“Yeah, I saw it. What’d she have, a scheduling conflict with the talking head?”
Mitch pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it, then put it back. “So, what can I do for you, now that we’ve connected?”
“I met with the executive committee this week, like I told you.”
“You were going to let them know that Eve was signing on, the show was staying in Atlanta, and she would be able to keep her team.” He glanced at the deal memo, where each point was laid out.
“Yeah. So about that.”
Something in his voice caused a cold dart of apprehension to shoot through Mitch’s belly. “Yes?”
“You know how NBC has Leno and CBS has Letterman?”
Was there anyone in the country who didn’t? “Yes.”
“The executive committee thinks that Eve has the potential to go national on that level. Instead of this daytime TV thing, they think she should do late-night. Dr. Phil and Oprah and the soaps pretty much have daytime wrapped up in the big markets, so CWB is looking to establish itself in the late slot.”
Mitch took a deep breath. “Have they considered they’ll lose Eve’s primary demographic? Those viewers who tune in during the day aren’t going to stay up until eleven.”
Nelson started to say something, but Mitch cut him off. “And what about our plan to grow slowly? Eve totally bought into that. It was our primary differentiator over SBN and CBS. Which, by the way, aren’t going to propose she go late-night. They want her for the daytime, where she’s been successful. You run the risk of her backing out and choosing them. You know that, right?”
“The executive committee has more faith in her than you do, it seems,” Nelson told him. “It’s your job to keep her from signing with anyone else. Get her signature on that deal memo today, so she can’t back out. And then tell her that she’s going to need to move her show to New York after all. We can’t compete with Letterman right down the street unless she’s here.”
“She’s not going to go,” Mitch said coldly. “You’re reneging on every point that made us attractive.”
“You’ll have to work harder. I know you have it in you, Hayes. And what are you thinking about her for? You need to think about you. Your career. And what a coup like this is going to do for it.”
“A coup like this is going to turn me into a liar and make me lose every atom of trust I’ve managed to build up here, Nelson.” Mitch’s voice deepened with conviction. “She trusts me on a personal level, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have so many good friends that I can afford to alienate them.”
“I just bet you’re good friends,” Nelson said with satisfaction. “I knew you’d take my advice and romance her. Well, playtime’s over. Now it’s time you justified your paycheck.”
“Listen, Nelson. I want to fly back and pitch the executive committee personally, okay? There has to be a way to make them see how counterproductive this is.”
“You crazy? I’m not about to authorize all that travel, even if they’d listen to you.”
“At least set up a time for me to talk to them. I know you don’t care one way or the other, as long as she signs. So what can it hurt?”
“It’ll hurt me when they see you’re wasting their time,” Nelson said. “You’ll be lucky to get a phone call. Don’t even think about flying back here.”
“All I need is fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll see what they say. I’m telling you, you’re beating a dead horse.”
And he hung up, leaving Mitch with a dead connection and a sick sense of loss around his heart.
16
EVE SHOWERED AND dressed carefully for the evening in a halter sundress that evoked the forties while emphasizing her curves in all the right places. Mitch could resign himself to enjoying the unbound look in private. When she was out in public, she had an image to maintain, and the bra that went under this dress gave her such great cleavage he’d probably be able to make do.
With a smile, she applied a touch more mascara, clipped on garnet earrings (When had Grandpa Calvert bought them for Nana? Had it been an anniversary? Their wedding?) and settled down at the dining table with the mail while she waited.
Electricity bill. Cell phone. Internet connection. Lot’O’Bucks. She ripped it open, scanned it and sighed.
Something to fax over to Jenna on Monday. That’s all they needed: a ticking clock to bump up the stress another level. Here she was, in one of the most difficult periods of her life, when a woman gathered her friends around her and gained strength from their support. Jane had Perry now, so it was natural that she think of him and what he needed first, rather than her friends. Same with Nicole. Liza was so far away from them emotionally that Eve sometimes wondered if friendship was possible anymore, even if they came to some agreement about the lottery money.
She could use Liza’s unconventional, no-holds-barred approach to life right now. How had it come to this? She, the relationship guru, couldn’t hang on to even her oldest friendship to save her life.
Even Mitch had withdrawn emotionally-not a lot, but enough to be noticeable-when she’d brought up the subject of where they might go from here. Because of course he’d have to return to New York eventually. Would they have a long-distance affair? Doable, but not very convenient on those nights when she was feeling sexy and ready to jump him the minute he walked in the door.
Like now, for instance.
Where was he? It was nearly six-half an hour after he’d said he’d come back.
Do not call, she told herself firmly. Don’t go all clingy on him. He ran into traffic, that’s all. Not surprising on a Saturday evening.
The phone rang with a suddenness that made her jump. Don’t be Mitch, saying you’re not coming.
“Hi darlin’, it’s Grandmother.”
“Hi!”
“Don’t sound so surprised. Do you have a minute to chat?”
So far, Charlotte hadn’t been much for chatty phone calls. Maybe this was a sign that their relationship was about to become closer. That could only be good.
“Of course. I’m just waiting for Mitch to show up. He’s late, so you can keep me from throwing ornaments at the front door while I wait.”
“Mitch. He’s the young man you brought to dinner?”
As if she didn’t know. Eve murmured in the affirmative.
“He didn’t strike me as a man who would keep you waiting long. I saw how he looked at you. Is he going to be The One?”
That surprised a chuckle out of Eve. “I have no idea, Grandmother. I sort of brought up the future earlier today and he vanished. He said he had business to do, but I think he’s having a cave moment.”
“Let him have it, then. He’ll come around.”
“I’m wearing a tangerine sundress. If that doesn’t do the job, I’m taking it back.”
Her grandmother laughed. Maybe this was the moment of change in a relationship that, if cordial, hadn’t exactly had those moments of closeness and companionship that had marked her relationship with Nana. Although, she’d only seen Charlotte a couple of times a year, and she’d lived with Nana. Allowances had to be made. But all the same, hearing her grandmother laugh like that was almost worth the risk of revealing her hopes and fears.
If you couldn’t trust your family with your inmost self, who could you trust?
Hold that thought. “I went to Mirabel today,” she blurted with no lead-in whatsoever.
A careful silence hissed gently on the line. “Did you, now? And what did you think?”
“It was lovely. Smaller than I expected. Wonderful grounds, though. Grandmother, how come we never talk about our family?”
“You obviously haven’t spent enough time with Roy and Anne, honey pie.”
“They talk about ancestors and people from eighty years ago. I’m talking about what it was like recently. You know, when Dad and Roy were kids.”