“Yeah, good idea,” Emmet says, suddenly becoming serious. I hear his voice change and realize he's fired up the old thinking machine. “First of all, is that what you still want? A book?”
“Of course it's what I still want!”
Emmet raises his hands defensively. “Okay, okay… just asking. I’m on your side, here, Bella, okay?” he asks her.
She breathes calmly, deeply. “Okay,” she agrees.
“Okay, glad we settled that,” he smiles. “So let’s piece this out. Does it exist?”
“Yes,” she nods. “It’s about 80% completed.”
“Okay. Did she see it?”
Bella shakes her head.
“But you were fired?” I ask her. She nods tightly. “And is there proof of that? A document?”
“Well, no…” she shakes her head, apparently losing steam, then brightening again. “But she did have security escort me out. That was fun!”
I cringe, imagining the sort of humiliation Hannah decided to throw out. What a jerk. “I'm sorry, she's kind of a bitch.”
“I know!” Bella whines, her mouth open. “But we have been friends forever!”
I pat her knee sympathetically, thinking that seemed like an appropriate thing to do. But with friends like that, who needs enemies?
“So, you're in possession of an asset — the book. You were released from your legal responsibilities by Hannah, with a security guard as witness.”
Bella nods. I look at Emmet, bouncing my ideas off him mentally until he nods as well.
“So it just looks like you need to publish the book,” Emmet says in a low voice. “Do we have someone at Random House?”
“Well there’s Xavier… I could give him a call,” I muse. “Oh! You know what, I think Patty at Universal Pictures would want to hear about this too. I want Ryan Gosling to play me!”
“You are no Ryan Gosling,” Emmet rolls his eyes.
“Fine,” I sulk, wounded. “Chris Pratt, then.”
“As if! I’m a hundred times more Chris Pratt than you!”
“Hold on, you guys!” Bella says, her eyes wide, her palms up. “This is ridiculous. I can't publish the book if I don't own the book. I can't do anything!”
I shrug. “Let's just do it and find out.”
“She'll sue me!” Bella barks, and she's probably right. “She will! I know her!”
“Then she will be suing all of us. I highly doubt she wants to take us on.”
I nod in agreement. “Highly doubt it.”
She looks at both of us, one after another, her head swiveling back and forth as she pieces it together.
“Wait a second… what are you talking about? Why would she sue you?”
Emmet
shrugs. “We’re in this together. It's our story too. Not that I'm claiming ownership of it. I just feel responsible. Anything you need…”
“Anything at all…” I echo. I squeeze her hand as she looks down, thinking.