Page 90 of Coach Sully
“A couple of contractors from the show.” I’m not snitching.
“They’ve signed NDAs,” my lawyer adds.
“And this is all real?” another woman asks.
I nod. “Scoring with Sullywas about me finding love. I found it, but it wasn’t orchestrated with a dating show.”
“Why isn’t Kendra here?”
I clear my throat. “She, uh, she doesn’t know.”
“What the fuck? You can’t just offer a show featuring her as a main character and not get permission.”
Shaking my head, I respond, “Iwillget permission. I just need to know that you would consider running this instead. It’s a little different, but it’s real. It’s the true story.”
The ad exec. from before chuckles. “It’s scandalous, but damn, it’s kinda wholesome too.” The guy is wearing a big smile on his face; he’s seeing dollar signs. “I say we run it up the ladder. I think it’s got legs.”
“It’s worth a shot,” another one agrees. “Dating show love affair between the producer and hero?”
It may have been hidden, but it wasn’t an affair. It’s always been Kendra. She’s the one who insisted on it being secret, not me. “There’s enough footage to make viewers fall in love with her. We’re not letting her be the villain to the public. She’s adorable. She’s funny. Relatable and kind. People will fall in love with her, but I need to know that Kendra gets the final say oneverything. This is still her show. She’ll be the one to construct and control the narrative.”
One of their lawyers speaks up. “If we take the show, we aren’t paying extra. We already paid Vault. We have the footage, we’re not footing the bill for a show we already paid for.”
“We know you’ve already cut ties with Vault. We ask that you allocate the editing fees to cover final production,” my lawyer cuts in. I’ll fund this shit myself if I have to. “And if the show meets or exceeds the profit margins you anticipated forScoring with Sully, you stay on as the Rogues sponsor and honor the contract previously in place.”
“That’s going to be another discussion,” their lawyer responds.
“How long is it?” one of the executives asks.
“I’m told there’s enough to fill the season,” I answer. My knee bounces under the table. “We can start it like the dating show and transition into what really happened by adding more and more of Kendra.”
The creative director smiles at another exec. “Almost like a behind-the-scenes…”
“We can market it asrealreality tv, not manufactured like other networks.”My lawyer and I watch carefully as they discuss pros and cons in front of us. It’s sounding positive, so I keep my lips sealed.
One of the women nods and turns to me. “Get her to agree, and then let’s talk more… Who else knows about this?”
“A couple of cameramen and the editor. I think an assistant was involved too.”
“We’ll want whoever had part in making this demo.”
“I’ll get them,” I assure. They’re contractors. I’ll do whatever it takes.
Off to the side, one of the network liaisons mutters to the creative director, “Jeremy is gonna throw a fucking fit.”
They scoff and reply with “Any way we can get tickets to that show?”
“So, what are the next steps?” I ask.
“Next steps are getting Kendra on board. We can’t do anything until we get her to sign off on it.”
30 weeks pregnant
“Where are we going?” I ask, tapping my fingers on my thighs in the passenger seat. This isn’t the normal route he takes to the grocery store.
“You’re running errands with me,” he says, flashing a grin.
We must be stopping somewhere else first. I relax in my seat and trace his features with my gaze. Damn, he’s handsome. My staring is interrupted when he parks in front of a record store. Myfavoriterecord store.