44. Solutions and More Problems
44
SOLUTIONS AND MORE PROBLEMS
Ford
“One macchiato and one caramel latte,” I told the Loco Mocha barista.
As I waved my card over the reader to pay, my phone rang. It was Max, so I took the call. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” Max said, sounding distracted. “Sorry I couldn’t make it to Dad’s last night to watch the screen test. I got hung up solving a problem with another one of his films and couldn’t get away.”
It was hard to hear him over the hissing of the espresso machine, so I stepped closer to the front door where it was fractionally quieter. “Chris was perfect. Even better than I’d expected. Everyone is completely on board now.”
“Glad to hear it. I called to let you know my friend at W-ZZZ says they can move Doug to Chicago. Is that still what you want to do?”
I searched my memory, then it hit me. “Doug? Mara’s ex?”
“My friend can pull some strings and get him transferred.”
“I haven’t told Mara yet,” I admitted. “I’ll check with her and get back to you.”
“I need an answer by the end of the day.”
The barista called my name.
“I’ll go talk to her now,” I said, grabbing the two cups of coffee in a holder. “Thanks again. I owe you.”
I stepped outside into a gray sky that had once been sunny. Typical Pittsburgh weather. The city was known for its rain, but it did have a silver lining. The constant showers made everything lush and green. In fact, Pittsburgh was ranked third in the country for the most cloudy days, right after Buffalo and Seattle. But today, there was no time to admire the foliage. I had to get back to Mara.
Two minutes later, I pushed open the door to Ghost of a Chance, the bell above it jingling. The wind followed me inside, giving the chimes an extra zazz. Holding the coffee holder in one hand and my phone in the other, I scanned the room for Mara, ready to snap a photo.
She stared intently at her laptop, frowning at whatever was displayed there, but when she glanced up and spotted me, her expression was transformed as she grinned at me. “Hi.”
I took a photo, then stashed my phone in my pocket.
“Hi.” I handed her the coffee and kissed her cheek.
“Thanks. You read my mind.” She took a sip and pushed her glasses up her nose. No contact lenses today. “I just finished submitting a freelance coding gig. Your timing is perfect.”
I looked at her blankly.
“Freelance coding gig?” she asked. “Remember? I occasionally pick up coding jobs. I finished one up and submitted the code on GitHub.”
“GitHub,” I parroted. “Gotcha.” Not really. I peered at her more closely. “Are you doing okay? You looked irritated with your computer when I came in.”
She frowned. “Just a little tired. I stayed up late rereading Ghost and then had to wake up early to get started on this code so I could submit it on time.”
“You look gorgeous, as usual. What made you want to reread Ghost ?”
She yawned and stretched, then closed her laptop. “I realized you were right about Chris Pitt being perfect for the role, and that made me decide to look at your script changes in a different light. You made a really good point regarding the whole thought-bubble thing. Chance used them a lot in his first comic, but rarely in his later ones. I’ve been wondering all day if he decided he didn’t like them either.” She pulled at her lower lip with her thumb and forefinger.
I could tell she was making a difficult decision right now… one that would affect the future of my film. As the moment stretched, I leaned against the counter, focusing only on her.
She finally sighed. “I think your changes are okay. I’ve decided I’m pretty sure Chance would have thought so too.”
I let out a whoop. I wanted to pull her into my arms, but the counter prevented me, so I settled on leaning across it and planting a kiss on those gorgeous lips.
She let out a surprised laugh. “Glad I could make you so happy.”
“You have no idea. I hated being at odds with you.”
“Me too.” She yawned again. Her body relaxed as the tension I’d noticed earlier disappeared. I took that as a sign she was happy with her decision about the script.
“I got a call from Max a few minutes ago,” I said. “He has some pull with W-ZZZ. He says he can arrange to have the network offer Doug a transfer to Chicago. It would be the same job but in a bigger market. If it’s something you’d like to have happen, I’ll tell Max to do his magic.”
She raised her eyebrows in questioning surprise. “Doug would move away?”
“Yep.”
She stilled. “That would mean he wouldn’t be able to show up at my store unannounced. Or pull in favors to twist around news stories about me.”
“Exactly.”
Her eyes bored into me. “Max can pull that off? Seriously?”
“He can arrange for the offer to be made. It’s Doug’s decision whether to take it or not.”
She grinned. “Oh, I can guarantee you he’ll take it. He’s dying to move to a bigger city.”
“Then I can tell Max to go ahead with it?”
“Abso-frigging-lutely!” She beamed, unable to contain her grin.
Me: She’s in. Do it.
Max: On it.
“Done,” I said, smiling at her.
“This day is turning out to be one of my better ones. Is this the good news you texted me about?” she asked.
I smacked myself on the forehead. “After Max texted me about the transfer, I nearly forgot. It’s about Chris Pitt. It’s official. He signed to play Ghost.”
Mara’s eyes widened with delight. “Congratulations. That’s great news. He was perfect in that screen test. I wish Chance had been able to see it. He was never much of a Chris Pitt fan, but I’m certain the screen test would have changed his mind.”
She came out from behind the counter and wrapped me in a hug. She fit against me perfectly, like a missing part.
She tipped her head back and met my gaze. “We should celebrate.”
We were about to kiss when the bells on the door jingled with a rush of wind. Lianna came in. She had to push the door closed behind her against the breeze.
Mara quietly asked, “Is it okay if I tell her about Chris Pitt? I only just told her about the movie.”
“Sure,” I murmured back. “It’s all official now.”
“Hi, Ford. Hi, Mara,” Lianna said. “I hope I’m not interrupting. You two look adorable together.”
Mara darted forward to greet Lianna. “I have the most amazing news,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “Chris Pitt is going to play Ghost in Ford’s movie.”
Lianna’s mouth dropped open. She glanced at me briefly, looking incredulous, and when I nodded, her eyes went wide, and she let out a squeal of excitement. “Oh, my god! That’s huge! Is that why he was here last week?”
I grinned, watching the pair of them hold hands and jump up and down like giddy teenagers. When Mara beckoned me over, she pulled us into a group hug.
“This whole movie thing is the best news I’ve had in months,” Lianna said. “I’m so excited for you.”
“I’ve been dying to talk to you about it, but Ford swore me to secrecy until everything was official,” Mara said. “He was afraid news would leak and ruin the deal.”
My phone chirped with an incoming call. I glanced at my smartwatch and saw it was Dad. “Sorry,” I said, stepping away from Mara and Lianna. “I need to take this.”
I stepped closer to the door before putting the phone to my ear. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?”
“What’s up? What the hell do you think is up? You announced that you signed Chris Pitt, that’s what’s up!” he shouted in my ear. “Do you realize the avalanche of crap you just dumped on me? My phone has been ringing all morning. Why didn’t you bother to warn me so I could do some damage control?”
I winced as my dad’s anger burned my ear. I hadn’t expected this reaction, and it still stung. “Dad, I’m sorry, but we agreed that Chris is perfect for the role. And I don’t think it’s fair to expect me to run every announcement past you. That’s not how this works.”
I glanced up to see Mara and Lianna staring at me as they blatantly eavesdropped.
I pulled the phone away from my ear. “This will take a minute,” I told them.
Mara waved me toward the door. “No problem. Vamoose. Go unruffle your dad’s feathers.”
As I stepped outside, the sun blazed, trying to outshine the gray clouds. “You saw that screen test last night. He was perfect for the role. You knew I was going to sign him.”
“I know, I know.” Dad’s voice was resigned, not happy. “But your announcement surprised me. Our biggest backer is threatening to pull out. I need you on a plane to L.A. as soon as possible to do some damage control.”
My chest tightened. “Damn it. Really?” I glanced at Mara through the store window. This was exactly the sort of thing McCormick had warned me about.
“With luck, it’ll be a short trip for you,” Dad said. “All you have to do is reassure him and his partners that everything will go smoothly and Chris’s screen test with Kim Curry was sensational.”
That stopped me in my tracks. “What are you saying, Dad? How did they find out he took a screen test? That was never supposed to get out.”
“I might have mentioned something,” he mumbled. “You know how things get around in this business.”
“Which is exactly why I asked you not to tell anyone.”
“Well, I did,” Dad snapped. “I didn’t have a choice, or they would have pulled out. Besides, it’s not unusual to want to make sure two actors have chemistry.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. This was not how I preferred to handle confidential information about my films. I needed to act quickly. “Book me a flight. I’ll head home, pack, and be at the airport in an hour. I’ll deal with this.”
“Good, because your flight leaves in two.”
“Text me the flight details.” My phone vibrated with an incoming text.
“Already did. Let me know how the meetings go. I already added them to your calendar.”
Collaborating with Dad did have its perks, like his exceptional organizational skills.
I waved at Mara through the storefront window and gestured that I had to leave. She nodded and waved back.
I’d call her on the way to the airport and explain what was going on. With any luck, the movie deal wouldn’t blow up in my face before I could clear things up with our investors. I couldn’t let everyone down.