But I’m getting ahead of things.
I’ve spent these past days thinking a lot about it. My plan is coming together now. And when I think about seeing her again, hearing her voice, my heart starts beating fast. Because deep down I know this is what I’m supposed to do.
No matter what anyone else will think.
Chapter 17
Annie told John she’d be at his place at eleven o’clock Sunday morning to begin their shopping trip. She dressed in a mid-length, gray wool skirt, black boots, and a powder-blue cowl neck sweater because she wanted to look nice.With their busy lives, they rarely had time for simple dating anymore.
She’d just finished doing her hair when her phone rang. It was Trish.
“I’m sorry I took so long to get back to you,” Annie said before Trish had a chance. “But it was two days before Thanksgiving and I’d just learned that my brother and his family were coming back to the island and we had to get pies baked and . . .”
“Stop apologizing,” Trish interrupted. “I did what I needed to do without waiting for your blessing.” She sounded more chipper than all-business Trish typically did.
Annie pulled out a chair at her tiny kitchen table and sat. “Would you care to share the details?”
“Funny you should ask.”
Picking up a pen that she kept on the table, Annie pulled a nearby pad of paper toward her in case she needed to take notes. “Okay. Tell me.”
After pausing, Trish said, “I’ve been in L.A.”
“California?”
“Well. Yes.” She said it as if there were no other, as if Louisiana weren’t abbreviated with the same initials. “I flew back to the city last night.”
“Well. Good,” Annie said, though she couldn’t imagine what this had to do with her. Or with RSVPing to the wedding.
“We finalized the deal.”
Huh?
“Trish, you are my favorite editor in the whole world. But I’m missing something here. What deal are you talking about?”
A robust laugh came through the phone. “Yourdeal, my dear. Your Museum Girls Mysteries are going network. Not even cable, mind you, but a full-fledged network series. How about that?”
Annie set down her pen. “What?”
“I doubt that you’ve gone deaf since we last talked. I went to the West Coast to iron out the details. And I succeeded; it will be a blockbuster. And you, Annie Sutton, are going to be very busy. And, I might add, very rich.”
Then Trish rattled off specifics that Annie was too stunned to digest. All she heard was the part about becoming very busy and very rich. Didn’t Trish know she was already busy? Didn’t she know that being rich wasn’t high on Annie’s list of goals?
By the time Trish finished prattling, Annie was flushed. Her long wool skirt was now too warm, and her cowl-neck sweater was clinging to the perspiration on her back.
“Hello?” Trish insisted. “Have you heard a word I’ve said?”
“Yes, yes,” Annie managed. “But how . . . when . . . did this happen? Has my agent been involved?”
“Of course she has. Louisa wanted to be with me, but she and her husband were in Brazil with her parents, so she couldn’t get away. But we were on the phone three or four times a day hammering out a deal you won’t be able to turn down. Your agent’s very sharp, you know. And, as your publisher, we retained your dramatic rights, which I had to keep reminding her.” Then she laughed. “But we made a good team. All for you, my dear. Well, less my company’s cut. And Louisa’s commission.”
“I wish you’d contacted me . . .” Even as she said it, she remembered dismissing Trish’s voice mail for a week.
“I did. I asked you to call me ASAP. I’m not sure how a person can be so busy living on an island. And this kind of proposition can never wait. But believe me, we secured top dollar. No one’s making this much in Hollywood right now. Of course, we also got them to agree that you’ll consult on the scripts . . .” She laughed again. “You’ll work side by side with the screenwriter, which means you can make sure they stick to your style and character development. . . .”
She was prattling again.
“Trish, I have to go. I’m meeting someone in Edgartown. Can we pick this up tomorrow?”
