Page 40 of The Story of Us
The cutest little furrow appeared between her eyebrows, and Nate desperately wanted to reach over and smooth it out with his thumb.
“Excuse my ignorance”—Eloise shifted so she was facing him—“but what does that mean?”
Talking about his writing wasn’t something that came naturally to Nate. He’d always shied away from it at first, unsure what people would think about an ex-professional NFL player who was suddenly writing books about a small-town police station. He’d seriously considered using a pen name before Garrett had talked him out of it, arguing that his name would get him the exposure he needed to become established.
But with Eloise? The words were right there on the tip of his tongue, ready to flow right out of him. He held back the ones that would cause problems for their friendship but allowed himself to share a little slice of his life with her.
“I’m less structured in my approach and learning about the characters as I go. It’s less about trying to fit them into the plot and more like a choose-your-own-adventure story.”
He paused, the realisation crystalising at such a startling rate that it stole his breath. “I’m writing for fun. Not that SMK?—”
“Always with the acronyms,” Eloise teased.
“—wasn’t fun because it was, but once it became successful, which I will always be grateful for, there was a lot of pressure. From my agent. The publisher. And myself. But this thing I’m working on now? It won’t ever be published. It’s just for me. A way to reset. Kind of like what we’re hoping to achieve by merging these two programs.”
Eloise toyed with the sleeves of her jumper. “I’m going to suggest something, but you can say no. Honestly. I don’t mind if you do.”
That sounded ominous.
“Would you be interested in giving a talk at KPs?—”
“Always with the acronyms,” Nate interjected just to earn himself one of her sweet, soft laughs.
“—about how balancing being active and creative has helped you? We could use it to launch the new program.”
The idea of being back in the spotlight, no matter how small, made Nate pause, his mind whirring away about what everyone would say, but the hope in Eloise’s eyes pushed away all his worry.
“I might be able to do something even better.”
Bianca was still pestering him about doing a profile on life after the NFL. This would be the perfect way to get her off his back while controlling the narrative and getting some free publicity for KPs.
Eloise raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, her bun listing to one side.
“But you’re not going to like who it involves working with …”
14
Eloise forced a smile and ushered Bianca into the art room where Nate was waiting.
“I’d almost given up on you ever calling me.” Bianca greeted Nate with an overly familiar shoulder pat, her hand lingering on his body. Eloise stiffened. This was all going to be worth it. She just had to keep her eye on the prize.
Besides, he’s not yours, and he never will be. Being his friend will have to be enough. And if you get the AATI exchange, you’ll be leaving on your own adventure soon enough.
“Thanks for coming. I wanted to talk about the profile you proposed,” Nate said.
Bianca’s glossy lips parted, her camera-ready smile appearing. “Knew you’d come round. And think about it—it’s perfect timing with your upcoming release. We’ll tie it all together. The local boy turned international sporting superstar who also writes bestselling books. I can picture the shots already. Classic black and white, a few in profile. Nothing fancy. Just you. But maybe sort of rustic? Bit of flannel, a campfire? A subtle homage to your new small-town life. Does anyone around here have a smoke machine?”
The startled expression on Nate’s face sent Eloise edging closer to where he was standing, the afternoon sunlight casting a glow around his already devastating features.
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Nate said. “I don’t want the focus to be on me. That’s why we asked you to meet us here.”
“You understand what a profile is, right? People are interested in you, Nate. They want to understand why you walked away from everything at the height of your career to come home, live in a little cabin and hide behind a computer. If you want to put an artsy spin on it, we could probably get some shots here, I guess? Is that why you wanted to meet here?”
Eloise winced. Bianca had just pitched exactly the kind of article Nate had confessed he had no interest in.
“I’d have thought another writer would understand how there’s no hiding when you’re sharing your work with others. Writing is more exposing than running around a field. You put your soul on the page and invite people to judge it. It’s not for the fainthearted.”
Hearing him speak like that made Eloise pause. No wonder Nate had mentioned feeling overexposed and vulnerable at times.
