“Thank you, Kai,” I whisper.
He plops back down, arms extended along the back of the sofa. “For what?”
“For making me give the story a happy ending. You know it’s what I needed.” And I’m pretty sure when he reminded me that Johnny and Baby were going to get a second chance, he was really talking about Karson and me.
“You?” he questions in his deep voice. “I needed it for me.” His lazy grin flickers with determination. “When we win this thing, I’m taking my share of the prize money and flying to Africa to propose to Meri.”
I hear myself screech. Then I’m throwing my arms in the air and jogging in place. I love the idea of a proposal in Africa. I hope there are wild animals and glamping tents and maybe a hot-air balloon involved. But even more than the romance of it all, I love Kai and Meri together.
“What’s going on?” Charlie calls up the stairs.
I’d better quiet down or the neighbors will call the police on me again. Though would that really be such a bad thing if Karson showed up? Oops. This is not about Karson and me anymore.
I wrap my arms around Kai and yell to Charlie. “We have to win so Kai can use his prize money to propose to your sister in Africa.”
Charlie bounds up the stairs two at a time, a smile splitting his face. “You’re proposing to Meri?”
Kai shrugs like it’s no big deal. “If we win.”
“Oh, we’re winning, brother!” Charlie dares the universe to defy him. Then my roommates are in one of those hugs where they pound each other’s backs.
I somehow get pulled in, and my bare pinkie toe gets smashed, but I wouldn’t trade this moment for the most expensive shoes in the world. I’m celebrating the kind of love I’ve only dreamed of.
Kai leans away. “You hitsendon the film submission, right, Charlie?”
Charlie untangles his limbs to charge back down the stairs.
Kai and I pull apart but stare at each other with huge grins. I give a flap of my arms because where do we go from here? “You need help ring shopping?”
He smirks. “Aren’t you going to be busy with a love story of your own?”
So I’d been right to suspect Kai had been giving me relationship advice earlier when we were talking about Johnny and Baby. I deflate like one of those hot-air balloons. Because I don’t get the same happy ending he does. “Karson said goodbye.”
“I know.” He grabs his computer from one of the coffee-table cubes and kicks his feet up to use his lap as a desk. He’s probably going to look up prices on airline tickets. “But I also know that, like Cinderella, you have exactly what you need to create your happy ending.”
“A fairy godmother?” I wish.
He snorts. “You’ve never needed a magic wand. You’re a screenplay writer. You make magic.”
“I can’t make magic on my own.” I trudge toward the stairs. It’s late, and I’m beat in more ways than one. “It took you and Charlie to turn my screenplay into a story people can watch.”
“Gemma.” Something about his tone stops me. “If we win this competition, you’re going to have a whole lot of interest from people who want to turn your screenplays into stories people can watch.”
My heart throbs with new meaning. How had I not considered the possibilities? That used to be all I thought about.
Finishing my screenplay isn’t about proving myself anymore. It’s about being free to be me. And the free me has learned a lot about love that she can share through a story she’s been researching to write.
Karson might not have thought he had what it took to be my hero, but I’m going to show him how well the shoe fits.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
KARSON
A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.
—BOBDYLAN
Apparently, fear doesn’t make me angry anymore because I am terrified of what I’m about to do, but I’m also at peace. It’s a strange combination. I kind of like it.
