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“Sadie, I have the most amazing news.” He crossed to the couch and pulled her up. “Are the others here?”
Sadie pulled her sleeves down, then patted him on the arm. “Sure, let me go get them.” She turned to Bjørn, her teeth clenched and her face scrunched in apology. “I’ll be right back.”
“No worries. Take your time.” He waved her off.
She rushed out of the room to the back.
“Sorry to interrupt, man.” Drew outstretched his hand toward Bjørn. “Drew Wilder.”
“It’s not a problem.” Bjørn shook Drew’s hand, trying to place where he knew the name from. “Bjørn Rebel.”
Sadie returned with her sister and cousins. They all held varying expressions of surprise and concern. Drew’s shoulders relaxed as he stepped toward them.
“Did the Nature Channel not like the interview?” Denali asked, her hands wringing in front of her.
The Nature Channel had interviewed them? That’s where Bjørn knew Drew from. He starred in that extreme wild animal show that travelled to the craziest places in the world. What was he doing interviewing at a kennel?
“No. I mean, they loved it.” He grabbed her hands in both of his, then let go quickly. “They want us to do an entire series.”
“What?” Violet gasped, her hands going to her cheeks.
“What do you mean, series?” Denali crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing.
“Nature loves the idea of a group of amazing women defying odds and attacking the Alaskan wilderness head-on.” Drew motioned between the ladies as the excitement grew in his voice.
Aurora snorted while Denali rolled her eyes. Bjørn cocked his head as he watched them. Sadie just stared, not saying a word. She chewed on her index finger’s knuckle, while her other hand held her elbow. Calculations churned in her brain, and he wished he knew her well enough to tell what she was thinking.
“We aren’t doing anything that every other woman and man in Alaska aren’t doing as well.” Denali shook her head. “It’s called life. It’s no different from anywhere else.”
“Sure, but viewers are obsessed with Alaska.” Drew gestured around the room with his hand. “With you ladies being gorgeous and adventurous, people will jump on this like a wolf pack on a downed caribou.”
Bjørn sat back on the couch as unease slithered along his skin. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of a million people gawking at Sadie and her family. He also had no say in the matter. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth shut.
“I’m not sure I enjoy being referred to as prey.” Denali narrowed her eyes, her arms tightening around her front. “And I definitely don’t want to be forced to stage things for some audience like a joke. I mean, there’s not much real Alaska in those shows everyone is so obsessed with.”
“We wouldn’t film ours that way.” Drew held up his hands like he was calming the wolves he’d just spoken about. “I’d make sure that everything we did was authentic. The last thing I’d want is to make you look bad or uncomfortable.”
“Too late for that,” Denali muttered.
If Bjørn heard it sitting five feet away, Drew definitely heard it. Bjørn snorted, then rubbed his mouth to cover his amusement. Drew had an uphill battle with this group. From what Bjørn could tell, everything they did benefited others. Showcasing for a television show didn’t fall in line with that.
“How would this work exactly? What are you wanting to film?” Sadie spoke for the first time, turning everyone’s eyes to her.
Denali’s mouth popped open. Her face held an expression of incredulity, like she couldn’t believe that Sadie wanted to consider the idea. Violet bounced on her toes like she wanted to start filming right then. Aurora just pushed her glasses up on her nose and cocked her head at Sadie.
“Me and two other cameramen would stick around for a month or two and film what you all do.” Drew shrugged like it was no big deal, but his shoulders bunched. “Nature will pay a generous amount upfront, then you’ll receive royalties when the show produces above and beyond that initial payment.”
“Just film us throughout the day? How is that going to be TV worthy?” Sadie motioned with her hand. “It’s not always hopping fun around here.”
“That’s all right. The mundane interests people as much as the wild.” Drew shoved his hands in to his pockets.
“How much is generous?” Aurora crossed her arms in a mirror of her sister.
“I mean, you’ll have to negotiate, which I suggest you do, but they are already prepared to offer six figures.” Drew dropped the amount like a well-placed grenade, making even Bjørn’s heart pound. “Each.”
Well played. He liked this guy. While Bjørn didn’t know the kennel’s financial status, that amount of money could make any business secure for many years. If the ladies capitalized on the opportunity, it would generate income well after they stopped filming. Shoot, he’d do back flips and sing karaoke for that kind of money.
“But what would they film? It’s not like what we do is all that exciting.” Denali waved her arms around.
