Believe Me, It's You Page 4

  She had forgotten that was written in the front. He had given her the book for her first birthday after they got together. She marveled at how the same man who wrote that could be the same man who decided he loved someone else. Then her thoughts turned to Dylan. She wondered if he had read the inscription, and if so, what he thought of it. She hated explaining her failed marriage to new people, but it inevitably came up. Are you single? No, married? Oh, separated. I'm sorry to hear that. Awkward silence. She longed for the day when her divorce was final, and she could simply say, “I'm divorced.”

  She caught the L to the office to meet Marta. She stuck her headphones in, and she felt the slightly cooler, but sunny day rushing by her, stop to stop, the motion of the train lulling her into a daydream. She thought of how Dylan's hand felt on her back when he hugged her goodbye. The surprise of it and how it felt- warm with a soft, sweet sensation for hours after he left. She could almost feel it now. Maybe she just had an overactive imagination. The curse of the writer.

  She was still thinking of his hand on her back when she walked into the building, her music still playing in her ears. She rounded the corner for the elevators and before she realized it, she was face to face with Paul's girlfriend. She looked up at Eva with a look that said, “I know who you are, and I hope you aren't going to strike me.”

  Eva got over her own surprise quickly, looked the woman in the eyes and said, “Hi!” and continued on to the elevators. She smiled to herself as she waited, her back to the news stand, for the elevator to open. You don't mean anything to me today, she thought, and the idea of it made her feel light.

  When she stepped off the elevator, Marta was ready to go, purse in hand.

  “Hey, look at you with your hair fixed!” she said. “You look good.”

  “Aw, thanks.” She hugged Marta. “I got it done yesterday.”

  “Well, good for you. What's the occasion?” Marta was smart. Every bit as smart as she looked.

  “I had a meeting last night. I'll tell you about it in a minute. Let's get lunch first.” she pushed her to the elevators.

  “Okay, let's go! You must be starving,” she laughed.

  “Yeah, something like that,” she laughed.

  When they got to the restaurant, Eva looked up from her menu and smiled at Marta.

  “What?” she said. “Tell me what's up. I haven't seen that grin in a while. What put it on your face?”

  “Don't tell anyone, but I might have a new client. A new famous client.” She knew that would get Marta worked up.

  “Who? Tell me!” she was bouncing in her chair.

  “Okay, but seriously, it's a secret,” she knew she could trust Marta. “It's Dylan Moore.”

  “No way! What? Are you serious?” she was beside herself.

  “Yep. That's who the meeting was with last night,” Eva smiled, trying to keep her voice down.

  “You are too much. For real? Here? In Chicago?” Marta asked, still incredulous.

  “Yes. And it's a secret, alright? It's not a done deal, yet. He's going to call and let me know today.”

  “Wow. I can't believe it. No wonder you got your hair done. What's he like? Tell me all about him. Where did you meet him?” She was leaning forward, staring at Eva's mouth, like she was afraid she might miss a word.

  Eva laughed, and proceeded to spend the entire lunch reliving the evening, Marta interrupting with questions, wanting every little detail.

  When they were done with lunch, Marta stood up reluctantly. She had to get back to the office. She made Eva swear to call her tomorrow and let her know whether she got the job, or not. Eva agreed, hugging her and when they got to the street, they went their separate ways. As Eva was walking to the little bookstore she liked near the office, she realized this was the first time in a year she and Marta had talked about something other than Survivor or Paul.

  She browsed for some new books, taking her time, enjoying all the new titles she hadn't had any time lately to even buy, let alone read. She smiled at the New Arrivals shelf when she saw her book. Well, Cap's book. She tried not to get her hopes up too much, thinking several months from now, it might be Dylan's book on this very same shelf. She finally decided on three new books, paid for them and headed for the park to sit down and do some reading.

  She was so absorbed in her reading, she didn't see the man approaching her.

  “Hi, Eva,” she looked up to see Paul towering over her from above. She didn't say anything. “How are you?”

  “I'm fine, Paul,” she said. Not knowing what else to say, she looked back down and continued reading her book.

  “Listen, I'll leave you be. I just saw you sitting here and thought I'd ask about my clubs.” He sounded annoyed. He was bothering her, and he sounded annoyed.

  “I think they're in the storage locker in the garage. Can't you just use your key and get them?” she asked, her hand shielding her eyes against the sun as she looked up at him.

  “I guess so, if you're sure they're there. I don't want to waste a trip over and find out they're not there.”

  “Get them whenever. As far as I know, they're still there. Bye Paul,” she got up and walked away, leaving him standing there. She headed to the train and didn't look back.

  She got home and flopped down on the couch, taking a moment to process seeing Paul. What was he doing there? Maybe his girlfriend had called him and told him Eva was stalking her. Whatever. The whole thing was making her angry, and ruining an otherwise great afternoon. She picked up her phone and called Sarah. They spent the next hour discussing the entire thing, and then they spent another half hour discussing Dylan Moore.

  When she finally got off the phone, her hand stiff from holding it up to her ear for so long, she fixed herself some excuse for dinner and sat down to watch a reality show she had gotten involved in. This one was about an Italian American family at odds with one another. Escapism at it's finest. She let herself get sucked into the screaming match the tv family was having, and she almost didn't hear her phone ring.

  She made a leap for it. Los Angeles area code.

  “Hello?” she said, trying not to sound so....expectant.

  “Hey, Eva. It's Dylan,” he said. “Long time, no see.” She laughed.

  “Hi Dylan. How was your flight?” she asked, stretching out on the couch.

  “Oh you know, like any other flight. I fell asleep half way to L.A. Teddy woke me up to get in the car and I fell asleep again, so my trip is kind of a blur,” he said. “What exactly was the alcohol content on that beer you gave me?” He laughed and so did she. Then she winced, remembering he was technically underage.

  “It sounds like the perfect trip from Chicago to L.A. if you ask me,” she said.

  “How was your day?” he asked. She decided to skip the part about seeing her soon-to-be ex.

  “It was nice. I met up with a friend for lunch and bought some books to read in the park.”

  “That sounds nice. What kind of books do you like to read?” he asked. She laughed. “What?” he asked, half-laughing.

  “Do I ever get to interview you?” she asked.

  “Oh, I'm doing it again. Sorry! And yes, you do get to interview me. Do you still want to write my book?” he asked, serious again.

  “Yes. Of course. Are you serious? Do you really want to do this?” She was ready to burst.

  “Yes, absolutely. I think we'll make a good writing team,” he said. “Let's do it.”

  “Okay! Great! I'll let my publisher know and he can talk things over with Calvin and your lawyer.”

  “'Have your people call my people',” he laughed. “Okay, let's let them hammer all that stuff out for us. When would you like to start? Could we maybe get together next week?”

  “That would be fine. Do you want me out there?” she was mentally arranging her travel plans.

  “No, not out here. It's too crazy. Can we just meet at your place again? Like yesterday?” he asked.

  “Sure. That's fine. Same time?” she aske
d.

  “I'll try to schedule something earlier, if that's okay. Maybe 3 or 4 in the afternoon and maybe stay over. At a hotel, I mean,” he added quickly.

  “Okay, that sounds fine. I'll try to keep myself available so we can work around your schedule.”

  “Great. I don't have much scheduled until late October when I go back into the studio, “ he said.

  “Dylan, thank you for choosing me. I'm really flattered and happy about this,” she said, sincerely.

  “You're welcome, Eva. Thanks for taking it on. You're a good writer,” he said.

  “Thanks. So Wednesday. You'll call and let me know what time?”

  “Yeah. I'll call by Monday. I hope you have a good night and a great weekend,” he said.

  “You too, Dylan. Thanks again,” she said.

  After they hung up, she called the two people she knew she could trust, and told them her great news.

  Chapter Eight

  The next week Eva spent taking care of personal business so she would be free from distractions when the time came to get to work with Dylan. She hadn't talked to her lawyer about the status of her divorce in months. The last she heard, there had been no court date set, but all the paperwork had been filed. It was supposed to be simple because it was a “no fault” divorce. Eva laughed when her lawyer told her she should file no fault. No fault of hers, she felt like saying. She worked, so she wasn't asking for any alimony, and since there were no children, it was just a matter of going before a judge and making it final. Eva was nervous, but wanted it over with.

  She gave her a quick call, but had to leave a message. Aggravated, she called her agent, Jennifer to see if she had received any paperwork from Calvin regarding her book deal.

  “Hi, Eva. Well, yes I did receive something. I was planning on calling you. And congratulations! This is a prime assignment, you know. By the way, Capital T's book is hanging out at the number nine spot this week,” Jen said, waiting for a reaction.

  “You're kidding me,” Eva hadn't gotten the Sunday paper this past week. She usually read the bestseller list.

  “No, I'm definitely not kidding. Congratulations again! I need to take you out to lunch one of these days to celebrate,” she said. “Oh, and about that contract with Calvin for Dylan Moore? It looks pretty damn good. You're going to be doubling what you got for writing Capital's book, and they're offering 7% of net earnings, which aside from being a strange number, is unheard of.”

  She couldn't believe what they were offering her. Twice what she got for Cap's book. And 7% of net. That was insane. She told Jen she would come in and read through the contract and sign it on Monday, that way Dylan and Calvin would have it before he came in on Wednesday to start work on the book.

  After she got off the phone, she leaned back in her chair and thought about just how much money this could end up being. She grabbed her calculator and started trying to figure out how much she could potentially make. Even after the publisher's cut, Dylan's cut would be sweet if it sold a million copies, and her cut of Dylan's cut would be pretty damn sweet, too. In paperback, it could sell millions more. She felt shock, followed by excitement. She could be a bestselling writer living in anonymity. And that was okay by her.

  The weekend came, and Sarah called on Saturday morning. She wanted Eva to go out with her and Jack, and a friend. Of course, Eva knew “a friend” meant a blind date. She really appreciated Sarah fixing her up. After all, she just wanted to see her get over Paul. But she just wasn't up for a blind date. She used the excuse the divorce wasn't final yet, which sounded pitiful and ridiculous considering Paul had left a year ago, and set up house with another woman and a new baby.

  “Oh, come on! I want to go out with another couple. I'm sick of going out with just Jack!” Sarah said, exasperated.

  Eva laughed at her. “Aw, what's wrong with a romantic date, just you and Jack? That sounds nice to me.”

  “He's so boring. I love him, but who wants to go on a date with someone you see all the time? Besides, I already invited Jeremy. He'll feel weird going out on a date with Jack and me.”

  “Why didn't you ask me first, Sarah? Jeremy? Who is he, anyway?” she was curious.

  “He's really young, that's why I thought of you for him. I know how you like to rob cradles,” Sarah said.

  “Shut up, Sarah. Paul was two years older than me. How young is this guy? Does he work in editing?” Eva asked.

  “I think he said once he was 26, when we had a cake for him on his birthday. Yeah, he's an assistant editor, but I think he's going to move up quickly. He's a go-getter.”

  “Hmm. What's he look like?” Eva couldn't believe she was actually considering it.

  “He's cute. He's about 5'9”, decent body as far as I can tell. Blondish hair. I think his eyes are green or blue, but I can't remember. He's nice and he's smart. Come on, Eva. What are you going to do? Sit around the house all week waiting for the Teen Idol to come? Let's go out and celebrate! Silently celebrate, I mean. I haven't told anyone about your book deal,” Sarah was almost begging.

  “Okay, whatever. I'll go, I guess. But if I give you a signal, we have to cut the evening short,” Eva said, regretting her decision already. But really, it was just dinner. She needed to get out of the house. She'd been wired and excited lately, floating around in a daze over her own good fortune with this book deal.

  That night, she was running late getting dressed. She had decided to go grab a coffee out, and by the time she got back, it was almost 6. Sarah and Jack were coming downtown to pick her up at 7 and they had reservations at a hot new place for 7:30. Jeremy was meeting them there, since he lived near the restaurant.

  She had no idea what to wear. She didn't want to dress too sexy, and give this guy the wrong impression. But what if she really liked him? She finally found a black dress she liked and wore often. It was a simple dress and looked nice with some accessorizing. She spent a little time on her hair, a little more on her make-up, and waited for Jack and Sarah to come. She didn't feel particularly nervous going on this blind date, which seemed odd to her. She realized then she kind of didn't care. She knew she would have a nice time. Going out with Sarah and Jack was always fun, because they were fun people. But Jeremy, she knew already she wouldn't hit it off with him romantically. She felt a little guilty admitting this to herself. What if Jeremy was hoping she would miraculously turn out to be his soul mate? After all, knowing Sarah she had told him all about her, exaggerating all her positives, until it seemed crazy she was available at all. Eva groaned, then laughed. Boy, was this poor guy going to be disappointed. The phone rang. Sarah must be running late, as usual. This was going to throw off the dinner reservations and they'd probably spend hours driving around the city looking for a place to eat on Saturday night.

  She found her phone in the bedroom and picked it up. It was an L.A. area code.

  “Hello?” she said, tentatively.

  “Hi, Eva. It's Dylan. How are you?” she was taken aback. Why was he calling?

  “Hi, Dylan. I'm fine. You?” she said, still surprised.

  “Good. I had a good day. Some friends were in town yesterday, but they had to leave today. We went to a motocross track and rode. It was pretty cool. How's your weekend going? So far?” he laughed. He sounded nervous.

  “Oh fine. I'm..I've been lazy since I got back from L.A. I need to get a hobby or something,” she laughed and so did he.

  “Well, find a track in Illinois and I'll take you racing,”he said.

  “Oh, I can see that,” she said. “I tried to ride my bother's minibike once and ran into the side of the garage.” Dylan laughed.

  “I could teach you. You have a brother?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I do. He's out there, actually. He lives in Encinitas. I should go see him,” she said. She realized she didn't mind Dylan's questions anymore-she expected them.

  “Encinitas is cool. I've been there once or twice. We tried to surf-”she could hear the buzzer out in the hallway.

&nb
sp; “Oh Dylan, I've gotta go. I'm sorry,” she walked while talking, and buzzed them in, not taking the time to ask who it was. “I have this thing...my friend Sarah and her husband asked me out to dinner.”

  “Oh, okay. I don't want to hold you up,” he said, quickly. “Have a good time, Eva.”

  “I will,” she said. “Thanks for calling me, Dylan.” She wasn't sure why he'd called, but it made her smile. She wished she could just lay on the sofa and talk to him for a while.

  “You're welcome. Well, goodnight,” he said before hanging up.

  There was a knock on the door. Eva snapped out of her surprise at Dylan's unexpected call, and let Sarah and Jack in.

  “Hey!” she hugged them both.

  “You look nice! Who were you talking to?” Sarah and her big ears.

  “My agent Jen. Contract stuff,” Eva didn't know why she lied. She just wanted to keep the call to herself for a while.

  “Want to get going? You look nice, Eva. I like your hair,” Jack said, always sweet to her.

  “Thanks, Jack.” she said.

  “Your hair's gorgeous. I always liked that dress,” Sarah looked her up and down. “We better go. Jeremy's going to get there first and end up waiting for us to park.” Jeremy. Eva had almost forgotten about him. God, let the night be over quickly, and forgive me for not being this guy's soul mate.

  When they got to the restaurant, Jeremy was in fact waiting for them. He was cute, like Sarah had said. He was polite and listened to Eva when she talked, and smiled sweetly and laughed when she said something funny. But Eva knew after 10 minutes there was no spark. She didn't feel any attraction to him. None of his little mannerisms caught her off guard, and when he looked her in the eyes, her heart did nothing but continue it's steady, everyday beat. She felt bad for him. He probably was thinking he might get laid tonight.

  Sarah was telling him all about Eva's ghostwriting, being careful to leave out the famous names. She was telling him about Calvin, and how much he liked Eva, and how she was starting to make a name for herself with the music industry managers in L.A.