by Scott Carter
A vein that runs up the side of Martin’s nose and between his eyebrows bulges as his face reddens.
“By the way,” Barrett says, tapping him on the arm. “I’m calling your publisher tomorrow. I have an idea for a mainstream fiction book she’s going to love.”
Martin’s eyes look like they might pop from their sockets.
With an eyebrow raise in farewell, Barrett exits the room, and Sidney waits in the hall.
“I’ve got a limo waiting out back,” Sidney says.
“I sent a present to your office.”
“Something better than what you did in there?”
“It’s the first of a new line of children books under my real name.”
“So you’re a changed man?”
“A little bit.”
“Lovely.”
“I need you to find me a new publisher.”
“Real work, huh?”
“Are you going to be okay with this?”
“On two conditions.”
“Anything.”
“I’m upped to twenty percent.”
“Done.”
“And from now on I get to introduce myself as Russell Niles to any woman that doesn’t know better.”
Barrett nods with a grin when his phone buzzes. He looks at it to see a text from Richard. I watched. Thank you. He slips his phone back in his pocket and smiles as they go out a side door and are greeted by a sun that illuminates every grain in all the concrete that surrounds them. He walks ahead and sees that Rebecca is standing in front of the limo. Barrett hustles toward her with excitement and Sidney hangs back.
She steps toward him slowly. “I’ve never been more excited by a man than after listening to your speech.”
“I’m glad you were able to be there.”
“And I’ve never been more disappointed by a man when you accused me of extorting you and completely disrespected me.”
“You have no idea how much I don’t want to be that guy.”
“I’m curious, I’ll give you that.”
“When can I start redeeming myself?”
“Wait for me to call you, and if I do, never have a false moment with me again.”
“Done.”
She smiles and turns away. The vapors of her panache leave him staring until it occurs to him that if her smile was the only smile he ever saw again, he would consider himself blessed.
Thirty-Two
What Barrett wants to tell Carol can’t wait, so he walks into her office and up to her cubicle with a folder in hand to find her with her back to the door and earphones dangling from her ears. She is the only one in the office, and she is completely engrossed in the design on her monitor. He knocks on the cubicle, but she doesn’t respond, so he taps her on the shoulder. Startled, she turns from the screen and double-takes when she sees him. She pulls the earphones from her ears and sets them on the desk.
“Do you have a minute?” Barrett asks.
She nods.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole. You’re my sister, I love you, and I want to spend more time with you.”
“I saw your press conference.”
“How did I look?”
“Good. A little haggard, but good. The spotlight suits you. So you’re a recovered man?”
“I’m quitting smoking.”
“Really?”
“I’m going to try.”
“And drugs?”
“Never again. No trying there.”
“What about drinking?”
“Let’s not be crazy.”
She laughs and Barrett sets the folder in front of her.
“What’s this?” she asks.
“It’s a contract.”
“For what?”
“It’s a job offer. I’ve got to re-brand myself, and I need a good publicist.”
She opens the folder and picks up the contract to see a salary offer of two hundred thousand dollars a year. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re my sister, you opened my eyes, and now we’re here. What do you say?”
“I have no idea what a publicist does.”
Barrett grins. “After what you pulled off with me, I have a feeling you’ll be just fine.”
Richard is next on his list. He sits across from the boy at a picnic table in the schoolyard. Richard eats the burger Barrett brought him and has an enormous drink container in front of him.
“I can’t believe my uncle is Russell Niles.”
“Me neither.” Barrett smiles, lifts a box out of a bag, and sets it on the table. “I brought you something.”
“A present?”
“More like a thank-you. I’m starting a new line of books, and the main character is based on you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I thanked you in the prologue. With any luck, a lot of people will read about how cool you are. Have a look.”
Barrett takes the manuscript from the box and hands it to Richard.
“What do you think?”
Richard looks at the title page for a bit and narrows his eyes into a harsh squint.
“The title sucks.”
Barrett can’t hide his shock. This is not how he imagined the moment, and he’s not sure what to say but he manages, “Really?”
They lock eyes and Richard holds the squint until he can’t contain his mischievous smile any longer. “Gotcha.”
He raps his knuckles on the table and laughs along, but on the inside he’s relieved that Richard is joking. In all his years of writing children’s books, he’s never actually witnessed a kid’s reaction to his words, and while it feels good to see Richard’s response, it feels even better to care.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Matthew Stone for your innovation and for making every phase of this creative journey enjoyable. To Benjamin Gilbert, Mark Adriaans, and Christopher Sandy for your friendship, passion, and creative insights. To the following wonderful people whose creative spirits have influenced this novel: Paul Hamilton, Sean Morong, Steve Dalrymple, Ben Mathai, Shelley Ring, Skye Thietten, Sean Carter, Jen Bush, John and Kate Bush, Matt Bush, Holly Nichols, Elora and Alan Gregg, Matthew Deslippe, Chris, Amy, Evelyn and Hugo Haworth, Mariana, Scott, and Eloise MacIntosh, Debbie, Eddie and Simon Gilbert, Zoe Coop Stone, the TSAA Family, where much of this novel was written, and Albert and Amy at the Combine, where every chapter of this novel was celebrated. To Allister Thompson, for being great at what he does, to Jesse Hooper for designing such a stunning, fitting cover for the novel, and to Sylvia McConnell and the Dundurn team for your support and guidance.
By the same author
Blind Luck
978-1926607009
$18.95
In Scott Carter’s acclaimed debut novel, Dave Bolden’s life feels like it’s on repeat. He works his eight hours at an accounting firm, goes home, gets drunk, and wakes up the next day to go back to work with a hangover. But his life changes when an eighteen-wheeler crashes through the windows of his workplace, killing everyone except him. Shortly after the accident, he is approached by an eccentric businessman, Mr. Thorrin, who interprets Dave’s survival as luck and sets out to exploit what he perceives as a gift. Thorrin wants Dave to participate in gambling, stock manipulation, and extreme betting, all based on this belief. What transpires is a series of extreme tests of luck, orchestrated by Thorrin. The more Dave denies that he is lucky, the more he finds himself in situations that make it appear that he is. As the stakes rise both financially and personally, he is left to decide whether his run of good fortune is a gift or a curse.
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Copyright © Scott Carter, 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes
of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.
Editor: Allister Thompson
Design: Jennifer Scott
Epub Design: Carmen Giraudy
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Carter, Scott, 1975-
Barrett Fuller’s secret [electronic resource] / Scott Carter.
Electronic monograph.
Issued also in print format.
ISBN 978-1-4597-0695-8
I. Title.
PS8605.A7779B37 2013 C813’.6 C2013-900779-2
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and Livres Canada Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.
Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.
J. Kirk Howard, President
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