Page 59 of Be Our Ghost
“Sorry.” Knox passed Zack his glass of wine. “I never wanted anyone else to suffer on my behalf.”
“Don’t apologize,” Zack said. “My last year on the show was so unbearable I was glad to leave. I got a gig writing forSiren Squad, and it’s been great.”
Charlie clasped her hands together. “I love that series. It’s so cool that it features female crime-fighters.”
“I’m doing a script rewrite for a locked room thriller. It’s got an Agatha Christie vibe.” Norah took a business card out of her cherry-red clutch and handed it to Knox. “If you ever want to get back into the business, hit me up. Ever since I started working as a script doctor, I’ve got more projects than I can handle.”
Knox could barely contain his relief in learning that Zack and Norah had never given up on him. “Thanks. I haven’t written anything in years, but I’m starting to get that itch again.”
“It never goes away, does it?” Norah said. “Now that you’ve got my contact info, don’t be a stranger. I’m heading back to Vancouver tomorrow, but the next time you come to the mainland, I’d love to see you.”
Zack passed him a card. “Same here. Don’t disappear again.”
Knox tucked the business cards in his back pocket. “I won’t. I’m not on social media, but you can find me at the Duchess Hotel.”
Charlie grinned at them. “He’s the head bartender at a 1920s-style cocktail lounge called the Gilded Lily. If you come back to Victoria, you should stop in for a drink.”
“Will do,” Zack said. “We’re going to bounce in a bit, but we need to get together soon. This time, I’m not waiting five years to see you again.”
“You got it. Thanks.” Knox watched them leave, grateful no one was in line. This way, he could take a few minutes to process the feelings coursing through him. While he regretted the five years he’d spent in the wilderness, shutting out the people who could have offered him support, at least now he could finally make up for it.
“Knox?” Charlie gave him a gentle poke. “If you go to Vancouver to meet up with Zack and Norah, can you bring me with you?”
He regarded her with affection. “Sure, but we’ll probably spend most of our time telling war stories. I wouldn’t want to bore you.”
“Are you kidding? I’d love a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the show. I promise not to act like too much of a fangirl.”
“You can fangirl around me anytime, sweetheart.”
At the sight of a group headed for his station, he grabbed his mask and put it back on. Even if he’d made the right call in revealing his face to Zack and Norah, he didn’t want to press his luck.
At ten, the show’s producers came onto the stage and addressed the crowd. They extolled all the ways in which the show had succeeded: major awards, merchandising opportunities, and devoted fandoms. Cast appearances at places like San Diego Comic-Con and Fan Expo Canada. The spin-off novels and plans for a feature-length film. They thanked the cast and crew for makingThe Hidden Forestcome to life.
Even if Knox was attending the evening as a bartender rather than as a writer, he soaked up the praise. After all, he’d earned it just as much as the rest of them.
“Before we let you get back to the party, we’d like to shout out someone special,” one of the producers said. “Usually, when a fantasy show becomes a hit, it’s because the material was adapted from a best-selling series, likeGame of ThronesorThe Lord of the Rings. ButThe Hidden Forestsprang from the singular imagination of a brilliant writer who came up with the premise, helped turn it into a multi-year saga, and now serves as one of the show’s executive producers. Evan Girard, come on up here and say a few words.”
“What the fuck,” Charlie said.
My thoughts exactly. By now, he and Charlie were alone at his station since all the guests had crowded around the stage. Knox’s stomach churned as Evan told the crowd he’d come up with the show’s premise on a whim and pitched it so masterfully it was picked up right away.
Sure, he’d thought up the concept. Knox would grant him that. He’d also done a fantastic job selling it. But when it came to writing the pilot, creating the story arc for the entire first season, and hammering out most of the episodes? That was all Knox.
He willed himself to stay calm. His costume was hot enough without him reaching the boiling point. Taking off his mask, he wiped the sweat from his brow, hoping to cool down.
But Charlie didn’t attempt to hide her fury. “This is bullshit. Someone needs to call Evan out on his lies.”
“It’s fine. If he wants the credit, he can have it.”
It wasn’t fine. Without Knox, Evan’s idea would have been just that—anidea. Knox was the one who’d turned it from a pipe dream into a full-fledged saga, especially during their first season when they hadn’t relied on an entire writers’ room to produce each episode.
All his good feelings vanished as Evan’s words dug into him, reminding him of what he’d lost. He concentrated on breathing steadily and tuned out everything else—Evan’s boastful speech, the applause that followed, the chatter of people as the presentation ended.
You can’t lose your temper. Not again.
He tried to push past the hurt and the resentment, but it didn’t help that Charlie had grown livid with anger. “Aren’t you pissed? He didn’t even mention you!”
“It’s not worth getting upset about. Just let it go.” Any minute now, guests would be making their way over to his station, requesting more drinks, and he’d have to focus.
