“The girl in the link. I want her to sign with Jail Records and I want you to come with me.”
The grin on Aaron’s face makes me think it’s no coincidence that she discovered this singer.
“I work for Aaron now. You can’t just come in here and expect me to give up everything to come with you,” she retorts, almost offended by my proposal.
I think back to her last text, the one with the cutting remark about being an assistant, and I feel guilty for not giving an answer immediately instead of disappearing and showing up here. I tried to write it several times, to explain, to apologize, to justify myself but nothing I was trying to express made sense. So, in the end, I gave up and did the most sensible thing: I came to Los Angeles to talk to her in person.
“I’ve fired you several times. You can go back to him whenever you want.”
The words don’t even leave Aaron’s lips, and Emily explodes in fury. “I’m not a package that you two can exchange, okay? It doesn’t work like that. First Evan fires me, then you hire me to keep me busy, then you fire me six times because you got tired of me. I don’t know what you’re used to getting away with, but you can’t play with people’s lives without them having a say.”
The anger radiating from her words is like a shock penetrating my skin. An angry Emily is hard to handle, especially when her anger is completely justified.
“I was wrong, okay? I was wrong to fire you, and I need you,” I confess, unloading a burden I couldn’t carry anymore. I need her in so many ways that I don’t even know where to start explaining it to her.
“Say it again but with more conviction.” She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow.
I kneel in front of her, and a small smile escapes her lips before she recomposes herself. “I was wrong to fire you. I was angry and acted on impulse. You have a way of bringing out my irrational side, and I do stupid things. But I need you. I need you to forgive me and come back to workwithme, or I won’t accomplish anything good in my career. I need you to come with me to Nebraska and convince that girl to sign. Not just as an assistant. I want you to help me land this contract as my partner.” I’m still on my knees when I see her struggling to hold back a smile.
My brother is openly chuckling. If nothing else, this whole incident has loosened up the relationship between him and me.
“Partners?” She raises an inquisitive eyebrow.
“Yes, I still don’t know how to legally define this thing, but I promise we’ll figure it out together as equals. Not as an assistant.”
She seems to light up for a second before schooling her face in a cool expression. “Okay, you were quite convincing. But you’ll pay for all travel expenses. And I guarantee you I will buy whatever I want.” She finally gives in.
“Whatever you want,” I promise her as I get up.
“You just got yourself into the most expensive mess of your life,” my brother teases me.
“It’s worth it,” I say without ever moving my gaze away from the woman who makes me lose my mind.
Finally, Emily’s sincere smile spreads across her face, and I breathe a sigh of relief. When I came here, I wasn’t sure I could convince her. I hoped, but I’d made such a big mess that, in all sincerity, I would have struggled to forgive myself.
“I’ll explain to Hannah what she needs to do before leaving. I can’t go without giving her some direction,” she announces before turning to Aaron. “And you, can you please not scare her to death? She trembles in your presence. You need her. She might find you the next biggest series of the decade.”
Aaron shakes his head. “You talk as if I terrorize people all the time.”
“That is exactly what you do on a regular basis.” I look at him in disbelief.
“That’s not true,” he protests, almost offended.
I don’t think he fully realizes the psychological impact he has on the people who work here. He is genuinely convinced he doesn’t scare his employees.
Emily rolls her eyes and walks away to talk to the girl.
“Don’t let her go this time.” Aaron smiles at me as he leans across his desk.
“I’ll do my best. And thank you. I don’t think I would have been able to forgive myself if she had gone to work for someone else.”
Aaron smiles and waves dismissively. “Can you leave now? Before you came in, I was doing something important.”
“You’re always doing something important. Your life is a series of important events,” I tease.
“You should know—you’re exactly like me.” He smiles genuinely, emphasizing the veiled compliment. Aaron doesn’t show his appreciation easily.
My chest swells with pride; he wouldn’t be handing out praise just to make me feel better. If he said it, he meant it, and I’m so pleased by it I stare at him in disbelief. He looks amused. Maybe he doesn’t even realize that he’s finally managed to give me a compliment. I nod, unable to speak, and leave the room recharged with a smile on my face.