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ChapterThirty-Seven
Piper
September 28th
I wait until eleven before I call Pa, hoping he read the email I sent earlier today.
“You’re still awake, Ladybug?” he answers immediately.
“It’s only eight o’clock on the West Coast. I can’t go to bedthatearly.”
“Shall I remind you that you live on the other side of the country?”
I chuckle. “You’re beingtootechnical.”
He groans. “Are you taking care of yourself? Your mom is worried about you—” He pauses, and after a big exhale, he says, “Your dad and I are more worried, but we’re trying to be the voice of reason so she doesn’t jump on a plane and move in with you.”
“Thank you. I love you both for that.”
“Don’t sugar me up, Ladybug. I need you to start taking better care of yourself.” Pa’s voice is serious.
“The phrase is: butter me up, not sugar me up,” I clarify, hoping that’ll calm him down. “I’m trying my best, Pa. Please stop worrying about me.”
“‘Sugar me up’ sounds a lot better, but let’s go with what the norm wants. Now, tell me how I can help you.”
“Did you read the chapters I sent you?”
“Yes, and I’m excited to read the entire manuscript. This new author has a lot of potential.” He sounds enthusiastic but cautious.
“Potential?”
“He needs to polish his voice. I’m guessing this is not only his first draft but his first attempt to write a book.”
Huh, that’s not what I expected him to say. I was hoping he’d give me the green light to acquire the manuscript and work with it. Though Pa would know if this FO Gil needs something. Pa has been in the publishing business for thirty years and started the company twenty-five years ago. Everything I know is because of him, but I still have a lot to learn.
“So, what do you want us to do?”
“I want you to be his editor and help him find his voice. There’s a lot we can do with this character. More so if he can write a series as long as Tom Clancy, JD Robb, or Robert Ludlum. But before we invest man-hours on him, I need to know if he has what it takes to get there.”
“You’re thinking movies and all that stuff, aren’t you?”
“The production company can use a groundbreaking show with this character as a protagonist if he could add a heroine to the plot. Someone who’s behind the screen saving his ass. Something like Felicity in Arrow or—”
“You want a dynamic couple. What if the relationship is between two men?” I offer.
“Make it a throuple—a ménage à trois will be perfect,” he says, animated.
I laugh, and that’s when I notice Derek is crossing the overpass to the side of my rooftop. I wave at him. He left earlier today to help his sister, and he might need a beer and a friend to lean on. He might say he doesn’t care about his family, but he does.
“You’re asking for a lot from the newbie, Pa.”
“Listen, I like the book. This guy has potential, but I need a good hook to his character or his world. Help him find it, and he should be set for life.”
“Will do, Pa. Say hi to Mom and Dad from me, okay?”
“I will. You should come and visit us soon,” he hints.
“Sage is due in just a couple of weeks. You’ll have me there for months.”
