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He gathered his words carefully. “You said something the other day that really stuck with me. I should be using my powers for good. I have the influence, the name, the money. I should be doing more for the world than just making an entertaining reality show."
Frankie smiled shyly, as if she was afraid to believe this was real. “I thought the drama could come from the already existing tragedy. No more manipulations, at least not without talking about it. We could be a team.”
"I like the sound of that."
"I still feel like I'm letting Gabe down a little." Frankie looked out across the burned fields, searching for forgiveness she could only give herself.
Maybe he could nudge her in the right direction. “Let me ask you something. Do you think Gabe would stand in the way of you making a difference in the lives of all these people? Or would he be the one encouraging you to take the risk and chase your dream?”
She couldn’t answer beyond a nod, because those tears were choking her up again.
“Valenti Brothers is in good hands. Adrian and Sofia will keep it the family business it’s always been, and you won’t ever lose that. But we could do so much more.”
"Do you think the network would go for it? Especially after everything that went wrong here?" she asked.
"I think they'd jump at the chance, but I don't want to offer it to them."
Frankie's eyes snapped to his. "Why not? What are you plotting?"
“I was thinking maybe we start our own network.” He wasn't sure if Frankie's silence was good or bad, so he kept talking, hoping to sway her. “I’m tired of jumping through their hoops just to prove I am good at what I do. They were a stepping stone.”
She laughed at that. “You’ve got a lot of those.”
Jake cringed. “Yeah, I’d been thinking about one day running my own production company, but having my own network is even better. I have the funds to get us started until we find investors. And now I have the motivation and the guiding purpose for it. All I need is a partner to help me bring it to life.”
“One show does not make a network. How would we fill the rest of the roster?”
“Some syndicated shows, some original content. Once people see what we are doing, I’m sure I’ll get pitches from other runners and creatives. I know this great family who might want a more flexible production schedule now that everyone has babies, and a makeup artist who wants to grow her show bigger by doing real-life makeovers for deserving people. Her husband is tackling these large-scale landscaping projects that could be cool to film. And there's this singing carpenter who likes to hang out with this amazing camerawoman. Even Britt was pitching me ideas last weekend. If we build it, people will come… You’re awfully quiet. Look, I know it’s risky, but—”
Frankie held up a hand, and he bit back his next words. He was still learning to listen, but he'd like to think he was getting better at it.
“My head is spinning. I’m excited, but this is a lot to take in. It’s exactly the kind of project I wanted to tackle. And it would keep us moving in the same direction. We’d be partners?” she asked.
“Yes, full partners.”
“Making decisions together in the best interests of the company? Open, honest communication?”
“I like the sound of that.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, and marveled at how much this fierce and brave woman had changed his life.
“Partners, in all ways? At work and at home? I need you all in or I'm out, I’m afraid.”
“All in. You are my heart, Frankie. I can't do this without you by my side.”
“Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Let's do this."
As the sun set over the black hills, painting the sky a fiery orange, they planned a future from the ashes, together. Head to head, heart to heart, hand to hand.
It was always risky exposing dreams to the light, but with this partner in his corner it wasn’t scary anymore. Everything he'd ever wanted was within reach. A meaningful life. A lover to share it with. A family who truly cared for him. Picking up the Valenti project was the best decision he'd ever made.
“I love you, Jake." Frankie's words were soft in the cooling air, but he heard them and they warmed him to the core.
“I love you too…” Jake leaned in for a kiss, but a cold nose to the neck made him yelp and pull back.
Frankie laughed and threw her arms around Buster.
