Up & Out - Ariella Papa [118]
“Where do you come from?” I still can’t believe it is this easy to be with someone I am so attracted to. I am almost certain that no other shoe is going to drop.
“New Hampshire.”
“Right, so do you even want to come to this wedding?”
“Well, the chance to see you in the dress you describe with such graphic distaste is appealing, but it’s not like I enjoy getting all dressed up in an uncomfortable suit.”
“So, you don’t want to go.” He laughs and shakes his head. Will brings us two more beers.
“I didn’t say that. Of course I want to meet all your friends and be there for you, if that’s what you want. I think you have to make this decision, Rebecca.”
I knew he was right, but I wished he would just tell me what to do.
Don and I meet to go over my concepts at Wild Lily Tea House. It’s a funky little place that Ben took me to for our first official date. I think the tranquility will offset any tension I feel about having a business meeting. I make sure we get the table where we kneel beside the small fish pond at the front of the restaurant.
I busy myself maneuvering the green-tea-marinated slices of chicken with the dainty wooden chopsticks and try not to worry about what Don is thinking of all my ideas. He keeps making little “hmph” noises as he flips through the pages. I don’t know if that means that he likes my ideas or he is wondering if there is any way for me to pay back the money he advanced me. Just when I think he’s done reading, he flips back through the pages and starts making notes with a pen. He is completely neglecting his pretty little salad. I consider reaching over and snagging one of the sugared walnuts on top. He looks up at me and smiles.
“Well,” I say, locking my jaw together afterward.
“I think it’s interesting that you chose these three to highlight,” he says, holding up the one-sheets I did.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Great. “I think this one is too much like Esme.”
“Oh,” I sigh, and shake my head.
“No, but that’s really the only one I have an issue with. I think the space and underwater ideas are very promising. I feel like they would have to be animated, because the cost to do it live action would be sky-high. So work that out, think about scaling some ideas back for the space one in case we pitch it to a network that isn’t comfortable with animation.”
Don has lost the slick producer voice and is talking like he really wants to work on developing these. He looks back at the pile of papers and picks one of them up. He pats it a few times and looks up at me.
“This, this is really a good one. You’re calling her Kim, but I think you should switch the names with the Robin you are using in the underwater one. A kids’ cooking show. How perfect! We’ll pitch it to all those lifestyle channels and kids’ TV. And we can skew the adult supervision you mention here, depending on who we are going for. You’re brilliant!” He takes a giant bite of his salad.
“Thank you,” I say. “Why do you want me to change the characters?”
“Well, I like how you’ve given your young cook braces. I see lots of funny eating shots, spaghetti getting stuck in braces, metal fork to metal brackets—” he is talking really fast now, like his juices are flowing and he can’t stop shoveling greens into his mouth “—I think we need to call it Robin’s Recipes or something.”
“Well, do you think we have to do alliteration? Isn’t that old?” It’s not easy to say this to the man who developed Gus and the Gopher, Bob in the Barn and Amy’s Animal Adventures. He cocks his head and smirks at me like he has never heard anything so ridiculous. I fear that this could be the deal breaker.
“Rebecca, we want to be cutting edge, but there are some rules we can’t break. It’s either alliteration or rhyme. I don’t know, maybe you can play with kitchen—Gretchen’s Kitchen.”
“I see,” I say, and eat my last bite of chicken. I obviously still have a lot to learn about kids’ TV.
I didn’t get to go for a run this morning. It’s probably for the best since the race is this weekend