Page 4 of Spit Screen

“Maybe.”

“And you want to go to LA to talk to them? Addy, our house is bigger, and neither Tam nor Christie is on a set right now. Why don’t you invite them here?”

Here’s something to know about Emma; she makes sense. Even when the world feels chaotic andsenseless, Emma has a way of putting things in perspective. I never considered asking Tam and Christie to come to Kansas.

“Unless there’s some reason you want to go to California,” Emma says.

I sigh. There is, but I don’t want to push toward the end zone when I haven’t even gotten the ball in play yet. “No. Your idea makes sense. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.”

Emma’s eyes search mine for a moment, and she nods. “You were hoping for some time away from the kids, weren’t you? I know we haven’t spent any time alone since before my surgery.”

“Em.”

Emma smiles. “I’ll makeyoua deal.”

“A deal, huh?”

“Mm. Interested?”

“What are your terms?” I ask playfully.

“Why don’t you invite Tam and Christie here for Memorial Day weekend? That’s the week after next. Invite Jeff and Sandra, too.”

“Emma, that’s a full house.”

Emma shrugs. “And? You miss them all. So do I. We can look to take a trip together when school ends—just the two of us.”

I nod. “I would love to spend some time alone with you.”

“Me too,” she says. “But I think right now, a visit with our friends is overdue—long overdue.”

I study Emma as she smiles at me. I frequently spend time with Tam in LA. We started a new production company when we settled in Kansas. Jeff was still busy with our second television show,On Screen. I sold him my shares in our productioncompany and formed a new one with Emma and Tamara. It’s been a successful venture, just as Emma predicted. Tam handles things in Los Angeles while I visit every two weeks for four days to attend meetings. Those weeks are never easy for me. I hate being apart from Emma and the kids. Thankfully, I haven’t had to extend my stay often.

While we have yet to launch a series, we've successfully produced TV movies, short films, and a feature film, and we couldn't have done it without Tam. Each of us has a unique skill set. Tam’s a terrific producer on set, but her greatest strength is knowing how to pitch a project and make people see our vision—both the people funding it and the people creating it. Meanwhile, I develop ideas and write treatments and scripts while Emma guides us in choosing which projects to pursue. People in the entertainment industry respect Emma and enjoy working with her. She's not just a closer; she's also the person I trust most with my ideas. Emma knows how to be supportive while bringing out the hidden potential in my stories. In fact, she even wrote an episode forOn Screenduring its last season when Jeff and his team were struggling to find the right way to close the series. Emma’s acting experience enables her to write characters’ voices and expose emotions in ways that even the best writers sometimes struggle to create. Out of our group, she is the most experienced and level-headed. We make a great team, and I hope we continue to work together for many years. But there are days I miss working with Jeff. I enjoyed working with someone who is a writer first. Something in Emma’s expression tells me she thinks it’s time I reach out to Jeff about working together again.

“You think it’s time Jeff and I worked together again,” I say.

“I don’t know. I think you both miss working together.”

She’s right. Again. “Em, you know it will be chaos with them all here?”

“I’m comfortable with organized chaos. Besides, it’s family. And we haven’t done the best job of making the time to spend with everyone lately.”

“Everyone?”

“Addy, Tam and Christie are our family. So are Jeff and Sandra. Even my mom has asked when Tam plans to visit again.”

My lips curl into a smile. Tamara and I have been best friends since our first year of college. She's more like a sister to me than a friend. What's even funnier is how she and Emma have formed a close bond over the years, almost like sisters themselves. Tam looks up to Emma. More importantly, she lookstoEmma for guidance. Personally, Tam has always been guided by her emotions. Occasionally, that leads to impulsive actions, not reckless ones, but she sometimes acts without fully considering the consequences. Oddly, her emotions can also make her become frozen with indecision from overanalyzing everything. Emma is a keen listener. She doesn’t offer unsolicited advice, and she’s always gentle when she does. That’s something Tam needs. I recognized how much Tam loved Emma early in our relationship. Believe me, I understand. It took me longer to realize how much Tam means to Emma.

Emma’s a nurturer. I’ve known many empathetic people in my life. Emma is incredibly kind. But she’s also forthright. Like I said, I had a terrific Mom. And I see flashes of my mother in the way Emma interacts with our kids. She can discipline them by raising her brow. Hell, she can disciplinemethat way. She seldom raises her voice, and I’ve never seen her raise a hand. She exudes a quiet confidence that’s both alluring and comforting, drawing others toward her. It’s easy to understand why Tam gravitates to Emma as a friend and a mentor.

To Emma, Tam is as much a part of our family as anyone else. One reason is Tam’s protectiveness towards me, which Emma quickly learned in the early days of our relationship. Butit goes beyond that. Tam's capacity for love runs deep, whether it be for a friend, a lover, her children, or even a project. She puts her all into everything she cares about. I’ve often considered the phrase, “she would walk through the fires of hell for those she loved,” was written with Tamara in mind. Emma has been burned by friends and lovers in the past. Having a friend like Tamara means the world to her.

“Are you sure you want to entertain the masses?” I ask Emma.

Emma laughs. “What’s the difference between having my brothers and their families here?”

“Uh, Em? As soon as your family finds out we’re having company, they’ll descend on us, too.”

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