Page 23 of A Very Snowed In New Year
And that’s when I finally release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I thought if I ever did that it would be for swoonier reasons. But I guess this is swoon-adjacent since this conversation is really about me and Holden Archer.
Shay smiles at me and touches my arm again. “Okay. So we’re good?”
I nod.
“Great. I’ll be emailing my business manager when I get home. She’ll contact you about all the employment particulars, and she’ll forward a standard nondisclosure agreement that includes the confidentiality of all things personal for me. Obviously Lainey knows the situation, but you guys cannot tell the other roommate or anyone else about it. I can’t tell my business manager I’m hiring you to text with a guy for me either, obviously, so you will be hired in the capacity of my personalassistant. Lainey said you need a job, and my PAs keep quitting because they’re losers. So on top of the texting I’ll need you to do things like pick up my dry cleaning and get my groceries and run lines with me and just whatever I don’t have time to do.”
I’m pretty sure I’m smiling with my face, but despite her seemingly genuine appreciation for the greatest romantasy series ever written, I really, truly do not like this person. And I like most of the people I meet. But I would not be sad if I never had to talk to this person again.
So, on the one hand, Shay Nicholls can fuck right off.
But on the other hand…
Holden Archer.
He shouldn’t have to text withher.
Who better to text with him thanme?
And yet.
I would have to make him likeher?
Soshecan be his date to the second installment of the film adaptation ofmyfavorite romantasy series?
And she doesn’t even like him?!
Am I screaming?
It feels like I’m screaming.
I look up at Shay and find her studying me. “Lainey tells me you have a rom-com script you’ve been working on…” She speaks succinctly, like a dealer passing out cards and explaining the rules of a game. “I would love to read it. My agent is actively looking for a project to attach me to because I’m in three films that are going to Sundance in January. Did Lainey tell you? It’s so insane.”
I glance over Shay’s shoulder at Lainey, who mimes shooting herself in the head because she’s so bored. “I…think she did, yes! That is so insane.”
“Right?! I’m going to be so busy I can’t even tell you, but we haven’t found that passion project yet for when people there ask me what I want to do next…”
I blink at her. “Well, I’m sure you’ll meet someone there who has something interesting for you.”
Shay rubs her temples like she’s getting a migraine.
“What my sister is getting at,” Lainey says, stepping in and putting her arm around my shoulders, “is that she would love to read your script if you do this for her. On top of paying you a salary as her personal assistant.”
“Ohhhh,” I say, trying to picture her as the female lead in my movie. She’s kind of the opposite of what I had in mind. But it’s not like I won’t write dozens of other scripts. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if Shay Nicholls was attached to one of them. “That would be amazing.”
“Yeah, so email it to me.”
Transactional.
Dammit.
I guess this is happening.
“So how would this even work? With Holden?”
“Well, first of all, you are never to text him from your own phone. Obviously. I’m not giving you his number.”
You she-beast, that’s my future husband you’re talking about.
