Chapter Ten #2
“I like this one,” Jenny said to me with a smile. Alex frowned.
“I’m sat right here.”
“Apologies,” Jenny said, turning her amused smile on him.
“And yes, that’s about the shape of it. I’m aware that it’s not the most ideal situation, but our options are limited.
I can mitigate some of the potential industry blowback on Llewelyn just because it has my name attached to it, but not everything.
Having people be afraid of you can be useful at times. ”
Alex chuckled. “Yeah, it can be.”
“Henry said you were very likely to say no,” Jenny continued.
“I know. I was thinking about it.”
“Would it help if we offered you money?”
“No,” he said firmly. “No offence but you can fuck off with that nonsense. I don’t want to be paid.” He paused for a second. “But I wouldn’t say no to a donation to charity—one of my choice. Something like Stonewall or another smaller LGBTQ charity here in the UK.”
I made a strangled sound and both of them looked at me.
“Got something to add?” Alex asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Nothing at all.”
“Does that mean you’re considering it then?” Jenny asked.
“I am.”
I made another strangled noise and dug my fingers into my thigh. What the hell was going on? It felt like I’d suddenly been swept off to Oz, only without the ruby slippers and cute dog in a basket.
“Can I ask why?” Jenny asked, sitting back in her chair. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just curious. Since you turned down the money and Henry implied you’re not the relationship type.”
Alex thought for a second and I saw his eyes roaming around the room.
“I don’t like bullies and I don’t think anyone should get a say on what Henry does or doesn’t do with his career based on his personal life.
But it’s more than that… Henry’s name is worth something, so is yours and half the cast involved in this production.
Do you know how good it could be for Heather Bay if it airs?
We get a good tourist crowd in the summer anyway but everything helps.
Small businesses like mine depend on tourists throughout the summer to tide us over through the quieter months, and anything that gets boots on the ground is good. ”
Alex’s words smacked me in the chest and I drew in a silent breath. I hadn’t even considered that when I’d asked him.
I’d known, to a degree, that small tourist towns relied on visitors to keep their economy running, but I’d never considered how good a blockbuster TV series with a worldwide release could be for a place like Heather Bay.
Even if people just came to see Hareford House, there was a good chance they’d head into town and visit shops, restaurants, bars, and whatever else they could find.
They might even make a holiday of it and stay for a few days.
Every influx of visitors put money into the town, created jobs, and gave people a stable source of income.
And while Alex said they already got a good tourist crowd, even I knew how big a draw this series would be, especially with me attached.
I was smart enough to know that my name carried a lot of weight and I could do a lot of good, and a lot of damage, in the blink of an eye.
It was a responsibility I took seriously because I knew how much power my words held.
One flippant comment from me could easily draw the ire of my fans, and I wasn’t going to be responsible for damaging someone’s livelihood because I didn’t like their coffee, or something equally trivial.
Jenny nodded. “I can understand that. Henry is quite a draw.”
“I suppose,” Alex said and shot me a teasing smile that made my face flame. “And he does a good impression of a kicked puppy when he wants something.”
“I do not!” I said and Jenny laughed. Alex raised an eyebrow as if I’d proved his point.
“You pout too.”
“I… you know, I thought you were nice,” I said.
“Where the fuck did you get that impression?” Alex asked, his playful expression spreading and making his eyes sparkle.
I licked my lips and said nothing. Alex smirked and turned back to Jenny.
“Henry said there’d be a contract, and I’d like to see that.
I know there’ll be expectations in terms of social media and stuff, but I don’t want to jet all over the world.
I’m not looking for fame. And I want to keep my business out of it as much as possible because I need to protect my staff.
Henry also mentioned getting a couple of weeks’ initial privacy before it gets fed to the press, and I’d like that to be an option.
There are people in my life I want to tell personally rather than have them see it all over TikTok or Twitter tomorrow morning. ”
“I can’t guarantee you more than a few weeks, but I can try.
It would be good for you to spend some time together so everything looks natural instead of forced,” Jenny said, giving us both a gentle smile.
“Although from what I’ve seen so far this morning, I don’t think there’ll be any concerns about that. ”
I spluttered, looking between Jenny and Alex as my heart began to race. I didn’t want Alex to take offence but he just laughed. “Good, I’m a pretty shit actor. I’m assuming I’ll have to do things like attend a premiere? Do they even have those for TV?”
Jenny nodded. “They do. It’ll be in London sometime next spring. I’m sure we can provide you with a suit should you need one.”
“If you want something fancy and that doesn’t come from Tesco, then yeah, I’ll need one.”
“That’s easy enough to sort,” Jenny said. “In terms of press, you won’t need to do anything, but Henry will have to talk about your relationship. We can work with Henry’s agent and a promotional team to make sure the interviews are tasteful and focus more on him than you.”
Alex grimaced. “I’ll survive.”
“Excellent.” Jenny grabbed a notepad and a pen and began making notes as the pair of them negotiated Alex’s contract while I watched.
I couldn’t help feeling like a cow being sold at auction, although it was interesting watching Alex calmly negotiate with one of television’s biggest names.
It was like nothing fazed him—names, titles, power, they were all meaningless to him.
I’d seen it the first time we’d all gone to Novel Tea and it still surprised me.
It only took them half an hour to work out the details and Jenny promised she’d have something for Alex and his representative to look over by the end of the day. I didn’t know if Alex had a lawyer.
I made a mental note to ask him and if he didn’t, I’d recommend mine. I’d offer to cover the costs too since their fees were astronomical. They’d once charged me a hundred quid to send a two-line email.
“Henry,” Alex said, snapping me out of my thoughts about whether he would let me get him a tailored suit.
“Yes?”
“We’re all done.” He stood up and smiled at me, softer this time. “Walk me out?”
“Of course.”
We said goodbye to Jenny and headed back into the maze that was Hareford House. There were so many things that I wanted to say to him, but I didn’t even know where to start. “Thank you,” I said finally. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know,” Alex said. He paused near a large window which looked out over the bay.
I could see the whole town laid out before me, wrapping around the horseshoe-shaped beach where deep teal waves lapped gently against the shore under a clear sky.
It was the first day of bright sunshine we’d had in nearly a week and it made the town look like something out of a fairy tale.
“But this is bigger than me. This production means a lot to Heather Bay, and your career means a lot to you, and I don’t want to fuck up either of those things by being selfish.
It’s not like it’s hard to pretend for a few months. ”
“Will you… what will you tell everyone? Your brother and your friends, I mean.”
“I guess I’ll just tell them we’re dating.” He said it so casually it nearly floored me. “I don’t need them knowing all the details. They’d all have their own opinions anyway and I can’t be dealing with that.”
“O-okay. Yeah, that works,” I said. “Obviously, I won’t make a big announcement.
In fact, I’ll probably just let someone else handle it.
But I’ll let you know when they’re going to start leaking the details and posting things—they usually do some sort of breakdown with dates and stuff.
It’s all very professional. But you might want to set all your social media to private as soon as possible, just in case, and make sure you filter all of Novel Tea’s too. ”
Alex nodded. “I’ll do that when I get back.”
“What… what are you doing later?” I asked, suddenly flooded with nerves. The way he’d just taken all of this in his stride awed me—I’d never met anyone like him.
“Not much, why?”
“Would you like to go out for dinner? I know this is just fake but, er, well, it might help if we get to know each other a little. But obviously, if you’re not interested, I understand.”
Alex turned to look at me and it felt like he was gazing into my very soul. “Sure. Where do you want to go?”
“I have no idea! Where’s good around here?”
He chuckled softly and muttered something I couldn’t catch. Then he said, “Do you like curry? There’s a good little Nepalese place in town we could go to.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said. “Do you want me to meet you somewhere?”
“Give me your phone.”
Stunned, I handed it over. Alex tapped the screen several times and then handed it back. “There, I’ve added my number and sent myself a WhatsApp so I’ve got you. When do you finish today?”
“About six, I think.”
“You can pick me up at seven then,” he said. “I’ll send you my address.”
And then he walked down the corridor leaving me staring in disbelief and confusion at the spot he’d just been standing on.