Page 26 of Fierce Love
“I wanted to apologize for how things went last night. It was less than ideal.”
“I completely understand Mr. Tucker’s feelings,” I say in my most professional voice. There’s no point in making Felipe feel bad. We put him in an awkward situation last night and then put ourselves in an even more awkward position at The Drunk Raccoon. Best to forget the whole thing.
“Well, it appears that Mr. Tucker’s feelings have changed, actually. He’s now quite happy for us to move ahead with negotiating a contract with you.” Before he finishes his sentence, I’m scrambling for the phone, trying to get it off speakerphone, but I don’t make it until his final word.
Kin appears on the opposite side of the bed, and she’s staring at me, hard. She knows exactly what she heard, and if I turn the job down now, I'm pretty much guaranteed to ruin my relationship with my sister forever.
“He changed his mind?” I manage to squeak out.
“Yes,” Felipe says, a hint of a smile in his voice. “Stewart will be the producer you’ll deal with most often. Nathaniel’s decided to stay involved but take a more hands-off approach to the project.”
“I can hear him,” Kin says, pointing at my phone. “Even without it on speaker.”
I push the volume button with my thumb while I try to process what he’s just said. “Nate—Nathaniel won’t be part of the production?”
“He’ll see cuts of the episodes, might provide some notes, but he won’t be a visible presence.”
“Right,” I say. “Okay.” My brain is stuck onprocessing, and it can’t seem to move forward.
“Say yes,” Kinsley says in a harsh whisper.
“I know you were hoping to have a lawyer look over your contract last night, and you wanted to speak to Reyes and Cruz about your position there. I can email the contract to you, and you can take that to your lawyer,” Felipe says.
“Sayyes,” Kinsley hisses.
“Please send me the contract,” I say, suppressing a deep sigh. “When do you need an answer?”
“Yesterday,” Felipe says. “We’re already behind with all our timelines. The sooner we can get you signed off, the better I’ll feel.”
“The amendments we discussed—”
“Already added to the contract I’m sending you now,” he says, and my phone vibrates with the arrival of an email.
I took Posey’s advice, and I negotiated hard last night for the things that were important to me. Firm hours of work. Salary. Bonuses for a second season or if Interflix picks up the series. Payment of my aunt’s apartment rental for the duration of our stay, which lets me keep our place in New York and take my time cleaning out my aunt’s things. None of the producers flinched or balked at anything. Made me wonder if I should have gone after even more.
“Thanks, Felipe,” I say, turning away from Kinsley’s expectant expression. “I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”
“I’m really looking forward to working together,” Felipe says.
My heart sinks at his words. While a part of me wanted to stay last night, after spending time with Nate again, I’ve realized how quickly and easily things between the two of us could get out of control.
“Me too,” I say, and after we say our goodbyes, I hang up the phone.
“If you don’t take this,” Kinsley says, her voice tinged with frustration, “I’m never speaking to you again.”
“If you’re going to make a threat, Kin, at least make it a realistic one.”
She storms out of the room, and from across the hall, my old bedroom door slams. Looks like I’ve come full circle, from being the one to slam the door to the one listening to it shudder on its hinges.
I sink onto the bed, my phone cradled in my hands, and I wonder whether staying in Bellerive will make things between us better or worse.
Chapter Twelve
Nathaniel
The wood cracks when my ax connects, the two equal pieces falling to the ground, and I roll my shoulders. The campground has extensive woods behind it, including a patch of scotch pines that Cal has been trying to turn into a place for Bellerivians to get a homegrown Christmas tree. From the looks of it, his efforts are finally taking hold in a way that might make that venture profitable soon. Historically, neither of us has been good at giving up on things we want when all it'll take to achieve our goal is a bit more effort. Most of the time, that feels like a good thing.
A little way from me in the clearing, Cal pauses his more delicate kindling work to take me in, a pile of wood shavings beside him. The thin slices of wood require more patience than I have today. On the ground not far from him is a heavily pregnant lab cross that Maren convinced him to take in as a foster. She’sa loyal little thing—toddling after Cal all over the campground. I won’t be surprised if he keeps her.
