Chapter 27
PIPER
Colin: Please can we talk for five minutes? I’d rather do this on a voice call
My backside hits the bed as I stare at my phone screen.
What does he want? Surely he isn’t going to tell me I don’t have a job come January? Right before Christmas?
The scent of morning coffee filters along the landing from the kitchen downstairs. Brody went down ahead of me this morning to make cookies with Mom while I had a leisurely shower.
Get it over with.
I call Colin before I can talk myself out of it and he answers immediately.
“Piper! Hey, thanks for calling me back. How are you?”
Amazing, thank you for asking. I’m moving in with my hot new boyfriend, and I have thousands of new followers on my socials. You know, for the pictures I draw that you look down on? Oh, and I’ve built a website over the last few days and already have two commissions. So, I’m doing great!
Of course, I can’t say any of that as he’s the son of my new boss, so I settle for, “Fine. How are you?”
“Er … not so good. I miss you.”
How does he expect me to reply to that?
“Oh.”
“Lacey and I broke up. And she’s not working for us anymore. We should never have been together in the first place. She was a mistake.”
I cringe, immediately feeling sorry for the young woman who helped break up my relationship with Colin.
“And with Christmas coming up, it reminds me that I was going to come back to Hideaway Harbor with you. Meet your folks.”
Oh my fucking god. He’s not outside the house is he?
“I’ve got a new boyfriend,” I say quickly.
“You have?”
“Don’t sound so surprised!”
“No, I’m not. Sorry, that came out wrong. I’m uh … glad you’re happy.”
“Thank you.”
“Is it serious?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s probably for the best.”
“Why?”
“Well, we’ll be working together for hopefully a long time.
I wanted to call to let you know that next year your job’s secure.
I’m taking a management position after we merge companies and we want to offer you the position of head of graphic design, overseeing and training two graduates to work under you. ”
Oh my god.
“And the new role comes with a twenty percent pay rise.”
“Wow. That’s … amazing.”
“We want you to be an integral part of the leadership team with full autonomy.”
Colin’s offering me everything I’ve ever dreamed of at Parker and Overton, and then some.
“And I promise I’ll be professional. But if you ever break up with your new guy, please consider giving me a second chance.”
I make a non-committal sound in response because I don’t want to be rude when he’s offering me such an amazing opportunity.
“So, uh … Merry Christmas, Piper.”
“You too.”
“What are you up to today?”
“It’s the town dance and we’re spending the day decorating the room, so I’d better go. Mom’s calling me.”
“Okay, no problem. I’ve gotta go too and shovel snow with Dad. So … see you in the New Year?”
“Yep. See you then.”
I ring off and leap to my feet, running out of the room.
I need to speak to Brody.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
My heart jumps into my throat as I’m halfway down the stairs. The urgency of the knock makes me panic that something awful has happened.
Mom reaches the front door at the same time I do, and I stand back so she can open it.
Marv barges in. His eyes are manic, the broken capillaries livid in his cheeks as he struggles to breathe. It looks like he sprinted all the way from the Hideaway Hotel.
“Where’s Brody?” he pants.
“In the kitchen, honey. What’s happened?”
He staggers further into the house. “Brody! Brody!”
Mom guides him through to where Brody is wiping his hands on a dish towel.
“What’s going on?”
Marv spreads his arms wide like he’s announcing the arrival of the Second Coming.
“Bro! You’re not gonna fu—believe it!”
“Take a seat,” Mom says, guiding him to a stool at the end of the breakfast bar. “You can’t tell us anything if you have an aneurysm.”
My hand reaches for Brody’s. I have no idea what Marv’s going to say, but I suddenly fear his words are going to destroy my blissful happiness.
Brody gives my hand a reassuring squeeze as Mom bustles around Marv, getting him coffee and a cookie.
My tablet sits open on the breakfast bar, Brooklyn rentals on the screen, smudged with floury fingerprints. I power it down. It feels like bad juju to leave it open when I don’t know what bomb Marv’s about to drop.
His hands tremble as he pats his sweating forehead with a handkerchief.
Mom rubs his back. “Take all the time you need. We’re not going anywhere for an hour or so.”
Marv nods, then tries to speak, but it comes out as a high-pitched laugh.
“You okay?” Brody asks.
“Yeah, just—” Marv shakes his head and holds out his quivering hands. “Look at me.”
Mom takes the mug of coffee away from him. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Let me get you a chamomile tea.”
Marv glances at Brody, then away as if he’s trying not to cry. “I’m just so happy for you, man. No one deserves this more than you.”
My pulse quickens. Something tells me Marv isn’t talking about our relationship.
Brody’s thumb on the back of my hand stops moving.
“Deserve what?” he asks warily.
“The showrunners got in touch. They …”
“They’ve changed their minds?” I ask, my heart thudding in my chest.
Marv’s gaze turns to me, and something flickers in his eyes, a glitch in his fervor.
He mops his forehead again, staring at the handkerchief, then takes a deep breath and locks eyes with Brody.
“They want you to play the Emberking of Draventhorne. They’ve offered you the lead role.”
There’s a high-pitched ringing in my ears as chills race across my skin. This is incredible. And it also makes me want to crawl under a comforter and cry.
“What do you mean?” Brody asks, like he thinks it’s some kind of trick. “That’s for an A-lister.”
“I know, but fans are losing their shit—apologies, Erica—over Piper’s pictures, and now the showrunners want you.”
“But … the Emberking is in every book,” Brody continues, his words echoing my thoughts. “The studio’s already confirmed three seasons, so that’s three years of work.”
In New Zealand …
“I know! And you should see how much they’re gonna pay you. I’m losing my freaking mind right now!”
Brody turns to me. There’s a question in his eyes, but also excitement. I know how much he wanted the part of the warlock, but to be offered this instead? It’s more than he could ever have imagined.
“What do you—”
“Take it, you have to.”
“But—”
“Opportunities like this come along maybe once in a lifetime. You’ve got to do it.”
“Wha—”
“We’ll make it work!” I say brightly, even though my heart is calcifying as I speak. “That’s what technology is here for. And I’ve got two vacation days I’m carrying over from this year into next.”
Two extra days to add to my measly ten-day annual allowance. It’ll take me twenty-five hours just to get from New York to New Zealand. I know this because I checked.
“We should talk about this,” Brody continues.
“We are.”
His gaze moves to Mom and Marv, then back to me. “Maybe we should go for a walk.”
“No need, honestly,” I say with as much positivity as I can muster. “You’ve got to say yes.”
Brody stands and takes my hand. “Come on.”
I begin to protest, but he gives me a look and leads me into the family room.
“Do not even think of turning this job down,” I say as he shuts the door behind us.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s like the best thing ever! It’s more than you could have dreamed of!”
“You’re more than I could have dreamed of.”
“And I’m not going anywhere. We can make this work. I promise. And anyway, I’ve got my own news about work.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been offered a permanent position at Parker and Overton. I’ll be line managing and training two graduates, so I get my own team! Full autonomy in the role, and a twenty percent pay rise!”
“When did this happen?”
“Five minutes ago. Colin called me to let me know. I was on my way to tell you when Marv burst in.”
“Colin?”
“Yes.”
“Your ex, Colin?”
“U-huh, and I told him about you and that I’m not getting back together with him.”
“He wants that? To get back with you?”
“I told him it’s not going to happen.”
I can’t read Brody’s expression, but he doesn’t look happy.
“I trust Colin on that. He’s not going to make trouble.” I try to reassure Brody, reaching for his hand, but he withdraws and rubs his jaw.
“I—” he exhales. “I want us to be together.”
“We will be. We’ve waited this long, haven’t we?”
His eyes meet mine. He looks as pleased as I am about the prospect of another three years apart.
The silence is broken by another heavy sigh. “Look. I need to put this out there, even if it’s not the right thing for you. The money I’ll get for playing the Emberking will be way more than I could ever need …”
Brody’s expression is intent, like he wants me to read the meaning behind his words. “I’ve got enough to support both of us and then some.”
I swallow. He wants me to quit my job and go with him, but I can’t. It’s not really about the money. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am. And if I go to New Zealand, what will I do? Wait around in Brody’s trailer for him to finish filming each day?
“I know it’s not fair asking you to follow me,” he continues. “But the offer’s there.”
“And I appreciate it. I really do.” I take his hands, and this time he doesn’t pull back. “But I can’t just sit over there twiddling my thumbs when I’ve been given this opportunity to advance my career. This is important to me.”
He nods. “I know. And that’s why I want us to talk about whether I’ll accept the part or not.”
I take a step back. “You can’t be serious. You’ve got to take it!”
“Why?”
“Because—Jesus Christ, Brody!”
Frustration pricks the inside of my skin like thousands of tiny knives. I’ll never live with myself if he doesn’t take it.
“You cannot turn it down because of me. No way!”
I start pacing but the room feels too small to contain my angry energy. “Have you read the books?”
“Yes, but—”