My Forever Plus-One
Page 12
She smiled. “So this was just about being efficient.”
“This was about letting everyone know that in addition to you being my best friend, we’re now a couple. No doubt. No confusion. No question.”
Something about the surety with which he spoke caused her heart rate to spike. She hadn’t known how much she needed that reassurance. She liked being in their own little bubble, but it had been a couple of weeks, and she hadn’t told anyone. It was like by not saying something she was hiding their relationship. But deep down, she had a pang of uncertainty, fear that he would back away.
“Okay,” she said quietly. Picking her phone back up, she found the picture and reposted it. If Owen could take the leap and let the world know about them, so could she.
While she tapped away on her phone, Owen trailed his hand from her knee up her thigh, just shy of sliding up her dress. He leaned to her ear and said, “Think they’d notice if we left?”
“You’re the best man. It’s a small wedding. Everyone will notice.”
Her phone vibrated on the table. She picked it up with the intention of putting it back in her purse, but it was Donald. As far as she knew, he wasn’t a friend on social media. At least not on her personal profile.
Owen glanced down at the screen and groaned as he sat back. “That dude is the biggest cockblock I’ve ever met.”
Evelyn slid her hand up his thigh and squeezed. She brushed her lips against his ear. “No one is going to block me. While I take this call, why don’t you figure out a way to get us out of here without ticking people off?”
His breath hitched, and he pressed his hand on top of hers. If she didn’t move soon, things were going to get indecent. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and pulled away. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She walked out of the small banquet room to find somewhere quiet to talk. As she dialed Donald’s number, she sat at a plush bench in a side hall. “Hello, Donald.”
“Is it true?”
“I’ll need a little more than that to go on. Is what true?”
“You quit Trent Talks?”
“Not exactly. Harry refused the version of the school shooting episode I prepared. He told me to redo it or I’d be fired. I refused.”
“Evie, why would you do that? Trent is on the rise. He’s going places.”
“I don’t need to follow Trent. I’m good at what I do.”
“I wasn’t implying you’re not. But people talk. If they think you’re difficult to work with, they won’t hire you.”
“I’m difficult for standing my ground against something that’s wrong? If you did this, they’d cheer you on for being so ethical.”
“I don’t make the rules, Evie.”
The nickname made her cringe in a way it never had before. “I’m at a wedding right now, so if that’s all…”
“I saw the picture of you and Owen. I had a feeling that was going to happen sooner or later.”
“You did?”
“He’s been a stabilizing force in your life. Something lights up in you when you talk about him. Does he make you happy?”
“Yes,” she said freely.
“Then I’m happy for you. The other reason I called was because I want you to send me your pitch.”
“What pitch?”
“The new talk show. Did you think I forgot? I’m considering moving back to Chicago. I have a line on some prospects. You know that city better than most.”
She was torn. Donald always had connections. He’d gotten her a head start in this business, but she’d been doing well on her own for a long time now. She took a minute and then agreed. It would be silly to cut off a possible opportunity simply because it came from her ex.
“Talk to you later.”
For a minute after disconnecting, she sat in silence. A shadow near her caught her attention. Owen had come to find her.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Donald heard I’d quit.”
“Why would he care?”
She stood and tucked her phone in her purse. “I told you before, we’re friends. But he also asked me to send him the pitch for my new show.”
“Why?”
“He’s thinking about moving back to Chicago.”
He narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
“I’m really glad I’m not a mind reader, because your head is probably a scary place right now.”
“I don’t like him.”
“I know, but he’s always helped with my career. While I haven’t needed to ask him for any favors recently, he’s been there. I don’t want to turn to him now, but I have to find someone willing to take a chance on me.”
“You’ll find someone else. You have that networking thing next week, right?”
“Yep. You’ll be my plus-one?”
“Of course. Now let’s get out of here before anyone notices.”
Chapter Seven
After the weekend of festivities, Owen and Evelyn flew back home late Sunday night. He had to be on shift Monday morning, so Evelyn said she’d get Probie from the kennel. She’d skipped coffee with the New Beginnings crew because she was exhausted. Nina and Tess sent a couple texts teasing her for avoiding them, but she promised details soon.
Her morning at the studio had been pretty much what she’d expected. Harry already had her resignation papers drawn up. She signed and left. She’d thought it would be more stressful, but she felt eerily fine. The next two days she spent talking with Marilyn about the show and developing a list of ideas.
The more she had prepared, the more attractive the show would be. Evelyn hesitated sending the pitch to Donald. If she worked with him, it might make Owen a little crazy; he really hated her ex. Although Donald hadn’t been a very good husband, he’d always been an excellent producer. He created magic with every idea he gave the green light to. It didn’t mean she necessarily wanted to work with him. Part of her worried about him taking control of everything. And this was her baby, not his. Donald would never be like Owen. He couldn’t step back and let her do her thing.
She’d been spending every night at Owen’s house, but tonight, she was at her place to get ready for the networking event. Owen said he’d pick her up as soon as he got off his overtime shift, assuming, of course, no calls came in. He’d been grabbing a few extra shifts when asked. Normally it didn’t bother her. Tonight she prayed for a quiet evening. She really wanted him at her side.
At eight thirty, he was calling from the door to let her know he was there. She slid into her pumps and walked into the living room.
“Wow,” he said.
“I’m sure you’ve seen me wear this before,” she said, looking down at her outfit. It was her favorite little black dress.
“Probably. But I could never do this before.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He wrapped one hand around her nape, and the other cupped her ass, bringing her flush against him.
When he broke the kiss, she realized that she had a tight grip on the lapel of his jacket. She smoothed it out. “I think wow is an understatement.”
“You saw me in this suit for Tess’s engagement.”
“I was talking about the kiss.”
“I can do better than that.”
“I bet you can, but we have to go. We’ll be fashionably late enough that all the people I want to talk to should be there and well-lubricated with alcohol, but not so drunk they don’t remember our conversation.”
He shook his head. “Always scheming.”
“Not scheming. Finessing.”
His face said he wasn’t buying any of it, but he wasn’t part of this industry. In his world, he took people as he saw them. People in TV had their own special dance of schmoozing. You never knew when you’d need a favor from someone, so there was always a fine veneer on every interaction. It was nowhere near as black-and-white as Owen would like it to be.
“So how does this work?” he asked as they parked near the hotel where the event was taking place.
“Which means what for me?”
“Stand there and look sexy.”
He bent his elbow for her to take. “I think I can handle that.”
Wrapping her arm around his, she patted him. “I don’t need you to do anything but be here for me. Moral support.”
“I can definitely accommodate you.”
All of the ideas racing through her mind settled as he looked into her eyes. A stabilizing force. That’s what Donald had called him. In that moment, she understood what he’d meant.
“You got this.” He gave her a crooked smile. “And I’ll beat up anyone who gives you a hard time.”
She laughed, because she knew he was mostly joking.
…
Owen was completely out of his element. He’d been to work events with Evelyn before, but not like this. She’d told him it was a networking event, but he didn’t really get what she meant. Now, being in the middle of it, he still didn’t quite get it. People huddled together talking, then they split off and wandered to another group.
There were a few guys that he pegged as big-name people even though he didn’t know them, simply because so many people flocked to be around them. Evelyn didn’t.
“If that’s the guy with all the money, why not pitch to him?” he asked as she surveyed the room.
“Because everyone is rattling off pitches to them. I’ll be lost in a sea of mediocrity. They have so many things crossing their desks, it’s hard to stand out.”
“Sounds like you’re afraid. If your idea is as good as you say it is, go big.”
She smiled. “I can send a pitch to them whenever. I don’t think face time makes a difference with them. They expect a whole lot of fawning that I’m not thrilled with. I don’t want to kiss their asses when I know there’s less than a five percent chance of them actually paying attention to me.”
He listened and then looked closely at the interactions in those pools of people. Evelyn approached this with a precision he hadn’t expected. “What’s your plan?”
“I want to get face time with the midrange guys. Not someone small potatoes, but not a giant either. Those guys are still willing to take chances, and they have the money and backing to follow through.”
“Lead the way.”
He followed her through the room as she assessed where everyone was and created a plan for interacting with each of the people on her list of targets. In the first group they attached to, Evelyn practically elbowed her way in. “Kyle!” she said with fake cheer. “How have you been?”
“Good. Congratulations on the Women in Media award. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there that night.”
“Thanks. I got your email. That was thoughtful.”
Their conversation had others backing off, and Owen wanted to follow, but he’d promised her that he’d be there for support. She reached behind her for his hand and introduced him. “Kyle, this is my significant other, Owen.”
Owen swallowed the snort. Significant other. I guess these people are too good to simply be called a boyfriend. He reached past Evelyn. “Nice to meet you.”
Kyle shook his hand. “What show do you work on?”
“I don’t.”
“Owen’s not in the business. He’s a firefighter.”
“Wow. Really?” Kyle’s eyes went wide. “I love watching Chicago Fire.”
Owen clenched his jaw and gave a quick nod. He’d only watched the show once because Evelyn had made him. Then she’d gotten irritated when he’d corrected anything they got wrong.
“How’s Trent Talks these days?” Kyle asked, turning his attention back to Evelyn.
“Good,” she said, “but I’m leaving. I’m ready to move on to something different. I thought maybe we could talk about some ideas I have.”
She was smooth. Owen would give her that. While she launched into her pitch, he took her empty glass to let her know he’d get a refill so she could keep talking. While he waited to get the bartender’s attention, a few people near him were talking about movies.
He listened, thinking maybe it was a conversation he could enjoy. Unfortunately, within a minute he realized that these people turned even a simple conversation about movies into a discussion of everything technical. One was discussing the camera angles used in a particular shot and how much more impact the opposite angle would have given the moment. Another chimed in that the angle was perfect because it showed just enough of the two leads to enthrall the audience, but the score had been off. They should’ve had a slower piece of music. No one wanted to see the characters have speed sex. Owen turned his laugh into a cough, which wasn’t totally convincing, but caught the attention of the bartender.
He placed his order, and after grabbing his beer and Evelyn’s champagne, he turned to find her. Kyle was talking to someone else now, so he scanned the room. He saw her in a dimly lit corner, standing too close to some other guy.
As he neared with the drinks, he couldn’t hear their conversation. They spoke more quietly than those around them, making Evelyn lean closer. Then she did one of those over-the-top giggles, patting the man’s chest. The caveman in Owen reared up. He did not like seeing her touch some other guy.
He held the glass out to Evelyn, which she accepted with a smile. She didn’t stop the conversation to introduce him, however. She continued to laugh at whatever grandiose story the guy was telling. Owen listened for a minute and gathered it had something to do with a bungee jump gone wrong.
Everything Evelyn was doing was phony, but the man across from her obviously couldn’t tell. After pretending to catch her breath from her bout of laughter, she reached out and touched the guy’s arm. “Thank you for sharing that story, Adam. I’m going to chat with some other people. Definitely give me a call if you want to know more about my pitch.”
“It was great catching up. I’ll give you a call next week. Maybe we can have lunch and brainstorm some possibilities.”
“Sounds good,” she answered cheerfully. That part was sincere.
As she took Owen’s arm, she leaned over and said, “Thank God you showed up with my drink. Adam is like a one-trick pony. He only tells the one story about his adventurous life.”
“So why bother?”
She sipped her champagne. “Because he’s a guy who gets things done.”
Owen grunted.
“What?”
“I don’t see any male producers flirting to get face time with someone.”
She pulled them to a stop. “First, you have no idea who here is pitching and who isn’t. Second, I’m not flirting. Any idiot can see I’m here with you. But I do have to be friendly. Otherwise, I’m branded a bitch. Unfair? Of course. But it’s the nature of the business. Changes are happening, but not nearly fast enough.”
He bit down on his immediate response. He didn’t like any of it—not that she flirted and someone might take it as an offer, not that because she was a woman she was expected to play nice instead of just going after what she wanted, not that he had no way of helping. Swallowing down his jealousy and anger, he said, “Who’s next?”
“I think Peter Garvey is a good prospect.” She pointed across the room, near the bar where Owen had just been standing. “He heads the studio, but his wife pushes projects on him.” She glanced around. “I wonder if Tricia is here.”
For the rest of the night, Owen spent his time following in Evelyn’s wake, grinding his teeth because she barely spoke to him, other than to make brief introductions.
When the night was finally winding down, he offered to get the car so she could say her goodbyes and meet him outside. He needed fresh air and distance from people. He let the cool breeze from the lake coast over him.
He paid for parking and drove around the block to come to the front of the building. He pulled in alongside a row of cabs to wait for Evelyn. He’d give her a few minutes and then text if she did
n’t come out. Going back in was out of the question. Even if he could stomach another round of TV people, he didn’t want to risk the ticket for parking in a loading zone.
He trained his eyes on the entrance. Evelyn pushed through the door, but she wasn’t alone. Adam escorted her out. Then he leaned over and kissed her. A quick brush of his lips against her cheek, but Owen saw red. He honked the horn to get her attention and then gripped the steering wheel.
A moment later, Evelyn climbed in, Adam still at her back holding the door open. Damn, he should’ve gotten out of the car to open the door for her.
As she buckled up, Adam bent and looked at Owen. “It was great to meet you. Take care of our girl here.”
“Will do.” He couldn’t force a smile or any other words.
The man closed the door, and Owen tore out of the spot and toward the highway.
“Whew,” she said as she kicked off her shoes and leaned back in her seat.
He didn’t respond.
She sat up again. “Something wrong?”
“No.” The word came out sharply.
“Yeah, that’s believable.”
He looked at her from the corner of his eye while he turned on the on-ramp. “I hated tonight.”
“I know it’s not your usual way of spending a night out, but it was important to me.”
“That’s the only reason my fist didn’t run into Adam’s face.”
“What?”
“It’s bad enough that you flirted with so many of those asshats. But it shouldn’t be okay for them to touch you.”
“You mean that kiss on the cheek as we were leaving? There was nothing inappropriate about that. I’ve known Adam a long time, and while we’re not close, we’re friendly.”
“How friendly?”
“Go to hell. Do you think I’d bring you to an event to introduce you to past lovers?”
“I’m just wondering what happens at the parties I’m not at if there’s that much going on right in front of me.”
“Unbelievable,” she muttered.