Straight from the Hart
Page 44
“Done. Who’s on deck?” I point at the reception phone.
“Captain America’s on line one. Harley Quinn’s on two. And The Rock is on three. I tried to make appointments or take messages, but they all want to speak with you directly now.”
Holy smokes! It’s finally happening. My services are in demand by A-list celebrities. I am going to be the romance concierge to Hollywood’s elite. I’ll have to hire more staff, get a bigger office, maybe come up with some sort of catchphra— My cell buzzes for the zillionth time and I tap the screen to see another interview request.
Breathlessly, I tell Alex, “The talent booker at Ellen is asking about my availability to be on the show. What should I do?”
“Sounds like Straight from the Hart is going supernova thanks to Jax. You need to get yourself a publicist to field these offers from the press.”
“Good call. You’re hired.”
“What?” he yelps in surprise. “No! That was me giving you a piece of advice, not offering to fill the position. You should get someone you’re not sleeping with to be your publicist so that there isn’t any conflict of—”
“You’re the best in the biz and that’s what I need, so I’m going to forward these texts and you can take care of them for me.” Not giving him a chance to balk again, I chirp, “Love you. Miss you. Can’t wait to marry you.” I make a few kissing sounds into the phone, then hang up.
Perching on the edge of the reception desk, I reach for the phone, but jerk my hand back at the last minute. “It’s Chris Evans who plays Captain America, right?” I would hate to get my Chrises confused on this call and there are three of them who play superheroes in those Marvel movies.
“Correct. He also made a fisherman’s sweater dead sexy in Knives Out.”
“Yes, he did . . .” And Chris Evans does have similar coloring to Alex. I can easily envision my intended in that same sweater, the cable-knit wool clinging to his broad shoulders and muscular torso. Maybe I’ll get him one of those garments for Christmas and we can go someplace snowy where he can wrap me in his brawny arms as we snuggle in front of a roaring fi—
“You’re getting all moony again,” Cole says accusingly.
“No, I’m not. I was just wondering why Mr. Evans requires our services.”
“Apparently, he’s got some new girlfriend he’s gaga about. And no, it’s not the actual Gaga. I’d be hyperventilating if that were the case.”
As I recall, my potential client accidentally shared a photo of his private parts on social media last year and those wouldn’t have been on his phone unless he’d been sending them to females. If that’s his idea of wooing, he could definitely use my help.
I pick up the phone and exhale a breath, preparing myself for this next, exciting phase of my career. When I’m ready, I press the button for line one and say, “Vanessa Hart’s the name; inspiring romance is my aim. How can I help you, Mr. Evans?”
I don’t have to look at Cole to know he’s either making a face or giving me a thumbs-down. As catchphrases go, that was pretty lame, but these things take time and a lot of brainstorming. I’ll figure it out. I’ve gotten this far, haven’t I?
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I hope you enjoyed reading Straight from the Hart! If you could take a moment to leave a review for the book on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or BookBub, I would be eternally grateful. Not only do reviews mean the world to authors like me; they encourage potential readers to give our stories a try and the more reviews a book has, the more likely Amazon is to promote it. Thank you!
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CHECK OUT MY BACKLIST!
Blame It on the Fame
In Need of Therapy
Twin Piques
Mixing It Up
Izzy As Is
In the Swim of Things
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing a book with all that was going on in the world this past year was the biggest challenge of my career as an author. It was hard to stay focused and find motivation. Thankfully, I have many wonderful cheerleaders in my life who encouraged me to keep going. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Their hand-holding and pep talks got me through every stage of creating this book, and they saved me a tremendous amount of money on therapy! I’d belt out “Wind Beneath My Wings” right now, but trust me when I say, no one wants to hear that. LOL Instead, I will list these guardian angels in alphabetical order and offer them a heartfelt “THANK YOU!”: Glynis Astie, Sherron Bienvenu, Jackie Bouchard, Jayne Denker, Cindy Dorminy, Marcia Hassell, Laura Heffernan, and Cat Lavoie.
I must also give a shout-out to my wonderful readers. This book exists because of you. Every time one of you left a review telling me you enjoyed my work or commented on one of my social media posts asking when my next book would be out, it reminded me why I do what I do. I thrive on your positive feedback and appreciate it more than you will ever know.
I’m very lucky to have assembled a team of talented folks who are adept at doing all the things I can’t for my books. Much gratitude to Lyndsey Lewellen for designing yet another gorgeous cover for me. When I told her my radical idea of making this cover look like a tabloid, she said, “Cool,” and went for it. Her creativity knows no bounds. Melody Barber at Aurora Publicity once again did a bang-up job on updating my newsletter and blog and designed some fabulous social media/promo graphics for Straight from the Hart. And Rik Hall at Wild Seas Formatting is simply the best. He’s so accommodating and can always be depended on for a quick turnaround. He is an absolute pleasure to work with!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O’Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play she penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and tried to direct the production.)
Tracie’s dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a “real” job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. She is the proud winner of the Independent Press Award (Romantic Comedy) and a Bronze Medal in the Readers’ Favorite Awards (Chick Lit).
Straight from the Hart is Tracie’s seventh novel and a full circle moment for her as the story took her back to Hollywood, which was the setting of her very first book.
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