he said teasingly.
“How well, do you know this man, Natalie?” her mother asked with blatant curiosity.
“He’s just a friend, you guys!” Natalie insisted, backing out of the driveway. They both laughed.
As she headed toward the freeway she sincerely hoped that there wasn’t too much similarity between Naomi and her…at least as far as her interaction with Jake.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JAKE
“The early reviews are in and they loved it.”
Jake was with Martha at Kelly’s again. He was digging into a Spanish omelette, nodding his head after taking a full bite. He washed it down with a gulp of black coffee.
“That’s great,” he said. “So why the big secret to lure me down here again? You know you don’t have to play coy if you just want to check out my body, Martha,” he teased.
“Don’t make talk you can’t follow up on, sonny,” she chided. “If you’d seen me in my heyday, you would be putting your money where your mouth is.”
Jake laughed in response, enjoying the banter. He really was curious, though. Martha had called with some “good news” that he “probably might not like.” Whatever that meant.
“So I guess that’s the ‘good news?’ ” he said. “So what am I not going to like then?”
Martha pursed her lips and gave him a speculative look. Finally she sighed and said, “They want you to do a book tour.”
Jake dropped the fork full of egg and potato and leaned back in his seat. He brought his head back with a groan. “I knew I shouldn’t have come here this morning.”
Then he brought his head up to look at her accusingly. “You’re going to try and talk me into it aren’t you? That’s why you wanted to meet me face to face; butter me up with breakfast, try and sweet talk me into it?” he charged.
“Well it’s your own fault for coming out of the closet, so to speak,” she replied. “Now that they have a face, people are hungry to know more about the man behind it.”
“If I say no?” he prodded.
“It’s your right,” she said, matter-of-factly, “but don’t you think the people who support you deserve a little something in return? And besides, what is it to you? You get to fly to the best cities in the country and stay at nice hotels, all on Wright’s bill. Think of it like a vacation.”
“A vacation full of people with nothing better to do than come hang out at bookstores and hear me read a page from my book,” he grumbled.
“Hey!” Martha said sharply, “These are your fans. They pay your bills, sonny. More importantly, they pay my bills. I won’t have you putting them down.”
Jake put his hands up, appropriately chastised.
“Who knows,” she said, settling back, “maybe you’ll meet someone special…or run into someone special?” She gave him a mischievous look.
He went back to focusing on his half eaten omelette to avoid responding to that.
“Listen, I was only supposed to use this card if you were reluctant, but it looks like Hollywood is finally jumping on the Nick Zane bandwagon and there may or may not be talks about a movie,” she hinted.
“I’m supposed to be happy about some studio ripping my novels a new one?” he asked, incredulously. “I’d be surprised if the result even remotely resembled my book.”
“Well the more cooperative you are with everyone, the more creative control you’ll have in the end,” she said. “The tour ends in L.A. where you’ll get a chance to meet with some studio execs and it will all go from there.”
Jake took a bite of his omelette, pondering that last bit. Los Angeles. That’s where Natalie lived. Maybe she’d even come to one of the signing events. Maybe he’d have time to seek her out, take her to dinner or something. He wondered if she still looked the way he remembered. These days the line between Naomi and Natalie become slightly blurred.
“I thought that might pique your interest,” Martha said,
“How well, do you know this man, Natalie?” her mother asked with blatant curiosity.
“He’s just a friend, you guys!” Natalie insisted, backing out of the driveway. They both laughed.
As she headed toward the freeway she sincerely hoped that there wasn’t too much similarity between Naomi and her…at least as far as her interaction with Jake.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JAKE
“The early reviews are in and they loved it.”
Jake was with Martha at Kelly’s again. He was digging into a Spanish omelette, nodding his head after taking a full bite. He washed it down with a gulp of black coffee.
“That’s great,” he said. “So why the big secret to lure me down here again? You know you don’t have to play coy if you just want to check out my body, Martha,” he teased.
“Don’t make talk you can’t follow up on, sonny,” she chided. “If you’d seen me in my heyday, you would be putting your money where your mouth is.”
Jake laughed in response, enjoying the banter. He really was curious, though. Martha had called with some “good news” that he “probably might not like.” Whatever that meant.
“So I guess that’s the ‘good news?’ ” he said. “So what am I not going to like then?”
Martha pursed her lips and gave him a speculative look. Finally she sighed and said, “They want you to do a book tour.”
Jake dropped the fork full of egg and potato and leaned back in his seat. He brought his head back with a groan. “I knew I shouldn’t have come here this morning.”
Then he brought his head up to look at her accusingly. “You’re going to try and talk me into it aren’t you? That’s why you wanted to meet me face to face; butter me up with breakfast, try and sweet talk me into it?” he charged.
“Well it’s your own fault for coming out of the closet, so to speak,” she replied. “Now that they have a face, people are hungry to know more about the man behind it.”
“If I say no?” he prodded.
“It’s your right,” she said, matter-of-factly, “but don’t you think the people who support you deserve a little something in return? And besides, what is it to you? You get to fly to the best cities in the country and stay at nice hotels, all on Wright’s bill. Think of it like a vacation.”
“A vacation full of people with nothing better to do than come hang out at bookstores and hear me read a page from my book,” he grumbled.
“Hey!” Martha said sharply, “These are your fans. They pay your bills, sonny. More importantly, they pay my bills. I won’t have you putting them down.”
Jake put his hands up, appropriately chastised.
“Who knows,” she said, settling back, “maybe you’ll meet someone special…or run into someone special?” She gave him a mischievous look.
He went back to focusing on his half eaten omelette to avoid responding to that.
“Listen, I was only supposed to use this card if you were reluctant, but it looks like Hollywood is finally jumping on the Nick Zane bandwagon and there may or may not be talks about a movie,” she hinted.
“I’m supposed to be happy about some studio ripping my novels a new one?” he asked, incredulously. “I’d be surprised if the result even remotely resembled my book.”
“Well the more cooperative you are with everyone, the more creative control you’ll have in the end,” she said. “The tour ends in L.A. where you’ll get a chance to meet with some studio execs and it will all go from there.”
Jake took a bite of his omelette, pondering that last bit. Los Angeles. That’s where Natalie lived. Maybe she’d even come to one of the signing events. Maybe he’d have time to seek her out, take her to dinner or something. He wondered if she still looked the way he remembered. These days the line between Naomi and Natalie become slightly blurred.
“I thought that might pique your interest,” Martha said,
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