“What’s up?What’s up?HBO just sent in a new offer. I’m forwarding it to you now.”
I refresh my email and then suck in a breath at the zeros on the screen.
“Is this real?” I ask.
“Completely. Now, I don’t want to pressure you, but this—this is once in a lifetime. I just wanted to make sure you saw it asap. Call me later, after you’ve had time to process it.”
He hangs up.
Fuck.
Could I release a book based on my life, let it be turned into a movie, and still win over the girl who happens to also be part of that book?
I dial the only person who might have time to listen to my problems right now.
“Beck, hey, what’s up?”
“Can I come over?”
Graham laughs. “Right now?”
“Yeah. It’s a book and personal issue. I need help.”
“A personal issue. You? Heck yeah, come over. This is new for me.”
“I’m on my way,” I say and rush out to my car.
I stop by Love’s A Brewing for a couple of coffees, but I don’t see my sister or future brother-in-law who owns the place, so I’m quickly back on my way to Graham’s.
He’s waiting at the door for me.
“Let’s talk about your personal problem, because I’ll be honest, I thought you had a perfect life. Knowing you don’t brings me an odd sense of peace.”
“Glad I could help and—are you moving again?” I ask, spotting the unpacked boxes.
“Oh, no, I just haven’t unpacked yet.”
“I know I’m here to talk out my problems, but maybe we should talk about yours. You moved in at the beginning of the summer. Two months before I bought my house. I’m fully unpacked.”
He shakes his head. “Like I said, I thought you were too perfect.”
I set my computer bag down.
“I wrote a book a little too close to my personal life and Doug got a hold of it and now Netflix and HBO want it, but it’s… personal. If I can’t give Doug something else, I’m going to lose this joint book/movie deal, and it’s massive. We’re talking about never having to worry about plane ticket prices again or pay off my house kind of massive. I’m not so sure I can pass it up.”
“Damn,” Graham says and lets out a long breath. “You should be a little more vague so I can totally not help you out.”
I grab a glass from his cabinet and fill it with water from the fridge.
“Oh, I married Calla in Vegas, and I have no idea how to get her to fall for me, and that’s what the book is about. Me and her. Our situation. It’s basically us without our real names.”
He doesn’t say anything right away, and I look up.
His eyes are wide, and his mouth is hanging open. I wave my hand in front of his face, and he jerks back.
“What?”
“Oh, you heard me.”
