Almost Like Love(16)

She stared down at the pitiful detritus of her relationship. When she felt a tickle in her nose and the sting of tears behind her eyes, she grabbed the basket, marched out of the apartment, and emptied it into the garbage chute.

Back inside, she told herself there was no need to uninvite Ian to Jessica’s wedding just yet. What if she decided she did need a crutch to face her ex? If she’d already cancelled on Ian, she’d be too embarrassed to reinvite him.

Maybe she should give it a few days and see how she felt.

After her shower, she made some toast and poured another cup of coffee. She had only a few hours before she was due at Ian’s, so she decided to stay home and look through her project folder—the file of story ideas she hoped to get to someday.

She’d published short stories and graphic novels before she’d gotten her first job as a television writer. She’d worked on a few different shows in the years since then, but Life with Max had been her baby. She’d created it, and she'd written and directed most of the episodes herself with the help of a wonderful production team.

As much as she’d enjoyed doing the show, it had been pretty demanding. She’d sometimes wished she had a little more free time to explore other projects.

Well, now she did. Not by choice, of course, but still.

She should have seen the writing on the wall. Her ratings had been slipping this season, especially after the network had changed her time slot. But even though she should know better by now, she’d stupidly assumed that the Emmy they’d won the previous year and the glowing reviews the show always received would carry more weight with the network execs.

Just how naive was she, anyway? She hadn’t seen the cancellation coming any more than she’d predicted Chris’s infidelity. Because she was a person who always tried to stick with things, she’d expected the network and her fiancé to stick with her.

But, damn it, she wouldn’t let this change her. She’d learn from the experience and move on, but she wouldn’t give up her values and ideals. She just needed to find a better home for them, that was all.

And she needed to learn how to protect herself a little better.

This weekend she’d think about what she wanted to work on next, and Monday she’d start making calls to set up pitches. She wouldn’t feel sorry for herself, and she wouldn’t let the grass grow under her feet. She’d get right out there and make something happen.

Unfortunately, she didn’t find the inspiration she was looking for. None of her old project ideas seemed to get her creative juices flowing.

Maybe she needed a new project. Something fresh and exciting. And maybe she should get away from TV for a while. She could pitch a graphic novel or a children’s adventure story to a publisher, or—

The phone rang, and she picked it up absently.

“Ms. Meredith? There’s a car here for you.”

Damn. Was it five o’clock already?

“I’ll be right down.”

She’d planned to put on a little makeup and choose the perfect outfit—something flattering while also appropriate for babysitting. There’d been masculine approval in Ian’s eyes the night before, and she didn’t want to look so crappy today that he would decide her appearance in the club had been just an aberration. That wouldn’t be good for her ego.

But now she didn’t have any time.

Oh, well—maybe the best way to look like she wasn’t trying too hard was not to try too hard. She kept on her jeans and vintage X-Men tee shirt, pulled her hair back in a ponytail, and headed out.




Ian knocked on his nephew’s door and waited for the quiet “come in” before he turned the knob.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s almost five o’clock. Kate will be here soon.”

Jacob looked up from his computer and nodded. “Okay.”

Ian waited a moment to see if he’d say anything else, but he didn’t. He just blinked behind his wire-rimmed glasses and smiled politely.

“Okay,” Ian echoed after a short silence, retreating back into the hall and closing the door behind him.

His sister Tina, Jacob’s mother, had died in a car accident eleven months earlier. Ian still couldn’t think of it without a spasm of pain.

Jacob’s father, Joe, had been killed in Afghanistan before Jacob was born. Ian and Tina had never known their father and their mother had passed away, so except for Joe’s parents, Ian was the only family Jacob had left.

In her will, Tina had named Ian her son’s legal guardian. He had been humbled by his sister’s trust in him and was determined to do right by his nephew.

It was a resolution easier made than kept.