Eli Price
Eli went into this show with a bad boy image, but he showed us there was a lot more to him than that. The way he carefully treated Calla and brought her back to life had us all swooning. While they might not have ended up together, it does appear that she has changed him for the better. Since the show, Eli hasn’t made any headlines. The former player appears to be keeping a relatively low profile for now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“These pages are fantastic, Calla.”My literary agent, Barbara, nodded with approval as she adjusted her glasses. “Ember and Elm is going to flip. Seriously, I can’t believe you pulled half a draft together in less than a month.”
Tracing the edge of my mug, I looked out the window of the small café into the dreary Chicago streets.
“You don’t think it’s too much?” I asked. “With the whole overcoming grief thing? I don’t want it to hit you in the face or be too trite.”
“Not only does it hit you in the face, but it punches you in the gut as well, in the best way possible. People are going to sob over Lucas and Luna’s story. There’s nothing trite about it. It feels raw and real.”
Her words should have been music to my ears, but something about the story wasn’t sitting quite right. The first half had poured out of me—like I felt like I couldn’t physically type fast enough to get all my thoughts on the page. But now that it was time to write the ending, I felt stuck.
“Hey.” Barbara smiled softly and tilted her head. “Are younervous about this one because it hits so close to home? Because you should know, all great stories do.”
I lifted my shoulders. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. If you’d told me a few months ago I’d be writing this story, I would have broken out in hives from being so anxious about it. But life looks a little different now that I’ve laid myself bare for the sake of reality TV.”
“It’s good to put yourself out there. People appreciate your realness.”
“And so does Ember and Elm,” I said.
My publisher had almost given up on me prior to the show, but as soon as I got home and they saw all the buzz about me, they had a very abrupt change of heart. They not only managed a rapid release for my first novel, they suddenly wanted to give me an advance on my next book without even seeing any writing—or even an outline. They just wanted a piece of me. Everyone did. Once I got home, I’d had daily requests for interviews and podcast appearances.
I was too heartbroken to do much of anything other than wallow.
Thankfully, Piper had quickly knocked some sense into me. She told me that I hadn’t spent all that time growing just to let some stupid man make it all go to shit. She kept me away from the show, too. Told me it was for the best that I not watch it. I listened to her, but it was hard, knowing the entire world had seen me say or do certain things and I had no idea what they were.
At first, I had spent a lot of time in my apartment. The show’s viewing audience had reached astronomical numbers and the buzz was real. I could hardly leave my house without someone stopping me to ask about Eli and I, which, of course, had only made the burn of heartache that much worse. But then I’d been asked to be a guest speaker at a couple ofdifferent literary festivals and book signings. Next, an offer to have my own signing in the city.
I did those things, even though I knew the only reason I had the opportunity at all was because ofTough Love. While I was nervous about putting myself out there and meeting people who had seen me on the show, the events had ended up exceeding my expectations. People had read my book and loved it. And, even more importantly, people were coming up to me and telling me that watching me had helped them handle their own grief. So I kept going, and I kept writing.
“Where did your mind wander off to?” Barbara asked gently, as I tore my eyes away from the window.
“Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“You’ve been doing a lot of that lately.” Her face softened.
I sighed. “I know. It’s just...it’s been a lot. The book, the show, all the attention. It’s overwhelming sometimes.”
“And then there’s the heartbreak.”
I winced. “Right. And then there’s that.”
Barbara tilted her head. “How are you doing with all that? Still thinking about him?”
My chest squeezed tightly. “Not so much anymore.” I felt guilty for lying to Barbara. She was sweet and kind. The whole reason I’d selected her as my agent in the first place was because I felt like I could trust her. Which is why, when I got back, I’d given her the brief rundown. I’d also told her I didn’t want to discuss it again.
“That’s what this new book is about, isn’t it?” she pressed
“I don’t know.”
“Luna loses her family and finds solace in Lucas. You don’t think there are any parallels there?”
“Maybe a few,” I said stubbornly. She knew that I knew that this new story was littered with references to Eli. Muchlike my thoughts, he was everywhere. Despite everything, I could never erase him.
“Have you heard from him?”
