“Can I ask what you had to go to California for? Or is that private?”
“I guess I can tell you,” she said. Since Roark got the final contract on Wednesday and she’d signed it Thursday before Warren showed up.
So many things in her life were lining up, and she was flying high professionally and stunned to feel as if her personal life was matching the pace.
“You guess?” he asked.
“I hope I can trust you to keep it quiet for now. But everything is signed, and we will move ahead. Of course, that means nothing.”
Funding could stop. Actors could drop out. Production could halt for all sorts of reasons beyond anyone’s control.
But they’d told her this would be ready for release in less than six months. They had casting lined up to start and were working on everything else.
“I know how to keep plenty of secrets,” he said.
“I’ve had a deal in the works with Netflix on one of my books. I had to go to California and finalize some things with my agent. My mother went with me. My brother, who represents me, received the contract. He would have gone with me, but he had court. I signed and sent it back before you got here yesterday.”
He moved over to her quickly, picked her up in a hug, and spun her around. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful. I’m so proud of you.”
“You are?” she asked. Normally only her parents acted that way. Or other family members. “You’ve only been reading my books for a few weeks.”
“So?” he said. “I’m proud of you, not your books. But those are pretty awesome too. Which one is it, or can’t I know?”
“It’s actually one I self-published and not one for my publisher. They weren’t thrilled about that, but hey, my agent has been pitching a handful of my books for about a year to a few networks.”
Emma told him which book it was. “I haven’t read that one yet,” he said. “I’ll get it tonight and start when I’m back.”
“Awwww,” she said. “Do you know you’re the first guy I’ve dated that has read my books? I never expected it prior to dating me, but after, you’d think they’d be a little interested.”
“Their loss,” he said. “Which happens to be my gain.”
She reached for the plates to put their eggs on while he pulled the toast that had just popped out.
“I want peanut butter on mine,” she said. “Not butter.”
“I’ll have the same,” he said. “Where is it?”
She moved to a cabinet, opened it, and pulled it out. “Oh my God,” he said. “How many jars are in there?”
She pulled it open again. “Four,” she said. “That lasts about a month. I don’t go to the store often. I eat a lot of PB&J sandwiches.”
“No comment,” he said.
When their breakfast was done, they sat at her island and started to eat. She jumped back up to get her second cup of coffee. He’d only had one and was drinking water now.
“That’s my exciting news,” she said. “I’ll know more in a few weeks. I don’t foresee it being canceled for any reason, especially since they bought the rights to it, but it’s not like they are hurting for money.”
“Do you have options for more?” he asked.
“I do,” she said. “But we’ll see how this one goes. I’m not tying myself only to them and they know it. If another network or service provider reaches out to me for a mini-series, Netflix has the first option to match their price.”
She let Roark handle all those details, timelines, and loopholes for them both.
Hopefully, none of that would become an issue.
“Your family has to be so excited. It’s going to bring a lot of spotlight on you when it’s released,” he said. “Do you know when?”
“They said about six months if there are no delays.” If she and Warren were still together, it’d be football season and by then their relationship might be out. It could put some talk on or around him also.
