Six months later
I sip my coffee and curl my legs under me as I stare out the window of Luna’s office. I’m early as usual, but her secretary, Brenna, let me in. I noticed she had my new release folded open on her desk as she unlocked Luna’s door. I asked her if she’d finished and her eyes bulged.
“Not yet. I’m taking my time and savoring every syllable. I’m such a huge fan,” she said. “Is that weird that I said that? I know I see you all the time.”
“Not at all,” I replied with a soft grin.
I made myself comfortable in the window seat and am currently watching people scatter around on the street below while I wait for Luna to arrive. I love San Francisco. I love everything about it from the people to the hills. I especially love Luna’s view of the ocean from this window. Every once in a while I stand and walk past the open door to see Brenna reading. Her reactions are food for my soul. One second she smiles, then she frowns. The next minute her hand is over her mouth, then she’s fanning herself. I can’t help but feel proud.
I think back to sitting in the Florida airport six months ago. It was about 7:00 a.m. by the time I made it through security and to my gate. There was a small part of me that was worried Fisher would follow me and an even bigger part of me that was sad he didn’t. After a few minutes of sulking, I started thinking about him knocking me over on the beach. It made me laugh. It was a great story. I wanted to remember every second of our time together, so I opened my laptop and started typing what I remembered. My fingers flew across the keys effortlessly. There was so much I wanted to say. Then it hit me. This story needed an ending and I was going to create it. That’s when the words really began to flow.
“Hey. Am I late or are you early?” Luna asks as she saunters into her office and pulls the scarf from around her neck.
“What do you think?” I reply as I take another sip of my coffee.
She drops her messenger bag by the side of her desk and walks over to me. She seizes the cup from my hands and takes a long drink. I smile up at her and run my fingers through my now long black hair, pulling at a small tangle.
“Oh, that’s better.” She sighs as she hands the cup back to me.
“Long night?”
She rolls her eyes. “Um, yeah! I couldn’t sleep. I’m too excited. You look rested. How is that even possible? Why am I more nervous than you are?”
I take another sip. “Maybe because you’ll make more money off of it than I will?”
“Ha! You’re a riot.” Luna plops down in her chair and shuffles some papers on her desk. I rotate the cup in my hands and watch her gaze at the clock on the wall. A slow smile spreads across my lips when she lifts the phone to her ear to check if there’s a dial tone. She huffs as she carefully places it down and jiggles it to make sure it’s in place.
“You’re getting your hopes up for nothing,” I tell her. “You and I both know that movie deals rarely work out. It’s probably some small wannabe producer who’s going to need a GoFundMe account just to buy a camera.”
“Stop!” she says, spinning in her chair and holding out her finger to scold me. “Law of Attraction, remember? In the four months since Book Boyfriend released, you’ve had over thirty-six thousand reviews. You’ve been on the best seller list for months and we’re starting to get interview requests. This is going to blow up just like I told you it would after I read the first chapter.”
Her lips twist into a smug grin as she spins in circles in her chair. I shrug my shoulders like I don’t care and gaze back out the window. I know it’ll drive her nuts. I’m right.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Did you just shrug your shoulders?”
I laugh. “I’m just joking. You know I’m freaking out on the inside. This book has done more for my career than I ever imagined. Who knew so many people fantasized about a Penn Fitzgerald of their own?”
Luna twirls around in her chair slowly this time. “Ahh, Penn . . . I want a Penn. He’s seriously the perfect man and obviously, by your phenomenal sales, everyone thinks so too. Who doesn’t dream of meeting a sexy stranger on the beach, never exchanging names, and then having him read your book and track you down, wooing the shit out of you?”
I shrug again.
“Oh and having him be a billionaire playboy didn’t hurt either.”
There’s a knock on the door. Brenna is leaning on the frame. “Please tell me Penn is real! Please!”
I wrinkle my nose. She’s almost sobbing. “Sorry. He doesn’t exist.”
Brenna moans in pain and returns to her desk in the hall.
Luna stares at me, her eyes narrowing.
“What?” I ask, placing my coffee mug on the bench next to me.
“You and I both know he sort of does.”
I shake my head. “Nope! Don’t go there. We agreed that we would never, ever discuss this.”
“I wish you’d just tell me his name again. I know his first name was Fisher. But Fisher what?”
“I honestly don’t remember.”
“You’re a horrible liar. And can I just say that you’re the only woman in the history of women who got fondled by the perfect man and then didn’t even bother to Google him.”
“My imagination is always better than reality. Why do you think so many women cling to their books? It’s because we want a man like Penn to exist and to want us. I’d rather have my fabulous fiction over a disappointing reality any day.”
Luna scratches her head and sighs. “You’re seriously impossible.”
Her direct line rings and we both stop and strain to listen as Brenna answers.
Brenna screams from the hall. “It’s them!”
“Be calm. Act professional. Don’t seem too eager. Pretend we get movie offers all the time. Don’t jump on anything. Don’t act interested. Or excited. Or bored. Or—”
“Luna?” I begin. “Stop talking to yourself and answer the phone.”
She clears her throat, placing the call on the dreaded speakerphone she hates. “Luna Lord.”
“Good morning, Luna. This is Fabian. Is this a good time?”
“Oh hi, Fabian. Sure. What can I do for you?”
“So we had a conference call this morning. Are you sitting down? Summit is prepared to negotiate.”
My mouth drops, and I slowly slide to the floor.
“Summit? Like ‘Twilight’ Summit?” Luna asks calmly.
“That’s the one. Do you think Macy will take a meeting to work out the details?”
“Um . . .” Luna gazes at me on the floor. Her expression tells me I must look like I’m about to pass out. It’s exactly how I feel.
“I think we could definitely arrange something.”
“They’re prepared to let her review the script and help with casting. At least, that’s usually what authors have requested in the past.”
Luna lifts her eyebrows and motions to me for some visible sign that I’m alive. I hold my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.
“Sounds great. Send me some dates and a location and I’ll make sure she’s there.”
“We look forward to working with you, Luna. Congratulations. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“Thanks, Fabian. Talk to you soon.”
Luna ends the call and her head quickly pivots to regard me. She screams as she rushes over to me and pulls me to my feet.
“Oh my God, Luna! Is this real?”
“You bet your tight ass it is!”
We both jump up and down and squeal like school girls as we embrace. Brenna rushes into the room with a nervous expression and sees that we’re both crying. As her eyes scan ours, she starts to cry right along with us. We find ourselves in a three-way hug.
Brenna sniffs out, “Are we happy or sad?”
“Summit!” I shout.
“You mean we’re had. Like the sum of happy and sad?”
Luna grabs her cheek and kisses it. “You know what, Brenna? I’m not even upset that you don’t know what we’re talking about right now. I’m too freaking happy!”
“Ooh, we’re happy! Yay!”
I can’t help but laugh as Brenna claps excitedly and Luna stumbles over to her desk. “Brenna, get your purse! We’re going out to dinner!”
“It’s only nine thirty,” I remind her. She stares at me blankly. “In the morning.”
“Oh, right. Then breakfast! But wait.” She pauses, pressing her finger to her lips. “This doesn’t leave this office. Understood?” She points back and forth between us and we both nod. We know serious Luna when we see her.
“We will not jeopardize any of this by speaking out of turn. This is hush hush until the ink is dry!”
Luna’s right. The reality of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks. I can’t believe I let myself hope for something, even for a few seconds. That’s not me. Nothing has been decided for sure. This could all fall apart. I slide back into my window seat. Every time I get my hopes up, I get disappointed. I refuse to believe. Not yet. Not ever.