He shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Why did you fire them?” She laughed lightly. “Please tell me they didn’t complain about your messes. You have fifteen rooms in this place and you only use your bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. That’s really not much to complain about.”

He nodded in agreement. Then wondered why he bought the place in the first place. A small apartment would suit his needs perfectly, but he wouldn’t have this level of privacy.

“So?”
“So, what?”

“So, why did you fire them?” she asked a bit more impatiently.

“Let’s see, one of them was stealing my dirty underwear, another one sold pictures of my place to the press and the topper was when I came home to find a very na**d sixty year old maid in my bed waiting to please me.”

His mother looked back with her face scrunched up in disgust. “Eww.”

“Exactly. So, I fired them.” He looked around. “You didn’t happen to bring any food with you, did you? Or anything to drink?”

She sighed. “I had a feeling you didn’t have anything. Your sister should be here any second with groceries.”

“Thank you,” he said even though he knew without a doubt his sister wouldn't be buying anything he liked, but he wouldn't complain. He appreciated everything his family did for him so he could have some peace in his life.

“Don’t thank me, thank your sister. Sweetheart, you really need to start going out and doing things for yourself. This isn’t healthy living like this. You don’t go anywhere or do anything. When’s the last time you went on a date?”

“About a year ago, I think." He sighed. "Mom, you know why I don’t date.”

She nodded. “I know. I just wish you could meet a down to earth woman that cared about you and not your status or money.”

“Me too,” he said more bitterly than he meant to.

With a quiet sigh she dried her hands on a towel and gestured for him to sit down at the table. He sat down and waited. In front of her were ten thick envelopes with writing on each one.

“Okay, I’ve gone through all of these. On each envelope I wrote a quick summary of the plot, how much they are willing to pay and where the filming will be done.”

His mother took the top two off the pile and held them while she pushed the others towards him. He knew what she was doing. The two in her hands were the best. He went through the eight envelopes and pushed them aside. Nothing spoke to him.

“I believe these two are the best offers.” She pushed the envelopes towards him.

He picked up the first one, Rogue, an FBI agent who rescues and falls in love with a history professor. He read through the description. There was plenty of adventure, guaranteed humor and love scenes. The money was pretty good and all of it would be shot locally. “Not bad,” he said.

“Look at the last one before you make up your mind,” she said, pushing the last envelope towards him.

He picked up the last one and his breath caught. He looked up. “Is this real?”

She smiled. “I thought you would like that. Read, there’s more.”

He read the rest of the offer. He couldn’t believe it. There was no way he could pass up this offer. “Call them and accept,” he said as he ripped open the envelope to devour the script.

************

“Dana? Where are you?” a woman called out.

Dana ducked down low and moved leisurely in the water along the side of the pool, praying Deana wouldn’t see her. It was a useless attempt since her assistant was skilled in the art of hunting down her reclusive boss.

“Oh, there you are!” Deana said brightly, ignoring Dana’s obvious attempt to avoid her. “I have some messages for you. Let’s see...” She shuffled through a thick pile of papers. “Jeff called.”
Dana groaned. “What now? What’s his excuse not to come see the kids this time?”

Deana smiled. “Actually, he called to confirm he’s coming in a few weeks. He asked if I could come up with some ideas for him to keep the kids occupied.”

“Good. It would be good for the kids to see him. Poor Elizabeth, she doesn’t need this drama he’s created,” Dana said, pulling herself out of the pool.

Her body had changed over the past year with hard work. She shed all her extra weight off after discovering a deep joy in weight lifting and running. Her skin was a healthy tan since they'd moved to California. She still wasn’t used to her new body and hated anyone seeing it, including Deana.

Dana picked up a white terry cloth towel and wrapped herself up. “Okay, that’s one message, what else?”

“Rick called,” Deana said with an apologetic look.

Dana dropped down on a cushioned patio chair. “You didn’t tell him I was here, did you?” She looked up and winced at Deana’s expression. “Oh god, you did!”

“He’s your editor, I had to,” she said apologetically.

“Oh, Deana,” she groaned, shaking her head. “Okay, what’s going on now? Does he want me to do another tour for my fourth book or one for the sixth book that hasn’t even come out yet?” she asked sulkily.

Deana bit her lip and shifted her weight nervously. Dana’s eyes narrowed on her assistant. “What? Oh, please tell me he doesn’t want me to do another Christian and Bailey convention. I told him I wasn’t doing that ever again. Not after last time.” She shuddered at the memory.

“Oh, come on, Dana! It wasn’t that bad,” she said, biting back a giggle.

“The man came dressed in a tux and proposed to me in front of an entire room of people,” Dana said, willing herself not to laugh at the memory.

“But he went through all that trouble to make it romantic,” Deana said while trying to stifle a giggle.

“Deana, I didn’t even know the guy. He begged me to have his children!”

Deana giggled. “Yeah, but at least he came prepared in case you said yes!”

“Yeah, he had a Ziploc baggie filled with his sperm!” Dana said, shuddering at the image and then laughed when Deana started to laugh hysterically.

After several minutes they slowly calmed down. “I don’t think that’s it. Actually, he promised that wasn’t it.”

“How long do I have to get dressed?” Dana asked. And make a run for it?

“Oh, I would say no time at all,” a deep voice said.

Dana and Deana spun around to see a tall man open the pool gate and walk towards them. He wore a casual suit and held a thick packet in his right hand. “I see you got my call,” Rick said, looking Dana over with an amused smile.

“Whatever it is, just give it to me straight,” Dana said.

Rick smiled and made his way to the patio table and sat down. He sat back, looking at her expectantly. Dana sighed in defeat and walked over to the table, making sure her towel was securely hitched tightly under her arms as she sat down. Deana joined them with a pen and notebook, the perfect assistant.

“Well?” Dana asked.

He dropped the packet in front of her and placed his hands behind his head. “You’re welcome.”

Dana’s eyebrows pulled together as she reached for the packet. She opened it and looked at the contents. “Is this for real?” she gasped.

He nodded. “Yes. They already have a script. It’s in there.” He pointed to the packet. “I’ve read it. It’s very good. They kept it close to your original story which you should take as a compliment of your talents.” He paused, giving her a chance to take it all in.

“They want to make a movie out of my book….oh my God!” she said excitedly.

Deana released a squeal. “Do we get to go on set and see it filmed?” she asked excitedly.

“Better actually. The studio wants you to write a book for a certain actor they’re hoping to get to play Christian. They want you to make it a priority and they’re willing to pay top dollar,” Rick said.

“Why would a studio want me to write a book?” she asked confused.

Rick reached into his jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. “Because they love your books. They see money making potential in your ideas and they want to make more movies with you.” He smiled at her.