Chapter 27 #3
His levity was irritating. “It’s not funny, Unk.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I wish I hadn’t sold the book. I started rereading it and I sound like a bitter loser.” Like what he was. No, what he’d been.
“But I’m stuck. I can’t unsell it,” Parker said.
“Talk to your agent and your new editor. Tell them you want to pivot in a new direction,” his uncle said.
“I have no direction. I want out.”
“Have you signed a contract?” Jerome asked.
“Not yet, but we’ve got a deal memo.”
“A deal memo is not a contract. You can stop the deal. You’ve got a hard decision as there’s a lot of money at stake.”
“I’ve got a lot of everything at stake,” Parker muttered.
“Love or money, that’s the choice, I guess. I know love doesn’t pay the bills. It can sure motivate you though.”
“If I knew for sure things would work out,” Parker began.
“You can’t know for sure, any more than you knew for sure you’d sell that book. Everything in life is a gamble. I can’t tell
you what to do, but I can tell you there’s always a way around a problem. Maybe you pull the book and write something different.”
“If I pull it David will cut me loose.”
“Then you’ll find another agent. Write something halfway decent, maybe with more of a sports theme, and I’ll introduce you
to my agent.”
Halfway decent. Ouch. But there was an interesting offer. One his uncle hadn’t made when Parker had started on his current magnum opus.
“Look, I know you’ve got a message you want to get out there. But let’s put all this in writing terms. What’s your motivation,
really? Are you out to help solve a problem or to even the score with your two exes? How much of your ego is involved?”
“Maybe there’s some ego,” Parker admitted. Okay, maybe a lot.
“Well, here’s the bottom line. Sell the book and lose the girl. Lose the book and win the girl. It really is that simple,
Parker. It’s a big chunk of change. A lot to sacrifice. Can you afford to? And I’m not just talking about money.”
“Good question,” said Parker.
“Once you’ve figured out the answer, you’ll know what to do.”
And that had to be the end of the conversation. Parker’s plane was loading. He walked on with his head spinning. What was
his trajectory? What did he want for the rest of his life?
No. Who did he want for the rest of his life? The answer to that was easy.
Jay had plenty of work to do to get them organized for the week they’d be broadcasting from Peoria, which gave Parker time
to read the entire manuscript, making notes as he went. There was some good stuff in there. But buried under a lot of angry
man garbage. How was this really going to help men? It sure wouldn’t help them fix their relationships.
KWOW had put them up at the Hilton Embassy Suites.
Parker took in the two bedrooms and large living area with its sleeper sofa as he and Jay walked in and found it easy to envision Alice and him entertaining media pals and players in that room or settling on the couch. That wouldn’t be happening now.
He ditched his luggage in one of the bedrooms, then slumped on the bed.
Jay found him there. “You don’t have time to sit around. We got two parties to attend.”
This was always the highlight of Parker’s year—the games, the parties, the interaction, the nostalgia—better than Christmas.
Except this year somebody had invited the Grinch.
Alice and Scarlet sat at Nola’s dining room table, finishing off dessert while Mark sat in the living room, glued to ESPN’s
coverage of the first day of spring training.
“You were right to stop this before it went any farther,” Nola said.
“Then how come I feel so bad?” Alice replied.
“I have no idea,” Scarlet said, and Alice frowned at her. She shrugged and forked up another bite of her mother’s chocolate
mint pie.
“Because you hoped maybe things would work out. Of course, you’re disappointed,” Nola said reasonably.
“You should be relieved,” Scarlet said.
“He’s not the devil incarnate,” Nola said. “But he’s got baggage.”
“Everyone has baggage,” Alice argued.
“True, but he’s not willing to put his down. If he’d done something to prove that he was, something on his own, not something
the station made him do, that would be different,” Nola said.
“A man who’s not willing to change isn’t worth hanging on to,” Scarlet asserted.
They all looked to where Mark sat. Lucky for him he’d been willing to change.
“Well, so what if he wrote a book?” Alice argued. “Everyone has a right to his opinion.”
“It’s a book slamming women,” Scarlet said in disgust. “You’re a woman. Have some respect for yourself. He sure doesn’t.”
And there it was, the key to why she couldn’t move forward with Parker Black. Love and respect went together. Parker’s lack
of respect for women showed in his words and actions. It would show up in their relationship at some point.
She sighed and took a sip of her tea. Why couldn’t real life men be more like book boyfriends?
The whole night was a bust. So was the next day. Parker went through the motions, promoting his show, interviewing players,
going to a game, his thoughts riding along.
Did women have unrealistic expectations when it came to men? Was it wrong to want to feel like they were living in a romance
novel? Maybe everybody wanted to live a little above the mundane. Guys wanted adventure. Women wanted to be appreciated. Yes,
Luna had been immature and demanded a lot but in her own selfish way, had she been onto something?
More important, was Alice onto something? She was sweet and kind and believed in love. That meant she’d have to give Parker
a chance to explain himself. This was a bump in the road. They could get past it.
He found himself searching for a minute where he could slip away and call her. He finally found a few before his party. It
was almost seven, but back in Seattle it was only edging toward six. The store would be closing soon but she’d still be there,
recommending stories to women wanting some escape and maybe even some hope.
If he called her phone, it would go straight to voice mail. He’d have to call the store and risk being stopped by either Bettina or Nola. The dragons at the gate.
To his surprise and relief, the voice answering the store phone was Alice’s. “HEA Books, where we bring you happily-ever-after.”
“I want one,” he said.
He suffered through a moment of silence before she spoke. “Parker.” All the warmth had leaked out of her voice.
“Alice, give me a chance here.”
“I want to, Parker, really. But Mom and Bettina showed me your book deal announcement. How can we hang out when you’re going
to be promoting something like this? You pour yourself into a book. It’s how you feel and what you think.”
“But that’s the point. What I think is changing. And that’s because of you.”
She didn’t let him finish. “Your title says exactly how you think men should go about fixing their relationships. Parker,
I know you were hurt.”
“Writing this book is how I healed.” Wait, that wasn’t true. Any healing that had been taking place was thanks to her. He
needed to tell her that. He started to, but it was too late. She was already talking.
“And what about publishing it? Who’s that going to heal? I’m sure you’re getting a great advance and I’m happy for your success,
honest. It’s just too bad that you’re getting it this way. Anyway, I wish you all the best. I really do.”
“Wait,” he began.
She didn’t. “I have to go now,” she said, and ended the call. And what they’d started.
What now?