Page 97 of Doc Showmance
“You have to,” I whispered. “You’re leaving, and neither of us is looking for forever.”
37
Ian
We’d both conked out hard, but she’d slipped away in the middle of the night. Yet again. Although I couldn’t believe I slept through her leaving, it had been three nights in a row of staying up way too late.
I’d gotten up to exercise but before I started, I stared at the text message from my agent, Danny Hicks.
Danny:Call me ASAP. Big studio to pick up your TV series.
I punched his number and put it on speaker phone, unsure he’d be up this early. Also uncertain I actually wanted to continue theVet in the Wildseries. I had to choose between being a veterinarian in real life or pushing my TV career to the max.
“Ian!” Danny boomed into the phone like he’d already had three coffees. “You won’t believe this. I’ve got two streaming services fighting to buy your TV series. Of course, it’s contingent on having you on it. I have so many requests for appearances that I’m not sure what to do with them. UC Davis even asked if you’d do the commencement address for the vet school this year.”
“Do any of them know about Colombia?”
“No one cares. Yesterday, live on theToday Show, was magical. What they do care about is how people are clamoring to see your TV show’s reruns. They’re replacing the show’s director and producer, which is a godsend to get away from that Marianna bitch. Everything you set up to film in South Africa is still a go. That means regardless of who ends up owning or directing the next season, I need you packed and on a plane to South Africa on Saturday. You’re done with San Diego. You’ll be in Africa for two weeks. Then back in the States for two weeks of prep for the next place to visit.”
What about Amber? I tugged at my hair. “I feel like I shouldn’t rush off yet.”
“Is that because you like working as a vet at her place or because the fake romance turned into something not quite so fake? Honestly, this ER show is incredible. The two of you are magic together. I can’t wait to see this week’s episode. You and Dr. Hardin are smoking hot on the show.”
“You saw what happened yesterday when I punched Dr. Kovac?”
“It was cathartic to see you deck the asshole. All the shit he’s given Dr. Hardin over the past few months had me yelling. Me? I rarely get revved about anything on TV these days. She’s amazing. Wish I lived closer to have her be my vet.” My agent was fanboying? And he’d been watching the show since long before I joined? Danny changed his tone to serious. “Do I need to get you a lawyer or a PR fixer over the punch? Is it okay?”
“It was arranged TV bullshit that they forgot to tell Amber or myself about. They set us up. Pisses me off, but I admit they got some extraordinary footage. I think we might need to consult a PR fixer just to make sure it spins well.”
“You got it. Ian…” Danny sighed into the phone. “You like her?”
“Perhaps,” I hedged.
“Shit. You weren’t supposed to fall for her. You like her as in she’s super in the bedroom and you want to ride this out another few weeks to cool your dick, or you like her as in there’s actual long-term potential here?”
“I don’t know. I like her as her. The badass you see on TV is real. That’s not fake. She’s quite something.”
“You better figure out what’s going on. Your ass needs to be on a plane Saturday to go nurse some giraffes and monkeys.”
“They’re baboons, not just any old monkeys.”
“Whatever. I’m having my assistant book your plane tickets. I’ll talk to the producers of the ER show about letting you out of your contract two weeks early. For what the new services have on the table, no matter which one we choose we can more than buy out this current contract.”
“I could return after South Africa, right?”
“You could be shooting in four other locations over the next few months. This is it, Ian. You’re on the cusp of being the next international wildlife ambassador. People love you helping injured wildlife.”
“It’s everything we hoped for, I guess.”
“You guess? Where’s the fresh out of vet school kid who pitched this idea to me a couple of years ago? Nothing was going to stop you. And now you’re giving me ayou guess? You fill a vacant niche left by Steve Irwin. People still want to see injured baby rhinos and know someone is giving them the attention they need. They want to know someone’s out there working to preserve the twelve still in the wild and all that tree-hugging wild animal bullshit.”
“I don’t want to be the crazy guy toting wild creatures on some interview show. I won’t cross that line. I also don’t want to handle venomous creatures. Steve Irwin was amazing but that’s not me. I’ll do interviews and any event to promo a legit sanctuary that needs to raise money. I won’t become that guy in khaki with animals on TV.”
“We won’t sell you as that guy who brings on animals. Fair warning, every interview you do will ask about Amber. That’s all anyone wants to talk about.”
“It’s a lot at once.”
“You think you and she could do some sort of crossover series? Just tossing out an idea.”
