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Back Just for December Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR LAURA JANE WILLIAMS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. Acknowledgements
  50. Publishing Credits
  51. Keep Reading …
  52. About the Author
  53. Fiction by the same author
  54. About the Publisher

Evie walks away, ostensibly to check in with her agent about the other film deals, but she’s still within earshot when she hears Anna say to Duke: ‘She’s nice.’

‘Yes,’ Duke says. ‘She is.’

Evie’s agent picks up on the fourth ring.

‘Evie,’ she says. ‘Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve got news. Columbia have just made their final offer for the movie rights to two more of your novels. Long story short is this: we’re coming in at just over half a million dollars.’

Evie pulls the phone away from her ear and makes sure she’s got full signal. She has.

‘Sorry,’ Evie says. ‘I can’t hear you very well. It’s my signal. Can you repeat that?’

Her agent clears her throat and takes a breath. ‘Evie. We’ve just been made an offer for six hundred thousand dollars. I’ll send it you in writing, but that’s the top line. Six hundred thousand dollars for the option on two books, and they’ve already got actors in mind. They’re meeting with Reese Witherspoon to see about co-production with Hello Sunshine as well.’

But Evie doesn’t hear her anymore, because she’s got her hands on her knees, bent over, dry retching to the ground. By the time Duke and his mum have seen what’s happening and come over, she manages to finally bring up her breakfast, all over Anna’s boots, the ones that only ten minutes ago she was admiring so much.

Evie’s rich!

29

Evie

The Litzauer Loop near Burggen, Pfaffenwinkel, is a horseshoe-shaped piece of land with the river wrapping around it at such an angle that it is almost a river doughnut with a snow-covered tree-topped bit of land in the middle. Duke and Daphne went into painstaking detail about the type of shots they’re after today when Evie and Magda had dinner with them last night, but it’s only now everyone is here that the true majesty reveals itself. When Evie wrote On the Romantic Road she used Google to travel to all the places featured in her mind. To be actually on those stops, and now on this particularly incredible one, makes her feel as nauseous as she did after talking to her agent yesterday.

‘I’m going to need your help, yes,’ she’d told Magda, after she’d fainted and generally caused a fuss yesterday. What a thing – six hundred thousand dollars? Reese Witherspoon? Two books under film option? She still gets dizzy thinking about it today. ‘But not yet. Just give me time.’

To her credit, it’s been almost twenty-four hours and Magda is doing exactly that. Giving Evie time, and space, to process her fortunes.