Chapter Twenty-Nine
‘Chloe, I know it’s a big job,’ I took a deep breath. ‘But it’s what I want to do. It’s what I need right now. Something big to focus on.’
‘And the rights are available?’
‘Miraculously, yes.’ I nodded. Lying on my sofa, bored, staring at the ceiling, hungover after one too many nights out, I had asked myself a simple question: What do you really want to do now Orientations is over?
And the more I thought about it, the more obvious it was that Josh was right.
I should turn my passion for books and my experience of films into production.
I’d been telling anyone who would listen about this book, Easy Work by Eleanor Blomquist, so figured that might be a decent place to start.
‘And you reckon this is going to pull you out of your funk?’ Chloe grimaced at me from across the table. ‘Of the whole messy post-Ben thing? Not that I didn’t love the wild party girl version of Emily that seemed to come out to play in recent weeks. She was an interesting plot twist.’
‘Well, Emily Montgomery contains multitudes and I’m on a mission to enjoy my youth but also do something to set me up for the future.’
Chloe nodded, a wry smile on her face. ‘Twenty-one years old and the wheels are in motion to set up your own production company. You are literally the only person I can imagine pulling it off.’
‘Believe it, baby,’ I said, raising my coffee cup to her before taking a sip.
‘You know this is going to take time, right? You can’t just set up a company overnight?’
‘I know that. I’m serious about this! I’m not acting on some sort of whim! You know me: I’m more than willing to put in the work.’
‘You never do. Hey, I heard Arthur Hemmings thinks you’re cute,’ she said, namedropping a handsome young British actor.
‘And did you hear that from Blake? He’s friends with Arthur, right?’ I grin at her. She had been casually dating him ever since the party for the Wonderwick video game, which felt like a lifetime ago. They were practically married by Chloe’s standards.
‘Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,’ she said, enigmatically.
‘I think Arthur Hemmings is cute but I’m done being set up for a while. I’ve got other things to focus on. The press tour for Wonderwick, then Orientations and trying to set up my own production company. I can’t be getting into something new right now.’
She sighed. ‘It was worth a try. Anyway, I just need to make a quick call, be back in a second.’
While Chloe was away, I slid my phone out of my Miu Miu tote. My heart leaped at the sight of Josh’s name on my screen.
Hey, how are you doing? I just wanted to check in with you since you seem to be drawing a lot more attention than usual these days!
Heard on the rumour mill you’d broken up with your boy Ben?
True or false? If true, I always thought he was kind of a jerk.
If false, glad to hear it, great guy etc. See you in Singapore, I guess!
‘What are you smiling about?’ Chloe asked me, sliding back into the booth. I don’t think I had been doing too much smiling recently, so it was probably a nice change for her.
‘Oh, nothing,’ I said, dropping my phone back into my bag and trying to wipe the grin off my face.
‘Come on, spill.’
‘Honestly it was nothing, just a text from Josh!’
‘A text from Josh Sacco had you looking like that?’ She raised her eyebrows and whistled. ‘Oh, boy.’
‘It’s not like that,’ I said, blushing furiously.
‘Maybe it’s time to admit it is a little bit like that?’ Chloe grasped my wrists and looked me dead in the eye.
‘There’s nothing to admit.’ I shrugged.
‘You keep telling yourself that, babe.’
‘I plan to.’
‘Speaking of plans, even though things didn’t, er, work out with you and Ben, the whole thing has been kind of great for Wonderwick hype. You having a steamy romance then a fairly public break-up has given you a certain je ne sais quoi . . . disrupted public perception, if you will.’
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ I said, dryly.
‘Actually it’s probably better that it all fizzled out now, might be a bit boring to have you in a serious monogamous relationship with a completely appropriate boyfriend by the time the film comes out.’
‘Do I have to do any more . . . you know, publicity-baiting?’ I wanted her to believe it was because I found the whole idea of it embarrassing or degrading, but I knew deep down it was because I wanted to signal to Josh that I was single.
Chloe smiled at me and shook her head. ‘You’ve done enough. I don’t think it’s a natural fit for you, babe.
‘Are feeling good about Singapore? I bloody wish I was going with you!’
‘I’m only going for two nights! It’s hardly going to be a holiday!’ I said, even though I knew I was looking forward to it, the idea of seeing Josh again looming huge in my mind. ‘Anyway, you’re coming to LA, right?’ That was the next stop on the tour after Singapore: home turf for Josh.
‘Right! And on the Legacy Pictures private jet! Thanks to you!’ She reached out her hands and wiggled her fingers against my forearms in excitement, her long oval nails scratching pleasantly at my skin.
I waved her away. ‘It’s nothing. It’ll be fun.’
‘And I hear things are progressing nicely on the Vespucci deal?’ She smiled conspiratorially at me.
I nodded, barely containing the huge grin I felt at being signed as the new brand ambassador for a rebooted prestige Italian fashion house, complete with hot new British designer at the helm.
It felt like the perfect blend of my reputation for, shall we say, ‘heritage brands’ with my desire to try new things and figure out my own image, on my own terms.
‘I think it’s all going to be wrapped up soon, should be announced at Venice.’
‘Very appropriate,’ she nodded, sagely. ‘It’s all coming up, Emily, isn’t it?’
She was right. The only thing that was missing was romance.