Page 12 of To Hate Adam Connor
“Help?” Olive asked, looking at me hopefully.
“Oh, I guess I can help,” I relented. “But you’re not taking that black dress with you. You’re not going to a funeral. This is your movie, more than it is his, actually. And this is not the premiere, right?” I crawled off the bed and headed toward her gigantic closet. Olive was right behind me.
“It is still happening, the premiere in London, I mean, but it is after the LA and New York premieres. This London trip is just interviews and a few talk shows.”
“You’re doing the shows too?”
She shook her head. “As much as Megan would’ve loved that, I said no to live shows. We’ll do a few of the recorded interviews together, but that’s it. I don’t want to be seen that much. That’s his job, and that’s all the excitement I can handle anyway.”
“Well, okay. Then you definitely don’t need this floor-length dress,” I said, fishing out another black dress she wouldn’t need at all.
Half an hour later we emerged from her bedroom with enough clothes packed to hold her over for at least a month.
“The car is here,” Jason said as soon he saw us wheeling two suitcases toward the front door.
“Already?” Olive and I asked at the same time.
“Yes,” Jason said, reaching to take the suitcase out of Olive’s hand. “There was a change in the schedule.”
“Oh, I’m gonna miss you.” She gave me a tight hug and followed Jason outside. “I’m really sorry for leaving you like this. I swear as soon as I’m back—”
“You’ll make it up to me,” I said, finishing her sentence before she could get into another long-winded apology. “It’s only a week, Olive. Pray for me while you’re over there so I can find a job by the time you guys come back.”
“About that,” she murmured as she sat down on the bench right outside their door to put on her shoes. “I sent you an email with a few contact numbers attached to it. While we are on our way to the airport I’ll forward you some emails too.”
“And what do you want me to do with those emails again?”
“Not much. I want you to play my agent.”
Done with her shoes, she got up and stood in front of me.
“Play your agent?” I asked, confused.
“Look, you don’t want to be an accountant. There. I said it. You might be good with numbers, but that’s not your calling. And before you say no—”
“Olive?” Jason called out, holding the passenger door open for his wife. Olive looked over her shoulder. “We have to leave. Can you call Lucy on the way to the airport?”
“I’m coming, just give me a second.”
When she turned back to look at me, I had a frown on my face. “Olive—”
“I’m not doing it for you, Lucy. I’m asking for your help. You flaked on me when I needed to talk to the movie studio the first time, so you can’t say no to this too. I talked to a good number of agents, and we don’t see eye to eye. I doubt they even read my book. You inhaled every line of that book; if someone has to sell it, I want it to be you. And before you say it, if I start negotiating for future book and audiobook deals, I won’t have a single minute to write. You’ll help your friend out, right? ’Cause you’re the bestest of the best friends, right?” She lifted her eyebrows, waiting on an answer from me.
“Olive, I have a business major. I know nothing about being a literary agent.”
She started to back away from me and lifted her hands up. “Just add up some numbers then multiply them, do whatever the hell you do with numbers, and find out which deal is better for me. I have to make a decision before I’m done writing.”
“I don’t think the numbers should be your only worry, Olive,” I yelled after her as she headed toward the black car. “What are they offering you in terms of marketing? Are they planning something you couldn’t do yourself if you were to self-publish again?”
Reaching Jason’s side, she yelled back, “See? You already know the right questions to ask. Just talk to them, okay? I’ll call you when we land.” With those last words, she hopped into the car.
“I don’t like your wife very much right now,” I grumbled loudly enough so Jason could hear. His eyes found mine, and he smiled.
He glanced into the car then looked back at me with a bigger smile on his lips. “She says she loves you, too.”
I rolled my eyes and waved at Jason, ready to get back inside.
“Lucy?” Jason called out.
