz,” he says. He looks up. “Everything okay?”

For a second, she can’t speak.

He notices the script in her hands. “Is that a… did that come for me?”

“It’s a screenplay,” Coco says. “It’s called Rosebush.”

He waves his fingers and she sets it down on his desk. “Who wrote it?” he asks.

“I did,” Coco says.

It takes him a second to process this, but then he reads the cover page, lifts it to inspect the second page. He raises his eyes to hers. “You wrote a movie?”

“I’ve been working on it for a while but it’s finally finished and I thought you might want to read it.”

He’s searching her face, but what is he thinking? Does he realize she’s his assistant solely because she wanted access? He could shut her down, say he’s too busy, say, How dare you. But he’s not going to. She can tell he’s intrigued.

“Well,” he says. “This is certainly unexpected, but not unwelcome. I can’t wait to dig in.”

“Okay,” Coco says, and she leaves the study, trying to act natural. Before she closes the door, she peeks back in and sees that he’s already started to read.

Coming to Nantucket is the best thing she’s ever done.

23. Thursday, August 22, 9:35 P.M.

Once Kacy has downed a bottle of water, she says, “There are a few things you should probably know.”

“Such as?” Zara says.

“Coco and Lamont are seeing each other.”

Zara and Ed exchange glances. Not a complete surprise, considering Lamont wants to go up in the Coast Guard helicopter to look for Coco.

“How long has this been going on?” Zara says.

“You’d have to ask him.”

Zara wishes Lamont had offered up this information himself. “Why wouldn’t he have…”

Kacy drops her voice. “It’s a secret.”

“Because?”

“The Richardsons have a rule. Their staff isn’t allowed to date.”

“But Coco and Lamont did anyway?” Zara says. “Without the Richardsons knowing?”

---