Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
“What the fuck is this?”
I was sorry if he was having a hard time, but he didn’t seem to care what this would do to my mental health. How dare he!
How dare he use me for publicity.
Hands trembling, I handed the phone back and pulled out mine as the Cavendishes watched on in concern. I hit the number for my entertainment lawyer. There was no way I would directly respond to Jasper, but this was slander. He had no proof of the bullshit he spewed because it was all lies.
By the time I hung up with my lawyer, they were already writing up a cease and desist.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked, handing me a cup of chamomile.
“No. I’m pissed off that I’ve just used up twenty minutes of your time talking to a lawyer. I’m pissed off that I might have to sue a person I used to think of as a good friend.” I sipped at the tea, my hands trembling around the mug. I was so tired of feeling like everywhere I turned I had a battle to face.
I must have said that out loud, because Sarah pressed a comforting hand to my arm and replied, “Sometimes that’s just how life feels. It can last a long time or a few months … but you’re not alone, Eilidh. You know that, right?”
Grateful, I nodded. “I know, thank you.”
Theo curled an arm over Sarah’s shoulders. “Why don’t we let Sarah get back to her writing, while you show me this script of yours? Take your mind off things.”
I nodded. Because Jasper wasn’t going to ruin this for me. And I wouldn’t let myself think about how he was slandering my name or what people were saying about me because of it.
None of it mattered.
Not really.
Not in the end.
Thirty minutes later, Theo sat back in his chair at their dining table. I’d brought the script on a flash drive and he’d immediately popped it into his laptop. We’d talked a little as he read through the first few episodes, but eventually, he stopped talking and kept reading.
My pulse was so loud in my ears.
He was annoyingly blank-faced.
This man had written some of the best British drama our screens had seen in the last fifteen years. His opinion would buoy me or crush me. I knew it was a lot of power to give him, but I couldn’t help it. I’d admired his work for a long time and was honored when he and Sarah had asked me to act in an episode of their show.
Theo looked at me.
“Well?” I huffed impatiently. “Look, if you hate it, just say so. Don’t feel like because of Jasper and everything else that you need to pussyfoot around my feelings.”
He nodded slowly, contemplating me. “You know I’m not a man inclined toward hyperbole.”
I gulped.
“I will say … I am rather envious that I did not write this.”
I sucked in a breath, hope rising.
His expression softened. “You are very talented, Eilidh. And if you need a producer, I would love to work with you on this project.”
Tears of happiness brightened my eyes. “Really?”
Theo chuckled. “I never offer to do something I don’t want to do. And I rarely offer twice. This is an excellent premise. It has a compelling hook, an interesting cast of characters. I’d be a fool not to jump on it.”
Laughing, I wiped away my tears. “I would love to work with you on this. Thank you.”
“Good.” He slapped his hands on his thighs. “Why don’t we have a coffee and talk about that beginning. I have a suggestion.”
“Of course. Great. Yes.”
Theo shot me a droll look as he stood up. “I suggest you curb your enthusiasm to agree with me. It has a tendency to inflate my ego. Just ask my wife.”
So ecstatic I could burst, I bit my lip against more laughter. Despite Jasper, despite everything negative that had come from the industry I’d grown up in … I was excited to return to it in this capacity. To do something that I’d conjured from my own mind and experiences.
Something I could be truly proud of.
To tell stories… but to do it without leaving behind the people who made my story worthwhile.
Thirty-Eight
EILIDH
When Theo Cavendish decided he wanted to do something, he was like a snowball with GPS, rolling downhill but only picking up the people he needed before rolling on to pick up the next person.
Within two weeks, he had his usual team signed off and on board, and we were already pitching the show to several streaming platforms. Between that and dealing with the legal stuff regarding Jasper and Peter Pryor, it had been a full-on couple of weeks.
Fyfe had suggested we take a day off and give Millie her first road trip. As a child, there was nothing I loved more than day trips with my parents. I loved the drive, the scenery, the family time, and we usually stopped off somewhere great to eat. Millie was too young to appreciate that, but I was excited to spend the day with two of my favorite people.