Showbiz, A Novel
Page 23
Once the dust had settled, Lawrence and Scarlett had decided to start their own production company, Scarlett Productions, Inc. It was a big, terrifying step, but Scarlett knew it was now or never if she wanted to make a go at being a Broadway producer in her own right. Luckily, she had lots of support.
“Got any more calls for me, boss?” Lawrence shouted from the desk he had parked himself at in the front room. He’d been more than generous with his time, as well as substantial start-up funds, getting Scarlett Productions, Inc. up and running. He wasn’t willing to give up his jet-setting life for a day job, and would be around when she needed him, she knew.
She and Lawrence had pieced together a list of as many of Margolies’ regular investors as they could track down to let them know that, though Margolies was gone, they were invited to join Swan Song or other future musical-theater projects of Scarlett Productions, Inc.
Fortunately, most of Margolies’ investors knew both of them well and were only too happy to take their calls that week. While a few funders had run for the hills, in light of the massive Olympus losses and the IRS sniffing around, most were eager to back a winner and start making some of their money back.
“I just finished with my last call. That’s it for today,” Scarlett said, as she crossed the last name off her call list.
“I’m meeting some friends for a restaurant opening in Grammercy tonight. Care to join us?” Lawrence asked, pulling on his expensive-looking leather jacket.
“Would these ‘friends’ happen to be females of the fashion model variety?” Scarlett teased.
“Now, whatever would give you that idea?”
“Because I know you.”
“You might be right,” he admitted, with a barely concealed smile. “Please come. I hate eating alone.”
“Well, maybe next time you shouldn’t invite anorexic supermodels to a restaurant opening.”
“Point taken,” he said with a laugh.
“Can’t tonight, but thanks. I’m meeting Reilly at Sardi’s for a drink.”
“Ah…” he said with a knowing nod. “Are you finally going to give that man a break and take him back?”
“We’ll see,” Scarlett said, with a blithe smile.
“Well, if you don’t, you know where to find me, Gorgeous.” And with a wink, he was out the door.
As Scarlett headed down the street and around the corner to the Sardi’s bar, she thought about what she would say to Reilly. She’d told Lawrence the truth. She was still undecided about what to do with their unresolved relationship. While her heart wanted to take him back, her head was still wary. It will just take more time, she thought. Reilly seemed willing to wait.
Speaking of waiting, he’d already snagged their favorite bistro table in the second floor bar.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said, kissing him on the cheek before hopping onto the tall chair across from him.
“Perfect timing, actually,” he said. “Would you mind proofing my article one more time before I turn it in?”
He spread out two pages in front of her. She read through the article while he ordered them each a glass of wine at the bar.
“I think your editor will approve,” she said.
Reilly had met with his former editor at the Journal to offer her an exclusive story about the Banner scandal.
“I hope so. She said I might even be up for a promotion, if I can follow this up with the ‘Inside the Banner’ series I proposed.”
“That sounds like the work of a true investigative journalist,” she said.
“Why, yes, it does,” he said proudly.
“So they’re not mad at you anymore?”
“They were, but when they heard I stuck it to the Banner and then brought them dirt like this”—he gestured to the pages, grinning— “they got over it pretty fast.”
Scarlett leaned in so they wouldn’t be overheard. “Rumor has it that Candace was fired. It’s all been very hush-hush.”
“Well, her secret will be out when everyone reads my exclusive in the Journal.” He grinned and grabbed their wine off the bar. “She always did respect the power of the pen. But enough about me. How’s Scarlett Productions, Inc?”
For the past two weeks, Scarlett had been putting Reilly off, still not sure what she wanted from him.
“I have to pinch myself every day to remind myself that this isn’t a dream. It’s pretty amazing how it all worked out.”
“Any news on Swan Song? I better get the exclusive on any Broadway transfer updates!”
“You will, I promise.” She sipped her wine and eyed him over the rim of her glass. “Off the record, though, we’re getting some very positive responses from investors, now that the Banner retracted the awful review and printed your real one. We’re still waiting on a theater, but I have more meetings with theater owners next week, and I’m optimistic.”
Reilly glanced at the Jackman theater out the window, and Scarlett turned her head to see what he was looking at. A blank marquee. In an unprecedented move, the theater owner had actually taken down the Olympus marquee at his own expense, rather than waiting for the next show to replace it. Apparently, despite a waiting list of new musicals looking for theaters, no producer had been willing to touch the theater while the hulking shadow of Margolies still loomed.
“So that just leaves us...” he said with a hopeful smile. “We’re in the business of musical theater. Doesn’t that require that the love story have a happy ending?”
“It would, yes,” she said. “But that assumes that this is the end of the show.”
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruby Preston is a young Broadway producer currently working on several new musicals on the Great White Way. She couldn’t be more thrilled to be living her dreams in the Times Square trenches. www.rubypreston.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the brilliant and talented cast and crew behind the scenes. Thank you to my extraordinary best supporting actors.
Dress Circle Publishing
New York, NY