Jamie gave him a nod, then picked up his glass. As annoyed as he was, he had no intention of telling Cora about the background check. It would only upset her.
Theo rose out of his seat and said, “Let’s go fire up the grill. We can sit out on the deck. It’s nice and cool.”
Together, they walked out of the study and back down the long hallway. He was silent, listening to Cora and her father continue to chat. Despite his disagreement with Theo’s methods, the love that he had for his daughter shone through in the way that they interacted. It made him miss his own father.
When Theo stopped in the kitchen to get the steaks out of the fridge and waved them back toward the outdoor seating area, Cora looked at him and said, “Well. You’re still alive so I suppose it went well?”
His lips twitching, he said, “Just man talk, dear.”
As her eyes narrowed, he held up a hand and said, “Sorry. Couldn’t help it. I’m gonna have to remember that one.”
She continued to stare at him until finally he said, “It was the kind of ‘don’t hurt my baby girl’ warning that we both knew was coming. Nothing too surprising.”
“Mmkay,” she said, as she slid her arms around his waist. “When were you going to tell me about Tim? That’s huge news!”
“I meant to tell you in the car,” Jamie said, running a hand through his hair. “I just got distracted.”
“See?” she said as she brushed her lips lightly against his. “You were worried for nothing.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he nodded in agreement. “You were right, baby.”
Cora’s father rang out drily from across the pool deck as he stepped out of the French doors. He said, “Don’t make me break out the hose, you two.”
Cora rolled her eyes and said, “Daddy. I’m a grown adult.”
“Still my baby,” he said, as he twisted the knobs on his grill.
As he approached, Jamie eyed the plate he held and asked, “How many people were you planning on feeding with those steaks?”
There were three large bone-in rib eye steaks with a thick coat of seasoning. They were huge and probably weighed at least a pound each.
“One for each of us,” Theo said, laughing. “My meat guy dry aged these for 60 days. Says the meat will melt in your mouth.”
Jamie’s mouth watered, but he doubted he’d be able to finish the steak. Either way, he needed to hit the gym hard tomorrow. He had a feeling that the peach pie on the counter was for dessert.
Breaking into his thoughts, Cora raised an eyebrow and said, “So much for cutting back on the red meat, Dad.”
“Sugarplum. This’ll be the first steak I’ve had in months. Nothing but brown rice and chicken breast for ages. One steak won’t kill me,” Theo groused.
* * * *
The next afternoon, Jamie hung up the phone, still in shock. Tim presented the concept art he provided along with the marketing plan he’d devised earlier this morning. The board had apparently loved it and wanted to move forward as quickly as possible.
He had included some storyboarding for a thirty-second television spot, a minute long spot, and then made some suggestions for integrating some real, live gameplay into a longer trailer made especially for web. In addition, he had worked out a list of his relevant contacts for press and reviews.
Having played the game himself, Jamie knew that it wouldn’t be difficult to get people talking about the game. That added bonus of the web trailer with the in-game play would make his job even easier. He’d found the controls to be fun, and the overall concept to be really intuitive. It allowed the user to play in groups or against the server. He had been doing mostly that, since the server wasn’t live. Some of the designers and bug testers had engaged him from time to time over the past two weeks, so he could see the appeal of practice.
Jamie had provided a standard contract along with the proposal, pricing, and other information. He needed to have his lawyer review some requested changes as soon as possible. Tim had requested an in-person meeting along with a few small changes.
Over the next few hours, he spoke with his lawyer who promised an updated contract tonight, booked a plane ticket, and made hotel reservations for himself. He planned to stay Thursday, and then leave late in the evening on Friday. He’d fly out at the crack of dawn tomorrow. There were still a million things that he needed to do between now and then.
Cora had a few late patients on the docket tonight, so she had planned on stopping over for a late dinner afterward. He texted her and let her know that he was planning to stay late at the office and that she could meet him there instead. He really couldn’t wait to share the news with her.
In fact, there was no one else that he’d rather celebrate with. Who, he wondered, would he have called to share this with if not her?
Chapter Thirteen
Cora waited impatiently in her living room for Jamie. She hadn’t seen him since Wednesday evening when they’d had a late dinner at his place. He had called her on Thursday night to let her know that they had signed contracts. Even though they were headed to his mother’s house for the picnic, she couldn’t wait to celebrate with him. This was huge!