Page 69

GOING IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION

Chris: I hope you’re practicing.

Bobby: Practicing?

Chris: Your Lindy.

Bobby: What?

Chris: Jive? Charleston?

Chris: Don’t tell me you’re a jitterbug kind of guy.

Bobby: I’ll jitterbug when you learn how to line dance.

Chris: Challenge accepted.

I snorted when Bobby sent a photo of himself, his fingers hooked in his jeans and his feet in the middle of a shuffle. I thought he had been joking, but it appeared my man might have some moves after all.

“What has you grinning like an idiot?”

Rita set a coffee down on the table. She had brewed it strong enough that my pulse quickened just from the smell. I showed her my phone and now two of us were grinning.

“You two are going to give me a cavity.”

“Yes. Yes, we are.” I didn’t care who knew it. I had heard enough people say Bobby was happier since I arrived. If they had known me before setting foot in Firefly, they’d be saying the same about me.

I had told nobody about Bobby, not yet. I wanted to keep him all to myself.

The moment I posted a photo of us on social media, the speculation would fly.

When it happened, I wanted them to have something to talk about.

If the world didn’t love Bobby as much as I did, that’d be their loss.

I suspected he’d win them over as quickly as he did me.

“Christopher.”

Rita looked up from my phone to the doorway. I didn’t need to turn to know the source of the voice. Only Tessa and my mother called me by my full name. The time she came over for Thanksgiving, I realized how much alike they sounded. I’d never make that mistake again.

“Remember the phone call when I was in here?”

Rita nodded without speaking. She watched as Tessa approached, one loud clack of her heels after another.

“This is the woman on the other end.”

Tessa held out a hand. “Lovely shop you have.”

“Thanks.” I could tell Rita didn’t know if the newcomer was friend or foe. It had been similar my first few weeks here.

“Rita, can you get Tessa a fancy coffee?”

Rita gave me a pat on the shoulder. As she walked behind the counter, she didn’t stop staring.

“It takes a while for them to warm up. They’re like this to everybody.”

“I assumed I was the first black woman ever to set foot in Firefly.” She pulled out a chair and sat across the table. When I said nothing, she laughed. “I am the first black woman, aren’t I?”

“Firefly could use a little more of your fierceness.”

“If you think I’m going to chop wood, you’ve got another thing coming.” When I started to reply, she held up her finger. Outside the coffee shop, two gentlemen walked by. “Though if they want to chop it for me...”

“Tessa finally admits she has a lumberjack fetish.”

“We’ve got that in common.”

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. I was surprised to see she had dressed down. By down, I meant she was in a turtleneck with a cutout just above her chest and pants that hugged her legs and showed off her ass. When she crossed her arms, I prepared for the lecture.

“The studio called.”

“About that…”

I had stayed up far too late reading Amanda’s comic.

The story about a teenage kid rising above the bullies and saving the town from a super-powered villain had spoken to me.

I could see a younger version of myself in the pages of her story.

When I finished, I flipped back to the start and read it a second time.

“They’ll only delay for so long.”

“They don’t need to.”

“Oh good, they’ll be relieved??—”

“I’m turning it down.”

Behind the counter, a mug smashed against the floor.

I glanced to see Rita and caught her eavesdropping.

Tessa, however, wouldn’t be distracted by smashed porcelain.

Her entire body tensed, but otherwise, she held still.

When she moved a hand to the table, her blood-red nails clacking against the surface, I knew I was in trouble.

“Help me understand.”

“If I say yes, I’ll be playing the same character for the rest of my career.”

“If you say yes, you won’t have to worry about your career.”

“Tessa… this isn’t about money.” She would knock down walls to give me what I needed. When her expression didn’t change, I threw my heart on the table. “I’m miserable.”

Rita set a cup of coffee in front of Tessa and cautiously backed away. The smell from her cup was bold enough to make my nose twitch. Rita listened to every word. I only hoped I could ask her to not share the information before she texted Gladys.

“I’ve been playing the same character over and over again. Nobody in Hollywood thinks I can do anything that doesn’t involve a high-speed car chase. I’m basically a high-paid, pretty face. I go out on a limb and try something different, and it tanked.”

“Chris—”

“Why?” I continued. “Because I wasn’t playing somebody they wanted.

" The trolls destroyed me online while the newspapers dragged me through the mud to sell papers. If I went back now, I'd be proving them right. "I’m tired of doing things that make other people happy. The next role needs something with substance. I want characters with more depth than a parent killed by the mob. If I say yes, then I’m putting another nail in the coffin.”

“Chris—”

“I know you’re pissed. It’s the chance of a lifetime. It’s not just money, it’s stupid money. I could buy a small island with that kind of money. But it’s not going to buy me happiness and??—”

“Are you done with your monologue?” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She texted at the speed of light and then set it down on the table.

“I…” Tessa stole my thunder and left me deflated. “I guess I am.” I had said everything that needed saying. Our friendship would survive her dropping me as a client. She’d need to make way for a fresh wave of upstarts. It’d be a change, but we’d weather the storm.

Her face hadn't changed since I started speaking. Tessa had mastered the ability to hide her thoughts. Even her eyes held fast. I could only imagine she flipped through a mental Rolodex, trying to find somebody to replace me as her client.

“I understand.”

Those are not the words I expected from Tessa. Her demeanor softened, at least for her. With a massive payday on the horizon, I thought she’d try to bend my arm, convincing me I could do something big with the money. This wasn’t the shark who negotiated contracts with a room full of lawyers.

“I’ve thought long and hard??—”

She laughed. Not her real laugh. That usually involved snorting like a pig. This was that calculated guffaw. Just enough humor to be disarming but laced with calculated intensity.

“There’s no going back now.”

I raised my eyebrow. She pushed her cell phone across the table, tapping the screen. I glanced down to see the last text she sent.

“We appreciate the offer, but we’ve decided to go in a different direction.” I reread her text a second, then a third time. Before I explained myself, she had turned down the role.

“Yes, you’re my client. Yes, you cost me a buttload of money. I’m talking, so so so much money.”

“Tessa.”

She held up a finger. “I’m talking money like whoa. But I’ll cry myself to sleep about it later. You’re my client, but more importantly, you’re…”

I leaned forward as she cringed, refusing to say it. I jumped in. “My friend.”

“Oh, thank God. I couldn’t do it.”

I snorted. Tessa had just admitted that our relationship transcended work. She got an A for effort. I’d take the victory and run with it. I was already thinking about putting it on a sweater for her birthday. Maybe a coffee mug?

“But we ain’t leaving this table until you tell me what you’re looking for.”

If I told her the type of character I wanted, she’d have half a dozen scripts within a week. Whatever ones she thought would see the light of day, she’d pitch in my direction. This time, however, it was my turn to pitch an idea to her.

“I know the script I want.”

Tessa raised an eyebrow. “Christopher Wilde, are you going to make my job easy?”

I laughed hard enough the table shook. If turning down the biggest contract of my life wasn’t enough of a stretch, I wanted to knock her out of her seat. Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out Amanda’s comic. I set it down and pushed it across the table.

“This.”

“A comic? Didn’t you just??—”

“I promise you, it’s worth reading. They want superheroes. Let’s give them a story with depth.”

“Chris, you know you can’t just hand me a comic, and it turns into a movie, right? You’re not a studio. It’s impossible to??—”

“Prism said they’re interested.”

Tessa picked up the comic, flipping open the first page. With just a glance, her eyes widened as they darted from panel to panel. “We’ll have to talk to the creator about licensing. Then we??—”

“I knew you’d be up for the challenge.”

Tessa leaned forward, flipping the page. Sipping her coffee, she ignored me. Tessa hadn’t backed down from a challenge since a boy in second grade swore he could swing higher. She had the scar on her knee that proved her uncanny drive to win. With her on board, I bet this project had a future.

“Rita,” I said, turning to see her leaning on the counter. She didn’t try hiding her nosiness. “Can we keep this a secret until I can talk to Bobby?”

She frowned. “Fine.” I knew it killed her on the inside. “But I want a role in your movie.”

If this went how I imagined, there’d be plenty of roles for the people of Firefly.

While Tessa downed her third fancy coffee, I still needed to get ready for my date with Bobby. It wasn’t enough to just show up—not after my performance at the Legion. No, I needed help, and there was only one woman up to the task.

As I crossed the street, I recalled my first excursion downtown.

The people hadn’t been cold, but they had treated me cautiously.

Would I turn into one of the flatlanders they were so quick to tease?

Or did I have some potential to integrate into the town?

I needed the help of the first woman I won over.