by Hess, Andrew
His wife Sara was a huge supporter of his work. In fact, she was a huge fan of his first book before she ever met him. Some would say she was his biggest fan. That’s when Evan made his first mistake. He broke the cardinal rule of being on the road; Don’t Fall in Love.
It was hard for him not to. Sara was gorgeous. Her long silky smooth legs drew his attention. Her warm smile made him forget all his troubles. Her slender body had curves in all the right places, which made every guy stop and stare. She was also more than just a pretty face. Sara was a highly intelligent woman who had aspirations of being a doctor. How someone like Evan wound up with her baffled him, but never complained.
Part of him felt his time at home would be beneficial. He would spend all day together, finally getting the alone time they both coveted. One week of bliss was all they were granted. One week where it was just them and no one else. It was everything they dreamed their lives should be.
Their returned to New York brought them back to the harsh reality. Evan was contacted by his agent Mr. Waters, demanding the first draft of the new book. He dove back in without hesitation while Sara spent all day working.
When the front door slammed shut, Evan knew the war at home would continue. He would try to ignore Sara’s sighs of frustration by focusing on the chapter he was writing, but that never lasted long.
“How was your day,” Sara asked.
“Still trying to figure out this chapter.”
Sara entered the office and sat in Evan’s lap while looking at the screen. She read the chapter twice before typing several changes and deleting a sentence. “Try this and see how it works.”
He was grateful for her help. Seeing her perched on his lap felt like it did when he first came home from the tours. She would sit with him and help him write his chapters. After a few weeks, she had grown tired of sitting in a dark room talking about Evan’s writing after working for eight hours only to come home and cook dinner.
“Thanks babe,” he said while nuzzling his scruffy beard against the crook of Sara’s neck. Her body arched back against his body. We haven’t done this in a while, he thought. His hands grabbed the hem of her work shirt, wrapping it around his left fist as his fingers slowly walked up her stomach.
“Wait,” she said as Evan’s hand cupped her breast. “Let me freshen up a bit while you put dinner on the side for later.” Evan let an uncomfortable silence fall between them. “You made something for dinner, didn’t you?” Another moment of silence let loose the tidal wave of anger and frustration. She ripped Evan’s hand away and stood up. “I thought you were going to make dinner for once.”
“I was going to but…”
“But what?” The anger in her voice let Evan know this was going to bubble over into a fight that would end in bitter silence until the next day.
“I’m sorry. I got caught up with the writing and wasn’t looking at the time.” He reached for her hands. “I’m sorry, let me make it up to you by buying dinner. What are you in the mood for?”
“Mexican or Thai.”
Evan stood up and moved toward her. Planting a soft kiss on her lips, Evan wrapped his hands around Sara’s waist and pulling her deeper into the embrace.
“I’ll order in a bit. I think we need to work up an appetite first.” He left a trail of kisses down Sara’s neck, but felt her hands pushing him away.
“Is that all you care about?” Sara backed away. “You spend all day locked inside the house, supposedly writing that whole time. I come home, you haven’t done anything around the apartment including making dinner. You waste the rest of the night hiding in your office again, and only come out when you’re ready for bed or want sex.”
Internally, Evan wouldn’t deny how much he enjoyed having sex with Sara, but he would never consider that to be the only reason to be with her.
“That’s not it at all. I just have Waters and Audrey breathing down my neck to get the book done. I’m doing this so we don’t have to work.”
“No, you’re doing it so you don’t have to work. I still get up and go to work every day.”
“You know it’s not going to be like that for long. I just have to get this book done. Waters and Audrey will market the hell out of it, and…”
“And what? You’ll go on tour again?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I can’t stand it when you go on tour. You go all around the country, having fun, meeting new people, eating at fancy restaurants, and sightseeing. Where am I? That’s right; I’m sitting home all alone wondering where you are and who you’re with.”
“So what am I supposed to do; give up my dream and work a regular nine to five job that barely pays the bills?”
“I’m not telling you to give up on your dream. I would never tell you that. I love you, and I want you to be happy doing what you love. I just don’t wanna be the one left behind every time.”
It was finally starting to click in his head, that Sara never cared about the money, or if she had to work, or even the sharing in the household chores. She just wanted to be with him.
“I hear you. I mean, I think for once I finally hear you.” Evan collapsed in his chair. “Maybe I should take a break from the writing for a while.”
“Evan, I’m not telling you to stop writing.”
“No, I mean take a break. We have two weeks until Christmas. So from now until the end of the year, I won’t do any writing when you’re home.” He watched Sara’s lips twitch into a smile. “And I’ll try to write less when I’m home during the day so I can help out around here.”
Sara launched herself into Evan’s arms. “You really mean it?”
“Yeah. I’ll deal with Audrey and Waters at the meeting tomorrow.” He saved the day’s work on his computer. “Tonight, it’s just you and me.”
Evan turned off the computer and led Sara into the living room. Curling up on the couch with her that night, was one of the smartest decisions Evan had made.
Sara had left before Evan woke the next morning. It was a feeling he became used to since coming home from his book tour, but that morning was different. It was the first time he was physically meeting with his agent, Mr. Waters, and his publicist, Audrey Stone, since seeing them at his wedding. They were calling him in to discuss the current standings of his book, how close he was to finishing the new book, and another important business matter. Evan wanted to blow off the meeting, but Waters had stressed the importance of the meeting.
With complete reluctance, Evan tore himself from his comfortable bed and readied himself for the train ride into Manhattan. Arriving at Penn Station, taking a cab to the office and staring up at the large building, it was as if Evan was experiencing deja-vu.
Heading up to the office, Evan was greeted by the new flavor of the month. She was a tall, skinny, brunette, unlike the typical women Waters hired as his secretary.
“Hi, I’m Evan Taylor; here to see Mr. Waters.” Based on the confused look on the woman’s face as she stared at the phone system, she must have been brand new. Seeing his secretaries do it a bunch of times before, Evan reached over the desk, pressed a button and the extension before handing the phone over to the new girl.
Within moments, Waters strutted down the hall in a new suit. His sly grin and overly welcoming arms suggested he had big news that would greatly benefit himself more than Evan.
“There he is, the groom.” His tone was nicer than the demanding voice he used the last time he and Evan spoke. “Come on over to the office. We have lots to discuss.”
They entered the office, which of course had been updated since the last time Evan was there. The TV had been upgraded to a 4K flat screen. All of the chairs were replaced with soft leather ones. His desk seemed to have grown in size and adopted a smaller glass desk which sat in the middle of the room.
Audrey sat perched atop the mahogany desk in a short skirt. Evan’s eyes darted to her golden tanned legs, traveling up her body as she fixed her skirt and hopped off the desk.
“Good morning, Evan. Shall we get down to business?” She took a seat across from him at the glass table.
Waters grabbed the folder with the final numbers from the tour, as well as the current sales on his book. “We were pleasantly surprised by the outcome of your west coast tour. Although it didn’t pull in the numbers we were hoping for, it was better than our initial projections.” He placed the next page in front of Evan. “As you can see, you are still maintaining a steady stream of book sales, but are starting to lose ground on the east coast.”
Audrey folded her hands on the table. “We believe this is due to the amount of books you have available for purchase. Since you only have the one book out, it makes the potential for additional sales very limited. Those that know your name have already purchased this book and are waiting for more.”
This was it, the conversation Evan expected them to strangle him with. It was the one thing they continuously got on his case for when he was on tour, and they were still harping on it after the tour. He couldn’t blame them. Their reasoning for wanting another book was understandable. They needed him to put out another book, another book means keeping Evan’s name relevant. Evan’s name being relevant meant more money, and more money meant keeping Audrey and Mr. Waters happy to promote Evan.
“Where are we on this book,” Mr. Waters asked.
“I keep running into writers block on a few spots, but I’m nearing the end of the first draft.”
“When can we expect it?”
“After the new year.” Reading the expressions on their faces, Evan could tell they weren’t happy. It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to finish it. He poured every bit of himself into the story. It just happened to be a story that didn’t go very far.
Waters paced around the table. “Okay, I guess we’ll have to wait until the start of the new year.” He stopped in front of Evan and leaned over him. “But I’m telling you right now, we better have it soon or else we will be forced to pull back our resources.”
“What does that mean,” Evan asked.
“It means, you will no longer have Audrey to assist with the guidance of your career. There will be no more book tours around the country. And you will be solely responsible for your car and apartment payments.”
“Now this is not something we want to do,” Audrey said. “But we cannot continue to pimp, promote, and pay for a client that is unwilling to cooperate with our goals and vision.”
Hearing how much he would lose, Evan went rigid in his chair. “Okay, I promise to get you the book by the new year.”
“For your sake, I hope you stay true to your word.”
Evan hoped for the same thing. “You said you have big news to share. What is it?”
“I happened to run in to a producer friend of mine. We decided to play a little catch up over dinner a few weeks ago. I mentioned you and your book.” Knowing Audrey alerted a producer about his book had the potential to be a huge deal for him. “He texted me the other day telling me how much he liked it and wanted to meet with you.”
“Are you serious right now?” Evan was in complete shock. This was his chance at making it big, bigger than he ever dreamed possible. “Absolutely. When can I meet him?”
“That’s where things get a bit dicey. He is heading up to Albany tonight for the next couple of days before flying out to London for the holidays. He won’t be back until late January.”
“So we can setup a meeting when he gets back, right?”
“That in itself is the problem,” Mr. Waters said. “You have small windows of opportunity with producers. They may like you one minute, and the next your idea is complete garbage. If he likes your book, you need to meet with him before he changes his mind.”
“So what am I supposed to do; go to Albany?”
“That would be your best option. If you could meet with him before he leaves for holiday, you may have a shot of him getting on board for a deal.”
“And what am I supposed to say to him?”
“Audrey will do all the introductions since she already knows him. Once you are comfortable discussing your book and your vision for it, we will gauge his reaction. If he wants to make an offer, I will of course step in to help with negotiations.”
Evan didn’t like how short notice the trip would be, but it was a huge opportunity. If it worked out, he could be financially set for years. Sara could quit her job and stay home with him. They could look into starting a family, and he could work on writing more books.
“When do we leave?”
“Late tomorrow morning will be ideal. It will take several hours to drive up there. Audrey will setup the meeting for us. Once we’re done, we’ll grab dinner and be home before you know it.”
Evan had a bad feeling about the trip, but knew he could lose everything if he said no. There was only one thing left to say. “Should I meet you here or should I wait for a car to pick me up?”
Chapter 38- Sara
Evan’s revelation from the previous night had Sara smiling all day as she filed patient information away. Co-workers took notice and commented on Sara’s good mood, which made the day go by faster. For the first time in months, Sara was happy to go home.
When she opened the door to the apartment, the smell of fried chicken filled the air. She slipped out of her white sneakers and felt like she levitated toward the smell. Evan stood next to the kitchen table. Lit long stemmed candles sat between two plates of fried chicken cutlets, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach.
“What’s all this,” Sara asked.
“An apology and celebrating a new beginning.”
“Okay, I accept your apology.” A feeling of hope filled the room. Sara could see Evan making the effort he promised. “What’s this about a new beginning?”
“I’d like to think of tonight as a new beginning for us.” She watched him pull a bottle of wine out from the fridge and pour its contents into two long stemmed glasses. “To us, and to our future.”
Despite feeling like Evan wasn’t telling her everything, she appreciated the sentiment behind the toast, and that Evan cooked dinner for the first time in their relationship. Evan pulled out the chair for Sara, allowing her to sit and dig into her dinner. The potatoes were smooth and creamy, and the chicken was made to perfection. If Evan wasn’t careful she would have him cook every night.
“Evan, I’ve never knew you could cook this well.”
“I’m not a big fan of cooking, but I know how to do a few things in the kitchen.” Evan eyed up Sara as he ate. She could tell there was something on his mind and wrestled with telling her.
Figuring something might have happened with Mr. Waters, Sara decided to bring up the meeting. “How was your day?”
“Eye opening.”
“So everything went well at Mr. Waters’ office?”
“You could say that.” Evan launched into the discussion about the tour and how his sales have been doing since he came back to New York. He told her about the ultimatum Mr. Waters presented him with.
“You really think they’re going to drop you like that?”
“Kat warned me about Waters. She told me he does what’s best for business. So yeah, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I’m going to work on the book as much as I can during the day and hope to finish it before the new year.” Evan’s eyes stared blankly at the window.
“There’s something else going on in that mind of yours,” Sara said. “What else happened?”
“There was one thing that Audrey brought up. A chance at making a huge deal that we would greatly benefit from.” Not liking any sentence that contained Audrey and a huge deal, Sara urged Evan to continue. “Audrey said she ran into an old friend that happened to be a producer. She recommended my book and he checked it out. Supposedly, he liked it and wants to talk.”
“That’s great,” Sara said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Evan’s shoulders. “You think he’s going to offer you
a movie deal?”
“That’s what I’m hoping for, but I won’t know for sure until we meet with him.”
The word “we” wasn’t sitting well with Sara. “Who’s going?”
“Audrey, Mr. Waters and I.”
Sara took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Okay, so when are you guys gonna meet with this producer?”
“We leave tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, but you’ll be back by tomorrow night, right?”
The guilty look on Evan’s face meant he was about to disappoint Sara again, and she knew it. “We’re going up to Albany to meet the producer. If we get back tomorrow, it’ll be late.”
“Are you serious? Tomorrow night is our Christmas party with Julie and the girls. We’re supposed to be there by seven-thirty.”
“I’ll try to get back as soon as I can, but I can’t guarantee anything right now.” Sara crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring Evan down. “I’m sorry, but this is potentially a deal that could keep us financially stabilized for years.”
“Is the money really that much more important than spending the holidays with your wife and our friends?”
“They are your friends not mine. And I will be here with you for Christmas. There’s nothing that’ll keep me from spending it with you.”
“What if the producer wants to meet again during Christmas? What if he wants you on set while they’re filming?”
“First off, they don’t usually meet or work around Christmas. Second, I would tell them it can wait a day or two.”
“And this can’t?”
“No, he’s going to spend the holidays in London and won’t be getting back until the end of January.” She felt Evan grab her hands, jolting her from the angry stare. “I wouldn’t be going if there was another option.” He looked deep in her eyes. “This is our big chance. If I land this deal, we’ll be raking in royalty checks for a long time. I won’t have to work so hard to get new books out.”