Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 79670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Gabriella turns her attention to me and must sense that I’m getting a little nervous because she puts her hand on my leg. “It’s going good,” I confirm, looking down at the counter thinking about the words to say to my father. “It’s a totally different feeling when you are behind the camera.”
“It is,” my father agrees with me, smiling at my mother, who comes over and puts down a bottle of water for Gabriella before sitting next to my father. His arm goes around her chair, pulling her closer to him.
“Actually,” I say, taking a deep inhale and a huge leap of faith, “I think this is going to be my last movie.” Gabriella squeezes my thigh, and my hand covers hers. She turns her hand around to intertwine her fingers with mine. She gives me the extra strength I need. “At least the last one I act in.”
“Really?” my father asks, his eyes going big. “That’s a big claim.”
“I just think I want to create the movie instead of being in the movie.” I look over at my mother, who smirks, and then looks over at my father, and the two of them share a look. But instead of waiting for them to say something, I continue, “When I was on location, Sander and I would talk about the scenes. We would talk for hours about how the scene would be shot. It was so exciting. But now that I’m here and I’m seeing the back end of it, it’s even more exciting. Clipping everything together and making sure that the vision is there.”
“It’s a great feeling,” my father says to me, and I nod. “What do you need from me?”
My father asks, and I knew, no matter what, he would be supportive of my decision. He always has been but hearing it and seeing it are two totally different things. “Nothing, I don’t think.” I look over at Gabriella, who with just one look makes me know she’s also proud of me. “I spoke with Sander today about a script he came across.”
“Really?” Gabriella asks. “About what?”
“It’s really hard to explain, but it’s an adaptation of a book about this man who is a World War Two veteran who becomes a mule for the drug cartel,” I explain, thinking about the story, playing it over and over in my head. I can see the whole movie play scene by scene, and I want to make it happen.
“Is it a true story?” Ryleigh asks, also interested.
“It is,” I confirm. “We are meeting with him next week.”
“It sounds so interesting,” my mother joins in. “I would love to read the book.”
“Of course you would,” Ryleigh retorts, “you’re a journalist.”
“It sounds like a great book,” she says and then looks at my father. “You should see if you can get in on this.”
He looks at my mother. “World War Two was in the forties,” he almost shrieks, throwing up his hands.
“Dad, you’re in your sixties. It’s not that much of a stretch,” Ryleigh points out, and now I’m the one rolling my lips when he glares at her before turning back to look at me.
“I don’t know if they would want me. I haven’t starred in a movie in over ten years.”
“Would you do it?” I ask my father. “If I signed on and brought you the script, would you think about it?”
“For you,” he says, “I would.”
“You need to set up a production company,” Ryleigh throws out. “Bring in the money and produce it like that. He can’t tell you no.”
“There is an idea,” Gabriella agrees. “A family affair.”
“You can draw up the contracts,” my mother says to Ryleigh.
“I’m in criminal law,” she huffs. “Call me if anyone kills anyone on the set.”
I think about what I’m about to say next, and I know I should talk to Gabriella about it in private, but instead, I just blurt out, “I’m moving out of LA.”
Gabriella is the only one who gasps. “What?” she asks, and I lean over and kiss her lips.
“Where are you going to go?” my father asks, unfazed by this news.
“Dallas,” I announce, looking at Gabriella, who just sits there with her mouth hanging open. “I want to live together.”
She goes from shocked to shy as her face fills with a little smile and then just her smile beams. “Do you?” she asks.
My chest fills with this feeling like I’m complete. “Yeah,” I say, and then I gasp. “I should probably ask your father.”
“No!” my father and Ryleigh shout.
“You get on a plane and go see him face-to-face,” my father instructs, and I nod at him, and Gabriella just shakes her head.
“If the guy I was with went to ask my father if we could live together,” Ryleigh says. “It would be an immediate no, and also, I wouldn’t be with him anymore.”