“Yes, exactly. So what’s left to figure out?”
“Well, with that scenario, I’m only doing local marketing, which is limited in and of itself. But also, Harvey never advertised the children’s programs, only the availability of the theater. I don’t mind advertising your specific shows locally. I want you to succeed. But when Jett brought up having an attorney draft a legal partnership agreement to avoid any potential conflicts in the future, it got me thinking of so many other things we can do. What if we tried to blow this out of the water and really make a name for ourselves?”
“I thought we agreed on a soft launch.”
“We did, and I think we should still do exactly that. But we both hope that what we’re starting will develop into a business as well-known as the children’s productions, where we sell out a year in advance.”
Harper sighed. “That’s our pipe dream.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Tegan said eagerly. “When we first talked, I was nervous about jumping in and screwing up because I’ve never had formal training to run a business, and I worried about letting you down. But after working with Jett on the business plan, I realized my ideas are not only viable but really good and might be worth trying. Not that I want fame or fortune to be our goal, but I would love to earn fame and recognition for you as a screenwriter and producer. Jett had a lot of great ideas, including holding the productions in the big house if there’s bad weather, and that got me thinking about your vision of one day hosting winter productions. And that made me wonder about other things, like what if you decide to make the productions interactive at some point?”
“Like mystery theater?”
“I haven’t thought it through, but yeah, something like that.”
“It’s a cool idea, but nothing too dark—more like mystery with a romantic and humorous twist. Cozy mystery/romance theater. Now, that sounds awesome!”
“There are so many things we can do by bringing in the idea of using the house—”
“And it would feel even more intimate and special. We could do a special holiday production. I love this, but that’s your home, Tegan. Where would you live?”
“In Jock’s old cottage behind the house. I haven’t made the decision to move there, but I’ve spent the last day and a half trying not to think about Jett, so I’ve had time to think about all the things we could do with the house. It would alleviate the issues of bad weather completely. No canceled or delayed shows or messing with tents. But if we did that, I’d have to renovate, and that takes money. The whole thing takes money, but I think I’d only renovate if we really wanted to make this happen on a bigger scale, which brings me to some of my other ideas, like advertising off the Cape—in Boston, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island. I started thinking about all the possibilities. I know we’re starting small with the soft launch at the end of the summer, but we could build buzz this year and get people excited for next year.”
“That’s a great idea,” Harper exclaimed. “Since I’ve been writing for the newspaper, I’ve made lots of media contacts. I could reach out to them about doing a review of the launch show. I know it’s dreaming big, but I would love it if our shows became the kind everyone hears about and wants to get in on. I don’t care about the money we earn, but it’s hard work writing the plays and putting them together.”
“I agree. My friend Penny, back home, is a social media genius. She taught me all the ins and outs of it. I bet she’d have ideas about how to market the theater as exclusive so it stands apart from others.”
“That’s awesome. But, Tegan, how do you feel about all of this? It sounds like it would be a lot of money. I have some capital to kick in, as I mentioned before, although it’s more expensive to put productions together than I thought it would be. I know you said you don’t want to split the profits, but if we do this, you have to. There’s no two ways about it.”
“I know. That’s the other thing Jett brought up. If we move in this direction, then this first year we’re going to spend a lot more than we thought. But you have your wedding coming up, and I don’t want to put pressure on you in any way. We can wait and see how things go this summer and next, and then maybe try to go bigger if we think it’ll work. But if we do decide to try to move forward in a bigger way now, and work toward building a program the way we’re talking about, then we should have a legal partnership agreement in place, because there are so many opportunities for conflict. Jett threw a few out there, like what if we succeed and we sell out a year in advance for the next few years, and then you decide to take your productions elsewhere?”
“I’d never do that.”
“I don’t think you would, but that’s the type of situation Jett brought up that’s probably smart for us to address in writing. What if I decide I don’t want to run the amphitheater anymore? Or you get a better offer than Trey, but you get it because of all the marketing and outreach we’ve done? I’m not looking for money, or to own the rights to your productions, but at the same time—”
“We both have to be protected,” Harper said emphatically. “Tegan, we’re doing this together. I’d never cut you out of a deal, no matter how big or small, and I have no issue putting it all in writing. We’re both taking huge risks. You’re taking a risk on my writing and production skills, and you’re talking about moving out of your home and renovating it to make this program work. I’m taking a risk by putting all my time and energy into the writing and production of the shows and relying on your ability to market, coordinate, and run the business. It’s a joint venture. We’re in this together, and we should share any deal that comes through. In my eyes, there’s no alternative.”
“Okay, but maybe you should think about it. I haven’t decided about the house yet, but if we don’t use it, there are the options we talked about for permanent tentlike structures.”
“They could work, too. But hold on. You’re leaving at the end of October. What happens then?”
“Hopefully by then most of what I’m doing can be handled remotely, but we’d probably have to hire someone to be on site for each show, especially if we do them this winter. I don’t think we should start winter shows until next year, to give us a chance to really build buzz and work out all the kinks. I thought we could talk about all of our options and also about what happens if we decide to try and we fail.”
“We are not going to fail,” Harper insisted.
“I know, but Jett hammered the contingency thing into my head pretty hard.”
Harper chuckled. “What else did he hammer hard?”
“We are not going there!” Tegan gave her a playful shove.
“Okay, fine. Geez.”
“Would you want me asking about how Gavin is in bed?” Tegan lifted her brows.
“Heck no. I can hardly believe that gorgeous stud muffin is going to be my husband in less than two weeks. We’d better get down to business or I’m going to start gushing about him.”
Tegan laughed. “Okay, but are you sure you don’t want more time to think about it?”
“Yes. I already know how well we work together from our hours of FaceTime. We’re good together, Tegan. I’m in.”
Over the next few hours they hashed out all the details, from business to finances. They worked through each of the scenarios Jett had mentioned as potential conflicts, and a few more of their own ideas. Tegan took thorough notes, jotting down everything they could think of that should go into a legal agreement. They agreed that she should talk to the attorney Harvey had used for the business about drafting an agreement.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m elated with this new direction,” Harper exclaimed.
“Me too. I have a great feeling about this,” Tegan said as she put her coat on.
“Wait. We didn’t talk about names for our partnership.”
“Oh, right. Any ideas? How about Wheeler Fine Productions?”
“That’s so formal.” Harper’s eyes widened. “I’ve got it! How about Two Hot Babes Dreaming Bi
g?”
They both laughed.
“More like Two Hot Babes Making It Big,” Tegan said.
“I love that one. Who will see the name of the company?”
Tegan shrugged. “I’m not sure. But that’s a good point. If we do succeed, media outlets might mention the company name. Maybe we should go with something simple, like Bayside Productions?”
“Oh my gosh. I’ve got it! We can pay homage to Jett for sparking the idea and call it Fine Wheeler Bayside Productions. FWB Productions!”
They both burst in hysterics.
“He’d never even know if we called it by the whole name and not FWB!” Harper said. “Come on, we should do it! It’s so fun!”
“No way! I can’t do that. What if things end badly between me and him? Then I’d always have an icky feeling when I saw the name of the company.”
“Okay, fine,” Harper relented.
“Wheeler Fine Productions is a good name, don’t you think?”
Harper bumped her with her shoulder and said, “How about Fine Wheeler?”
Tegan sighed, and then they both said, “Bayside Productions.”
“See?” Harper said. “We’re great business partners. I’m so glad you hooked up with Jett.”
“I know why I’m glad we hooked up, but why are you glad?”
“Because if you guys hadn’t gotten together and worked on the business plan, we might never have come to this decision.” Harper hugged her and said, “I can’t wait to hear what other ideas you come up with after your sexy wedding weekend!”
Tegan’s pulse raced at the thought of another night with Jett. “He’s flying in the morning of your wedding and leaving the next, so we’ll only have one night together, not a whole weekend. And after two weeks apart, I’d imagine the only talking we’ll be doing is hot-and-dirty pillow talk. Sorry, Harp, but there’s no way I’ll share that with you.”
“Pillow Talk Productions has a nice ring to it,” Harper teased.
“Oh my gosh. I’m leaving now.”
Tegan laughed all the way to the car. She loved her and Jett’s pillow talk, and now she missed being in his arms, kissing him and being kissed by him, even more. She wanted to see his face, to feel the way he made her giddy, dizzy, or just plain hot. As she fastened her seatbelt, she remembered how her heart had leapt when Jett had appeared at her window during the storm. God, she missed him. She reached for her phone, and debated texting to share her news. She wanted to call, to hear him laugh at Harper’s FWB name suggestion, and to hear him make a snarky, sexy comment in response.
But calling crossed lines that might send him running for the hills.
He might not have the time or the desire for a relationship, but he had texted her when he was in a business meeting. Was he making space for a real friendship, or just keeping the lines open enough for their sexy trysts?
Ugh! Being friends with benefits was supposed to be easy.
She nixed the idea of calling but thumbed out a text. Thanks for the business advice. Harper and I are moving forward in a new and exciting direction. She set the phone down and started the car, surprised when her phone vibrated seconds later and Jett’s name flashed on the screen. I didn’t know you swung both ways. You good?
She sat in Harper’s driveway staring at those last two words.
She typed, Yes, just missing my friend. How about you? A little voice in her head told her not to send the message, that it was too much too soon. But she pushed that little blue arrow anyway, gripping the phone like a lifeline and watching the screen for his response. Two minutes passed, four, five…
Anxiety swam in her belly as she put the car into gear, and his response rolled in—Missing my benefits.
Swallowing hard against that cold reality slap, she shoved her phone in her bag and headed home.
Chapter Sixteen
JETT SAT AT the desk in the office of his luxurious LA penthouse suite Friday evening poring over the financial history of a company Jonas had brought to him as a potential investment, but no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, his thoughts circled back to Tegan. He missed talking to her, hearing the hope and happiness in her voice. She was a bright light in a world that had been gray for so long, he had no idea what to do with the plethora of things she made him feel or think about. He’d thought not texting for the last two days would help clear his head, but he’d still thought about her every damn minute. He couldn’t stop wondering if she was seeing Bryson. Wasting her gorgeous smile on him. Or on fucking Jack the jock. Was he the one she’d been fielding texts from during the storm? As if that wasn’t enough to sidetrack him, on the heels of all those thoughts came images of the devastation in the community in which he’d grown up.
He’d been so far off his game this week, when he’d spoken with Leslie Carlisle about selling Carlisle Enterprises, which she and her brother had taken over after their father had passed away, he kept hearing Tegan in Leslie’s nostalgic reasons for not selling. Before getting to know Tegan, Jett would have had a dozen sharp rebuttals spilling from his lips without a second thought about Leslie’s feelings. But he’d stumbled, remembering how important it was to Tegan to carry on her great-uncle’s legacy.
His phone rang, and his grandmother’s name flashed on the screen. He picked it up, glad for the distraction, and said, “How’s the coolest grandmother at LOCAL?”
“She’s wondering why the heck she had to hear about her grandson’s girlfriend from his mother.”
“Christ,” he muttered under his breath. “Please disregard anything Mom said. Tegan’s a good friend, not my girlfriend.”
“Is that what you kids call it nowadays?” Rose teased.
He imagined his grandmother’s blue-gray eyes dancing with amusement and said, “We’re not having this conversation, Gram. How are you?”
“I’d be better if you had brought your blond beauty to meet me.”
“I just told you—”
“Save your breath, Jetty. Even your father said he saw starry eyes.”
“Wishful thinking on his part. Tegan wasn’t starry-eyed. If anything, he saw reflections of the daggers he and I cast toward each other. Tegan was probably trying to figure out why she’d agreed to come with me.”
“He wasn’t talking about Tegan.”
“Nice try, Gram. You can stop fishing for details, because I’m not taking the bait.”
“I don’t fish, honey. Emmie told me you spent a couple of days with your new friend when everyone else thought you’d left the Cape.” Rose had been an active mother and grandmother and had loved gardening. But years of suffering from scoliosis and disc issues had left her wheelchair bound. And then she’d met Emery—Emmie. As a yoga-back-care specialist, Emery had been able to develop a program for Rose and worked with her several times a week to help her get on her feet again. It had been two and a half years since they’d begun working together, and Rose was able to once again enjoy gardening and even dancing, as long as she was careful.
“I think my personal life should be off-limits to the Bayside grapevine.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Rose said. “I want to know all about the woman who can compete with your business.”
“There is no competition for business,” he said far more casually than he felt.
“Says the man who wakes up thinking about his next big takeover. Speaking of which, what thoughts are you waking up to these days?”
He closed his eyes, laughing softly. His grandmother wasn’t afraid to talk about sex, drugs, or anything else she had on her mind. “Please don’t.”
“There’s my answer. You’re thinking of Tegan,” she said. “It’s about time you got a little lovin’ in your life. You’re a smart, virile young man, and from what I hear, Tegan is quite a catch.”
“She’s great, Gram, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Great is a useless word. Tell me what you really think of her, and then I promise not to ask you any more questions.”
The
re was an unspoken agreement between them that anything they told each other went no further. Rose had been honest with him about falling out of love with his grandfather because of how bitter and mean he’d become and how she’d been disappointed in Jett’s father for following in his father’s footsteps. When Jett’s father had started trying to change this last time, Rose had been just as mistrustful of his efforts as Jett was. She’d since embraced his father’s changes, but she’d never once pushed Jett to come to the same decision. He trusted his grandmother, and as he thought about Tegan, he realized he trusted her, too.
“She’s different from other women,” he relented, but he had been trying so hard not to think about Tegan, he had a difficult time articulating all the things that made her different, so he said the first thing that came to mind. “She can’t dance, but she dances like she’s on a stage, proud to be seen.”
“I like her already.”
“She loves to eat, especially ice cream, and she isn’t afraid to say no.”
“I bet you’re not used to that,” she said teasingly.
“Gram,” he said sternly. “Family means a lot to her. She doesn’t go on and on about them the way some people do, but she gets this look on her face when she talks about them. You can feel her love for them. She inherited her uncle’s theater business, and she’s more interested in doing a good job to uphold his reputation than her own, and she would rather drive the beat-up car her uncle gave her forever ago than the newer, nicer one he left her.” He felt himself smiling and said, “Her brain works in crazy ways, but she’s so smart, Gram. Probably smarter than me in many ways. And there’s this goodness about her that makes you want to be around her, to be more like her. She worked all day in the cold, damp weather after the storm and never once complained or acted like she’d rather be somewhere else. Her sense of humor is cute and snarky. She’s not afraid to call me on my shit. I like that a lot. When she talks, I want to hear every word she says, and man, is she sexy. Unforgettable, really.”
Bayside Fantasies (Bayside Summers Book 6) Page 21
