The Arrangement

“Out?” I blinked.

He nodded.

“As in out out?”

“He pays a month-to-month lease on this place,” said Nathan. “He says he’s canceling it, effective immediately.”

“Well… damn.”

“Double-damn.”

“How much?” I asked.

Nathan laughed nervously. “Per month? Way more than we can afford.”

“You don’t know that,” I said. “I’ve got some savings.”

There goes culinary school.

The thought was sudden and intrusive, but I shoved it guiltily away. I’d been living here rent-free for months now, utility free as well. Hell, the guys were even paying for all the toiletries and food. They were the only reason I even had savings.

“I have a little money socked away too,” said Burke. “Not much, but enough to keep us here another month, maybe.”

“While we look for another place?”

“No,” said Burke. He glanced quickly to Chase and I, before finally shifting his gaze to Nathan. “While we self-publish our books.”

Nathan’s eyes went wide. Not with shock, or skepticism, or anything like that.

No, this time his expression was excitement.

“Really? You guys would be into that?”

Chase stood where he was, not giving an indication either way. But Burke slowly nodded.

“It’s not a bad choice,” he said. “I’ve been reading all about it since last night. And the more I go over it, the more I realize it’s right up our alley.”

He flipped open his laptop again, and Nathan eagerly pulled up a chair. By the time Burke was clicking the mouse again, even Chase and I had come over.

“There’s a lot to do, a lot to know. And it’s definitely going to take some capital. But once we’ve gotten past the initial setup, the rest is all marketing.”

He clicked on a very long checklist, one he’d apparently come up with while the rest of us had slept. I nudged him with my knee in encouragement.

“We each have our own following, not to mention solid associates from our previous successes,” Burke went on. “And the social media aspect we can definitely handle. Especially since there are three of us—”

“Four,” I interrupted soundly.

“Sorry, four,” he corrected himself with a smile. “Even better.”

Forty-Six

KAYLEEN

For the next hour and a half, Burke went over everything he knew about what they were about to do. He talked about release schedules. Social media strategies. Cross-promotional ideas, and how best to squeeze their past marketing contacts for greatest overall impact. Nathan took over sourcing out the more visual creatives, such as cover and jacket design. Chase ran with everything else.

I on the other hand, whipped up some of the creamiest, most magnificent eggs Benedict I’d ever pushed onto a plate. Immediately following that I ate two helpings of it… while the guys pretty much ignored their own food.

By the time they scattered in different directions, I was full and sated. Thrilled to see the guys so pumped and excited and full of ambition, even in the face of grim disaster.