Page 58 of Just for December

‘Hey,’ Duke says to his mother. ‘You made it. No Roger?’

Anna shakes her head. ‘I asked for some mother-son time,’ she says, and then Evie gets the hint and goes to excuse herself.

‘I … just need to make a call,’ Evie says. ‘I’ll come back in five?’ she asks, to Duke. He nods.

‘Thanks, Evie,’ he says.

Evie walks away, ostensibly to check in with her agent about the other film deals, but she’s still within earshot when she hears Anna say to Duke: ‘She’s nice.’

‘Yes,’ Duke says. ‘She is.’

Evie’s agent picks up on the fourth ring.

‘Evie,’ she says. ‘Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve got news. Columbia have just made their final offer for the movie rights to two more of your novels. Long story short is this: we’re coming in at just over half a million dollars.’

Evie pulls the phone away from her ear and makes sure she’s got full signal. She has.

‘Sorry,’ Evie says. ‘I can’t hear you very well. It’s my signal. Can you repeat that?’

Her agent clears her throat and takes a breath. ‘Evie. We’ve just been made an offer for six hundred thousand dollars. I’ll send it you in writing, but that’s the top line. Six hundred thousand dollars for the option on two books, and they’ve already got actors in mind. They’re meeting with Reese Witherspoon to see about co-production with Hello Sunshine as well.’

But Evie doesn’t hear her anymore, because she’s got her hands on her knees, bent over, dry retching to the ground. By the time Duke and his mum have seen what’s happening and come over, she manages to finally bring up her breakfast, all over Anna’s boots, the ones that only ten minutes ago she was admiring so much.

Evie’s rich!

29

Evie

The Litzauer Loop near Burggen, Pfaffenwinkel, is a horseshoe-shaped piece of land with the river wrapping around it at such an angle that it is almost a river doughnut with a snow-covered tree-topped bit of land in the middle. Duke and Daphne went into painstaking detail about the type of shots they’re after today when Evie and Magda had dinner with them last night, but it’s only now everyone is here that the true majesty reveals itself. When Evie wroteOn the Romantic Roadshe used Google to travel to all the places featured in her mind. To be actually on those stops, and now on this particularly incredible one, makes her feel as nauseous as she did after talking to her agent yesterday.

‘I’m going to need your help, yes,’ she’d told Magda, after she’d fainted and generally caused a fuss yesterday. What a thing – six hundred thousand dollars? Reese Witherspoon?Two books under film option? She still gets dizzy thinking about it today. ‘But not yet. Just give me time.’

To her credit, it’s been almost twenty-four hours and Magda is doing exactly that. Giving Evie time, and space, to process her fortunes.

‘This is beautiful,’ she marvels, as they let themselves feel tiny against the imposing skyline. The crew is reduced today, and tonight there’s a party for everyone to help, as Duke and Daphne had explained, keep morale high. There’s only a few days of filming left – but it’s enough that Brad’s departure needs an energic clear-out and collectively they could do with blowing off some steam.

Evie doesn’t actually need to be here today – the content team have shifted focus to capture Duke and Daphne working together as directors, in case the producers decide to play up to that publicly in the run-up to release – it depends how everything shakes out. But if Evie’s here, she’s not in town, doing what she really feels compelled to do: somehow get rid of all her money in preparation for another big cheque dropping. She doesn’t want the temptation of the boutiques and shops, and doesn’t want the quiet that she’ll fill by telling Magda everything, so they’re here, bearing witness to Mother Nature at her most showy-offy.

‘Hey,’ Duke says, coming up behind her after she’s wandered off to the edge of the water, the brisk cold making her nose feel like an ice cube. He touches a gloved hand to her mitten, just enough to send a spark straight to her stomach. She turns.

‘Hey,’ she says. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Okay. Fine. Is it strange if I tell you I miss you?’ Dukeasks, and she looks at him, eyebrows raised, because of all the things she was expecting him to say when she realised he was there, that wasn’t on the list.

‘Oh,’ she says, embarrassed. ‘No,’ she adds, quickly. ‘I know we haven’t had a minute to … you know … there was … the thing … that happened.’

‘I liked that it happened,’ Duke tells her. ‘Just FYI.’

She dares to smile.

‘I know things have been crazy,’ he says. ‘We kind of started to have this really nice time, and then …’

Evie knows what he means, but can’t find the proper words to explain it either. This is a whirlwind: filming, pretending to date, the kissing, but then his mom, Magda being here … It’s only been two weeks yet it feels like enough has happened to fill two months. And they only have one week left, too. Six days, to be exact. Time is passing at the speed of light.

‘Life,’ Evie supplies, and he nods, smiling.

‘Life,’ he repeats.

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