19. Jess
Jess
Paige had set up the conference call with MaxFlick, Stella, and Britta to work off the giant flat screen in our hotel room.
Everyone was present and accounted for, except Danny wasn’t paying attention at all.
After going all day without eating, he looked ready to collapse.
Needing nourishment, he found Paige’s secret stash in her hotel fridge and raided it.
So, he sat in front of the TV digging through a pint of Chocolate-Choco Chunk and Peanut Butter ice cream with an expression of utter bliss on his face.
Faye and I were sitting off camera watching the process while Paige monitored a counter someone had put up online. It was set up to show when fans were unsubscribing from MaxFlick, and she was constantly refreshing it.
“Who are the people up there?” I asked in a hushed tone.
Paige’s eyes flitted across the big screen before returning to her laptop.
“The guy in the lower right-hand corner is Reuben, one of the executive producers for the show. The two that are together in the same office are Donna Capaldi, who is the head of development for MaxFlick, and the other guy is Roger Newkirk.”
I blinked in amazement. “The CEO of MaxFlick?”
Paige smirked. “The drop in subscriptions has rattled a lot of people today.”
“Hey Danny-Boy, you think you can take a break from your new diet?” Reuben asked. He tried to make a joke out of it, but the grin on his face stayed stiff and forced.
Danny took a moment to savor his ice cream before he swallowed and responded. “Fuck you, Reuben.”
Stella barked out a laugh and Reuben’s fake grin dropped. Faye, Paige, and I had to cover our mouths so nobody could hear us laughing.
“Okay, Danny, so let’s talk-”
“Wait, hold on, Reuben,” Danny interrupted as he began to dig through the pint of ice cream again. “I have some in house stuff first. Britta? I know it was you. You’re fired.”
Britta blanched a bit on screen. “Daniel, I would never-”
Danny rolled his eyes, not even paying attention to the people on the Zoom call. “Drop it, Britta, there’s no point dragging this out.”
I don’t usually take pleasure in other people’s misfortune, but this woman had caused me a lot of grief, so I truly enjoyed Britta’s scowl.
“You were my worst client anyway,” she snapped at him.
“Good luck keeping the rest after my next press release,” Danny snarked back. He put down his ice cream long enough to boot her from the call.
“Are we good to talk now Danny Boy?” Reuben asked. His forced smile remained, but he had an edge coming into his voice.
“One second,” he said, turning his head toward us. “Hey, Paige? What’s the number at now?”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand.”
All three of the executives gave him a confused expression. Danny smirked. “Oh, if you’re wondering what that number is? That’s the number of Tyrant fans who have unsubscribed from MaxFlick.”
Roger and Donna shared a glance with each other. Donna then pulled out her phone as Roger muted the call on his end and spoke to someone offscreen.
Reuben’s mouth turned into a fixed line of irritation. “So, you’re trying to renegotiate your contract, Danny? Fine. We can throw in some more cash.”
“Well, I won’t lie to you, the money would be great. My niece is about four years away from college, so some extra cash wouldn’t hurt. But you know me, Reuben. I’m not a greedy guy. Plus, we all know you guys are bleeding money with all the people unsubscribing from you.”
Reuben blinked in confusion. “So, it’s not about money?”
Danny took another spoonful, talking around a mouthful of ice cream.
“I don’t know, Reuben. The amount I get per episode as a lead is very generous and even with what I take away, I can still put it towards my niece’s college fund.
What do you think, Stella? You’re getting a cut out of this. I don’t want to screw you over.”
“How about a five percent bump, Woobie?” Stella called out.
Danny swallowed his ice cream and nodded. “I can live with that.”
“Great!” Reuben said, his smile returning. “I’ll draw up the-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Danny waved his spoon at Reuben. “I’ve got a few more things to add. Don’t worry, I don’t think they’ll hit the budget that much.”
The mute button came off Roger and Donna’s window. “We’re listening, Daniel,” Roger announced as Donna remained glued to her phone, her thumbs tapping away furiously.
I shared a grin with Faye and Paige. Clearly MaxFlick saw the same information we were.
Danny smiled back at them. “First of all, I want a public statement from MaxFlick stating that you completed a full investigation. That the leak that led to accusations of coercion between myself and Jessica Richards was incorrect with a recount of what truthfully happened. Also, that the parties responsible for the leak were found and have been terminated.”
Reuben’s face went pale. “I’m sure we can arrange a press release.”
Danny had been relaxed at the start of the call, but I watched him as he sat up straight, squaring his shoulders. His smile faded, replaced with a thin line. “And since I’m pretty sure Reuben was also responsible for that leak… Paige, what’s the number at now?”
“We’re at two hundred and sixty-three thousand.”
Danny picked up his ice cream again. “Roger?”
Roger shared a meaningful glance with Donna who nodded back at him. “Reuben, I’ll expect a letter of resignation before the end of the day.”
Reuben’s face turned beet red. “You piece of shit! I’ll-”
Danny didn’t have to boot Reuben from the call. Someone on the MaxFlick side did that for him. After the day I had, seeing the person who no doubt orchestrated the lawsuit against my family get kicked to the curb was a joyous moment.
On the screen, Donna leaned forward into their camera. “Are we good, Daniel?”
“Just a few more things,” Danny replied. “MaxFlick will drop the legal request for JKC’s short stories. Your lawyers and mine both know those were never meant for publication, and that lawsuit doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
Donna and Roger shared another look and nodded. They obviously knew it was coming. “Consider it dropped,” Roger agreed.
I let out a huge sigh of relief and flashed a smile at Danny. I waited for him to say thank you and end the call… but then he kept on talking.
“Also, I want the credits changed on the show going forward and in reruns retroactively. Instead of saying ‘in cooperation with Brickstone Publishing,’ I want a ‘created by’ credit for the author. I also think the Richards estate deserves a little monetary contribution, don’t you agree?
Especially since you let one of your executive producers go, I’m sure you can find the funds,” he said as he kept his eyes trained on me.
“After all, you were willing to do that in the first season when you tried to bribe Jessica to say she liked Brandon Quill.”
Roger snorted, his mouth forming a thin line. “Agreed. We’ll do what we offered before. The credit bump you suggested and a per season bonus going back retroactively.”
The blood drained from my face as Paige and Faye giggled next to me. “What are you doing?” I whispered out loud.
Danny could barely keep a straight face. “I also think JKC Richards’ granddaughter would be great as a creative consultant, don’t you, Donna?”
I gasped, and my hands flew up to cover my mouth. Faye squealed and Paige laughed out loud.
“We’re at three hundred and two thousand now, Danny,” Paige called out.
“And I mean, I don’t want it to be just a title,” he continued, his eyes locked on me. “Nobody knows Tyrant better than the Queen of the Valley. Plus, with her input, you’ll make the book fans very happy.”
Donna sighed. “Agreed. I’ll reach out to Ms. Richards and put together an offer.”
“Is that all, Daniel?” Roger asked.
My eyes watered as I looked at this man who had just handed me the ability to protect my family’s legacy. My throat tightened, and something in the center of my chest clenched, taking my breath away. Then it suddenly popped.
In my head I heard Paige’s voice.
Danny’s greatest quality and fault is that he’s always putting other people first over his own needs.
“Production and shooting of the show have to move to Toronto!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Paige and Faye’s heads swiveled to stare at me. Danny fumbled and dropped his spoon of ice cream on the carpet. My hands quickly popped back over my mouth.
Roger’s eyes glared at the camera. “Who was that?”
“Uh. That’s my new publicist,” Danny said, trying to keep his cool with the wrench I just threw into his plans.
“We’re at three hundred and twenty-one thousand, Danny!” Paige shouted.
Donna and Roger frowned. “I’m drawing the line here, Finnegan. You and I both know that’s a tall order,” Roger intoned. “We agree to all points, but the production move is contingent on Isla Coppola and Miles Mueller agreeing to the move. Understood?”
Danny nodded silently, his eyes never leaving me.
“Fine. That's the end of this negotiation. Welcome back to the MaxFlick family, Danny.”
Danny fumbled for a second, but he recovered with a smile. “Thank you, Roger.”
The studio dropped off the call. A second later Paige, Faye, and I piled on top of Danny. Everyone began shouting all at once, and for a good five minutes nobody made any sense.
At some point in the chaos, the television caught my attention. The top of Stella’s head was still on the screen. I couldn’t see her mouth, but her eyes showed definite amusement.
“I told you everything would be fine, Woobie.”
“And you were right, Stella,” Danny said, laughing. Paige threw her arms around his neck in a near chokehold, and Faye gave him a rare teenage side hug. I slipped under his arm and rested my head against his chest.
“Publicist, huh?” I teased.
“All I could think of,” he admitted.
“And the creative consultant role?”
“I thought it might be something your Nana would have wanted.”
There was so much to say in that one moment.
This man who I had dragged online had in a space of a few days turned my life upside down.
More than that, he had somehow managed to bring part of my grandmother’s legacy back to me and my family.
I reached up to stroke his face before I pulled him into a long soft kiss.
“Okay, I’m done,” Faye said, repulsed by any kind of affection. She pulled away.
“Yep, moment’s over,” Paige agreed. Then she snatched Danny’s pint of ice cream off the coffee table.
“Hey!” he protested. “Where are you going with that?”
“You start filming in four weeks,” Paige reminded him as she put the tub of ice cream under the faucet in the kitchenette and turned on the hot water. “Plus, you have a session with Jorge this afternoon.”
Danny let out a sad whimper as she filled up the container with water and poured the ruined ice cream down the sink.
I leaned in to give him a small kiss on his cheek. “Don’t worry,” I whispered seductively into his ear. “I’ll order carbonara up to our room tonight.”
He turned and smiled at me.
“And then you can watch me eat it all,” I teased. “Sorry. I’m still on Team Jorge.”
It was the meanest thing I’ve ever said to anyone.