Page 100 of The Love Rematch
“Was your purpose for being there professional?”
“Definitely not.”
“Then you’ve left us no choice. You’re fired.”
“You don’t have to fire me—”
“Yes, jackass,” Nick adds from the computer. “We do.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Jake shakes his head. “I quit.”
Nina scoffs and rolls her eyes. Fred grins. Trish pinches her brow with a sigh. From the coffee table, the network exec chimes in.
“Can you repeat that for me on the record?”
Jake walks to the computer and loudly states into the microphone. “I quit.”
“Don’t be hasty,” Trish comments.
Jake turns to her. “I’m not. Trust me, I’m not. I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life. You and Nick gave me my first job in Hollywood. I’ve been working here ever since. I owe my entire career to both of you, and to this show. I don’t want to leave on a sour note. I don’t want to burn any bridges on my way out. I just want to go. You don’t need to pay me any severance. I’ll sign anything you want. I won’t put up a fight. All I ask is that you don’t punish Emily for any of this. Please. I’m the one who made a mess of our relationship seven years ago, and it’s entirely my fault I didn’t realize my mistakes until now. The exposure of this show will be huge for her brand. I don’t want to taint that. She’ll finish the season. You’ll get your ending. No one outside the people in this room ever needs to know what happened.”
“And when the tabloids snap a photo of the two of you hot and heavy in a week?” Nick asks, cynical as ever. In this one instance, Jake doesn’t blame him.
“They won’t.”
Nick rolls his eyes with a scoff.
“Come on,” Jake pushes. “You guys have all spent the past five weeks studying Emily’s every move, lamenting behind her back about how boring and well behaved she is. You know her. You know that she’s a good person. You all hate her a little bit for that, and admire her a little bit too. She’s nothing like us. We’re assholes.” He grins, and from the couch, Nina grins too. “All of us. Assholes. But she’s not. So if I was asking you to trust me, then sure, I could see why you never would. But I’m asking you to trust her. I’m not even sure she’ll pick me. But if she does, I think we all know she’ll do it the right way.”
“So that’s it?” Nick asks. “That’s your plan? To walk out of here with nothing and pray she comes to find you?”
Jake shrugs. “Pretty much.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“It’s sweet,” Fred comments supportively.
“It’s asinine,” Nina says.
“It’s none of our business,” Trish cuts in. “What is our business is the paperwork. If this is really what you want, then sign here.”
Jake does.
“And here.”
He does.
“And here.”
He does.
Trish shuffles the papers together and nods. “Security is waiting outside to escort you to your room and then off the premises. We’ve booked you a seat on the next flight out. I’ll send a PA to collect your computer once you’re back in LA.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
He turns to leave.
