Page 65 of My Best Friend's Brother
Chapter 23
Two Months Later
Keke’s throat had gone dry. Her mouth had been open the entire time she read the article in today’s paper about app genius Peter Headley headlining Warp Entertainment’s app division with the creation of not one but three new applications set to hit the market this week. Tech gurus predicted he’d be on a Forbes list at some point as the next person to watch, as well as his bank account. Overnight, he became a millionaire and was projected to make tens of millions more.
Keke grinned. She always had faith in him. Now he was settled in Silicon Valley—about five hours from where she was in Los Angeles—living a life he probably only dreamed of. Bertie had told her she’d programmed Keke’s number into his phone but didn’t tell him. Peter hadn’t called. Keke thought he was either too busy to talk or probably didn’t want to see her again. She understood. Rejection was a tough emotion to overcome.
She folded the paper and set it down on the table. When she looked up, she gasped.
“Hi, Keke.”
Dressed in a business suit with his hair slicked back stood Peter Headley. He looked older than her now.
“Petey?”
He chuckled. “I saw you in the window. Heard this was the best bakery this close to the studio.”
She missed her sister Kat’s sweets and sought this bakery out as soon as she landed in L.A. “You’re working at Warner Brothers?” she asked, confused. Had she missed something in the article? “We’re a long way from Silicon Valley.”
He grinned like he held a secret. “Can I sit?” He gestured to the chair across from her.
“Of course!”
He took a seat at the tiny table made for two. “Not exactly,” he answered her question. “I’m here to talk to some executives about a movie deal.”
Her jaw dropped again. “A movie deal? Are you serious?”
“For one of my apps. The story is compelling enough that Warp Entertainment sent it to a producer contact at Warner Brothers. They want to meet with me in”—he looked at his watch—“an hour. Talk about possibilities.”
Keke grinned as her eyes remained on the watch. “Is that a Rolex?” she implied, somewhat cheekily.
Pete blushed. “One of the first things I purchased when the check cleared.”
She laughed softly. “Hope you bought a new car. That other one was a wreck.”
He laughed with her. “Are you kidding? I love that car. Drove it all the way out here.” His lips slanted. “Then it died, so…yeah, I bought a new car.”
“Ha! And how do you like being rich?”
The red color ran down his cheeks to his neck. “To tell you the truth, it’s been scary. One of the first things I did was talk to a financial advisor. I threw a bunch of money into mutual funds.”
“Smart. Of course, you were always that.” She took his hand that rested on the table. “I don’t think I breathed the entire time I read the article. It’s so impressive, Petey, just like you.”
He slipped a finger between his neck and collar. “Oh, you saw that, huh?”
“Aren’t you proud?”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“Well, I’m proud for you.” She squeezed his hand and drew back. “It’s amazing. And Warner Brothers is going to offer you a huge deal.”
His eyes grew intense for a moment. He broke the connection and cleared his throat. “I heard from Bertie that you got the part. Congratulations. I’m sure you’re the best dancer.”
Keke laughed. “I don’t know about that. Good enough to get the part, though. We’ve only been filming for a couple of weeks. Should be finished in another month or two. I’m supposed to be on set in an hour.”
“At Warner Brothers?”
She nodded.
