Page 77 of Scripted for Love and Poison
“You know he got a seven-figure deal to publish that tell-all book of his?”
“Yeah, of course!”
“He got some headlines because of that. So some people got interested. A couple of journalists started unearthing some of his not-so-old reviews ...” started Lola. “And apparently back in the day, he’d saidLady Birdwas a silly coming-of-age story for teenage girls and a bit limiting in its perspective.”
“The fucking idiot! That movie is perfection.”
“Oh, and he implied thatThe Hurt Lockercould have been a better movie if it wasn’t Kathryn Bigelow who directed it.”
“Ugh! He meant if a dude had directed it,” Sol said, and she could feel her blood boiling. “Why are you so peppy about the whole situation?”
“Because Simon Smith has been stalking my house, and I don’t like that. My kid lives there. My husband lives there. I live there! I don’t like him, and I’m glad some journalists found some of his old writing and showed the world he’s an absolute idiot and a sexist. And that hardly makes for a commercial author these days,” Lola reasoned, a smirk on her face.
“So he’s been canceled for sure?”
“Yeah, the publishing company is backtracking, postponing the release. That book’s not coming out anytime soon—if ever,” Lola said.
“Is it bad to feel good about someone else’s misfortunes?” Sol asked, and then she looked at her friend and recalled what Simon Smith had said about Greta Gerwig’s perfect movie.
“Nah!” both Sol and Lola decided at the same time.
“I need to run something by you,” Sol said, suddenlyremembering. “Emily told me something about not waiting for others to tell me what to do with my book. And it’s really stayed with me. I think I’m going to self-publish it.”
“So you’re following the advice of a husband-killer?” Lola asked, her face not letting on what she was thinking.
“Sí,” Sol said, reassured. “Let’s not forget the husband was going to incapacitate her.”
“Sounds good to me.”
39
“Do we have everything?” Luke asked her when they got inside the car so Divya could drive them to the airport.
“Wefinallyhave everything,” Sol said. Her suitcase had been delivered to their hotel twenty minutes before checking out and heading to LAX.
“You excited to go home?” Sol asked him.
“You have no idea,” Luke said enthusiastically, and both Divya and Sol laughed.
“Believe me, mate, weknow.”
“I may have been getting used to everyone finding my accent irresistible here, though,” Luke joked. “I’ll miss that.”
Sol rolled her eyes. “Please, as if people don’t find you irresistible in London!”
“Exactly,” Divya agreed. “Sol knows what she’s talking about.”
“And are you sure you’ll be finehere?” Luke asked Divya for the umpteenth time, ignoring her jest.
“Moon gets here tonight. And for today, I have a full day of activities that Sol helped me plan,” Divya dismissed him.
“She’s going to Gold’s Gym for a workout session, and she’ll drive on Mulholland Drive,” Sol said.
“Sweating and driving,” Luke replied. “Very LA.”
“That was the intention. And I’ll be back in London in a couple of days, so you won’t even have time to miss me,” Divya continued, and it sounded like a promise.
“I’m sure I’ll still miss you,” Luke said. “But please be back. We’ve been getting calls nonstop for new cases, and it looks like we’re going to be busy.”
