Page 81 of Storm Warning
“And the Notice to Cure?—”
“Sent with it. It’s a standard form. They only have seven more days to unfreeze your accounts, pay all withheld royalties, and formally acknowledge they overstepped." Deanna’s expression softened. "Kate, honey, they're not going to do that. They've already shown they have no intention of backing down. Which means in seven days, you could own all your rights free and clear."
"You really think this could do it?" Kate asked again, but this time the words carried weight, carried hope that felt almost dangerous to acknowledge.
"I do, but I would recommend a contract lawyer review it to be sure. And it might be best if a lawyer handled any notification to the publisher as well. It would put you in a stronger position than if you or I sent it." Deanna tapped a finger against her lips as she thought, the gesture familiar through countless Zoom calls over the years. "I don't know anyone off the top of my head since Ryan retired, but I can make inquiries."
Callie interrupted. "Kate, what about Nick? Can he help? He must have a million attorneys on staff with the size of his business or certainly would know one."
Kate’s brows shot up in surprise, and she fought off her instinctive negative response. The old patterns ran deep—don’t ask for help, don’t be a burden, don’t expect anyone to care. But Nick wasn’t just anyone, was he? He would want to help. “Duh. Of course he does. Give me a minute to check if he’s available.”
Kate stepped away from her desk, her legs stiff from sitting too long, and called him, hoping she wasn’t interrupting anything important. Her heart fluttered with nerves—the anxious, anticipatory feeling of a teenager with her first crush. He answered on the first ring.
“Hey, Beautiful. How are you this afternoon?” Nick purred warmly in her ear, rich and low, and Kate’s heart quivered in response, a now-familiar flip that happened every time she heard his voice.
“I’m great, actually. I have a question for you.” Kate hesitated, not sure how to proceed. The words stuck in her throat, years of conditioning making it hard to ask. She wasn’t comfortable asking for favors from anyone.
“Wait, can we switch to FaceTime? I’d rather see your gorgeous eyes when we talk.” She melted at his words as she hitthe button to switch over, her fingers unsteady, and melted even more when she met his eyes on the screen and saw the warmth and affection there. His smile was soft, intimate, one that said she was the only person in his world right now. “That’s better. Now, what’s your question?”
Kate drew a deep breath, centering herself before continuing. The air filled her lungs, steadying her racing pulse. “Callie and I have been on a Zoom call with Deanna, my agent, for the past few hours. We’ve gone through every line of my publishing contract, and we think we might have found a way out of it, a way to get all my rights to my books back, so I could go elsewhere, or maybe self-publish.”
Nick sat up straight, his expression shifting to one of focused intensity. “Kate, that’s wonderful! What can I do?”
The immediate offer, the eagerness to help without hesitation, made her chest tighten with emotion. “I need an attorney to review it to make sure we are reading it right. Deanna's retired. Do you know a contract attorney who could review this for us? Preferably one that won’t cost my firstborn child?” Kate fought to keep her tone level, but she knew Nick’s intense gaze read all her hopes and fears plastered across her face.
“I can do better than that, especially since that firstborn child is going to be mine. I have several on staff who can handle it for you. I can have one call you in a minute.” Nick offered, his voice warm with promise.
Kate’s cheeks heated as she tried her best to ignore his child comment. The blush spread down her neck, warmth flooding her skin, and she recognized the exact moment he noticed, his eyes darkening. “Can I send you a Zoom link to forward? We’re still on, and Deanna could explain it better than I can.”
“Absolutely. Send it over, and I’ll see who is available right now. Hopefully, Maria is. You’d love her. She’s a spitfire and knows contract law inside and out. She’s been mysecret weapon for a few years now.” Nick winked at her, the gesture playful and affectionate. “Give me two minutes, and I’ll have someone on your Zoom call with you.” He hung up the line, leaving Kate equally thrilled and anxious, her stomach doing nervous flips.
She returned to her desk, her body still humming with the warmth his voice sparked, to find broad grins on both Deanna and Callie’s faces.
“What’s up? You two look suspicious.” Kate narrowed her eyes at them as she sent the Zoom invite to Nick, though she couldn’t quite suppress her own smile.
“Oh, nothing. Callie was just catching me up on your new beau.” Deanna smirked at Kate, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “He sounds sexy as hell.” Callie bobbed her head in agreement, practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
Kate giggled, the sound bubbling up from her chest, genuine and light. “He is sexy as hell. Hopefully, you’ll both get to meet him soon. Oh, the attorney he mentioned, Maria, is in the waiting room.”
In seconds, the face of a lovely Latina woman appeared, brown eyes sparking with humor and interest.
"Hello, ladies. I'm Maria DeSoto. Nick tells me I have a new project. Please introduce yourselves and lay it on me. There is nothing I like better than a loophole hunt!"
Kate laughed, instantly at ease with the sassy woman. The tension in her shoulders loosened, her body responding to Maria's infectious energy. "Welcome to our project, then! Since Nick couldn't have had time to tell you much, let me give the introductions, and then I'll turn it over to Deanna. I'm Kate. I'm an author and have been writing for fourteen years under the same publisher. Callie is my personal assistant, and Deanna is my agent. Deanna, would you tell Maria what's been going on, and what we might have found?"
Deanna dove in, her presentation crisp and organized despite the hours they'd already spent parsing contract language. As she explained the royalty freeze and the copyright documentation, Kate watched Maria's expression shift from polite interest to sharp attention.
"Wait, back up." Maria held up a hand, her eyes scanning something off-screen—probably the contract Deanna had just shared. "They frozeallyour titles? Not just the ones in dispute?"
"All of them," Kate confirmed, her stomach churning at the thought of seeing zeros in her royalty statement.
"And how long after receiving your copyright proof did they maintain the freeze?"
Deanna checked her notes. "Twenty-three days and counting."
Maria's laugh was short and sharp. "Oh, they'rescrewed. Kate, do you have any idea how clear-cut this is? Section 10(b) isn't ambiguous—it's actually one of the tighter suspension clauses I've seen. 'Solely to the disputed Work.' That's not lawyer-speak for 'whatever we feel like.' That's specific limitation language."
"So we're reading it right?" Hope bloomed in Kate's chest, bright and almost painful.