"I just," I started, covering my heart with my hand to keep it from exploding. "I need to talk to Drew again. There's something I have to tell him."
"You can tell him later." Alexis waved me away as if my request was trivial.
If I wait, he'll give away my proposal. "I just need one minute."
I pushed past Alexis and ran out the door, just in time to see Drew shut the door of a black SUV and drive away. Leaving me to watch the taillights.
I was too late.
My shoulders sagged and I fought back tears as I trudged back to the hotel room where Alexis was waiting for me.
"What's wrong, Kate?" Alexis asked.
I wiped at the tear that had trickled down my cheek. "I needed to tell Drew something."
"That you're in love with him?" Alexis crossed her arms.
I nodded, unable to speak from the sadness drowning me.
Alexis stepped forward, setting her hands on my shoulders. "It's just a fake proposal. It's not the end of the world, sweetie."
My breath hitched in my throat as more tears threatened to spill. "But I love him."
Alexis gave me an understanding smile. "I know."
"You do?"
"I'm not blind. Watching people fall in love is kind of my job." Alexis shrugged.
"Then why are you telling him to do this?"
She let her hands drop and took a seat on the chair Drew had occupied earlier. "Ratings. It's all about the ratings. Though, to be honest, I would much prefer to have a real proposal instead of a fake one. But such is life. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm in here because I wanted to talk to you about your screenplay."
My heart stopped. "My screenplay?"
"Yes. I finished it. Sorry things were a little crazy these past few weeks."
I braced myself for the blow. Usually it wasn't a good sign if it took more than a couple of weeks for someone to read your screenplay from start to finish.
"I loved it!" Alexis said.
I did a double take of Alexis's smiling expression, not believing my ears had heard her right.
"You l-loved it?"
"It's exactly what I've been looking for.” Alexis beamed. “I've already read through it three times. I just wanted to be sure of something before I talked to you."
Sure of what? That I would let Drew follow through with the fake proposal?
But when Alexis spoke, I realized that wasn't it at all. "I showed it to my colleague, Dana Prince, and she is really interested in it, too. We'd love to talk about it over lunch sometime soon. My schedule should free up once the season ends next month, and then I'd like to see what we can make happen for your screenplay."
My hands and fingers went numb about halfway through Alexis's speech. Was this really happening? I sat on the bed before my knees gave out. I knew my face had gone pale.
Alexis smiled knowingly at me. "It really was great. You have a lot of talent."
I nodded, trying to loosen my tongue. But all I could think about was the fact thatTheDana Prince wanted to be part of this. Dana Prince was like royalty when it came to directors.
I swallowed. “Yes, lunch would be great.”
Alexis grinned, and somehow, I knew this wasn't the first time Alexis had surprised someone with this kind of news. "I'll talk to Dana when we get back to Burbank and we'll set something up."
I nodded dumbly, still in shock. Someone wanted my screenplay. Not just someone. Alexis Olley and Dana Prince wanted my screenplay!
"Anyway," Alexis said, adjusting her purse on her arm. "We have a proposal to watch. Let's go. It's almost sunset."