2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Max

A s I filled my coffee cup from the pot in the break room, footsteps echoed across the vinyl tile. The second I finished pouring, I glanced over my shoulder to say hello and saw my boss, Doug Cutler, entering the room. I nodded and smiled by way of greeting.

"Morning, boss."

"Max," he said with a wide smile. "Just the person I was looking for." He leaned casually against the counter and I raised my eyebrows, curious.

"What can I do for you?"

"I have a new project, one I think you'd be perfect for."

I nodded and sipped my coffee slowly, trying not to burn myself. "I'm listening," I said as I lowered the cup.

"We're planning a pilot for a home makeover show, one with a twist. This is more of a… well, it's a makeover-slash-construction hybrid. We'll be taking an old house or building in a small town and restoring it. We need a producer with a strong vision for this one and I'd like to put you in that position."

I frowned into my coffee cup. "I don't know. I don't have much of a construction background."

He held up a hand and shook his head. "No need. We have a great construction crew on the ground locally we're working to get on board. They specialize in this sort of work, and the foreman we're hoping to get is very experienced. He'll be a great liaison for you. And the homeowners have experience with reality shows already. They were on Destination Love last season."

"Which ones were they?" I was a sucker for Destination Love and the previous season had been the first season that followed exclusively LGBT couples, which was especially of personal interest to me as a gay man working in reality TV.

"Jared and Matthias."

"They're in Virginia, right? That's not too far away."

"Six hours by car, I think."

I couldn't stop the little smile that formed on my face. Like nearly everyone, I'd loved their episodes—they'd quickly turned into fan favorites for their natural chemistry—and working with them on a show sounded like a dream. It sounded too good to be true, honestly. I looked Doug in the eye. "Why me?"

"You're good at what you do. Let's face it—those interior design shows you've been doing are great, but your talent for creating a narrative is under-utilized."

A chuckle escaped me. "Flattery will get you everywhere," I murmured. "But seriously, is that the only reason?" I liked my boss well enough, but in the television industry, it was important to stay vigilant about things coming my way. I hadn't been burned yet, but anything was possible.

He sighed and drummed his fingers on the counter. After a moment, he spoke again. "Okay, you've got me. The foreman—well, the one we're trying to get on board—he's a tough nut to crack."

"So he's, what, an asshole?"

Doug shook his head slowly, a small smile on his face. "Well…"

"And you think I'll be able to deal with him better than anyone else?"

He nodded. "That's part of it."

I turned the idea over in my head for a moment. "Anything else I need to know?"

"It's not all bad," he conceded. "I'd like you to lead the show. And you can cast your host, anyone in our stable of talent. You can even pick your crew leadership. Besides, there's series potential here. If this season works out, if the network picks us up, we could have a multi-season run."

Cast the host and crew? That sounded like an amazing opportunity to get a few of my friends at the studio, all up-and-comers, in positions of influence. I took another sip of my coffee. Besides, I'd been working my way up the ranks in hopes of executive producing at some point, and this would be a good feather in my cap. "You've got yourself a deal."

His smile was wide as he knocked twice on the counter. "I knew you'd come around. Let me know when you've picked your host. We'll draw up the contracts for you to review. Come by my office next week and we'll discuss the details."

"Sure thing. Thanks, Doug." While working with a sour construction crew didn't sound super exciting, running my own pilot did. And one with series potential was even better. Not to mention picking my own host for the show. I could navigate an asshole foreman if it meant running my own show. The whole project could catapult my career. A little time with an irritable coworker would be worth it.

I knew exactly who I wanted for the host, too—my best friend, Sterling. He had plenty of experience in front of the camera, and he was charismatic enough to handle any difficult local crew members. I'd need to run it by Doug, of course, but I had faith he'd agree to it.

I sent out a group text to several of my friends from the studio, asking them to meet me for dinner at our favorite little diner. We were basically a big family, and I wanted to let them all know we had an exciting project on the horizon.

The day was close enough to over that I slipped out of the office and headed to Dottie's, the diner where I'd asked my friends to meet. I was relieved that the table we preferred, big and round and tucked into the back of the restaurant, was empty. I slipped into a chair and gave our favorite server a smile.

"Hey, Katie," I said as she stopped by the table.

"Max, how've you been? Any news in the TV world?" Katie flipped her long, wavy brown hair behind her shoulder and gave me a warm smile. She was about my age, late twenties or so, and waited tables at Dottie's to pay the bills, even though she wanted to write books for a living.

"Actually, there is. I'm getting a new show."

"Ooh," she squealed. "That's great news!"

"Don't tell anyone yet, okay?"

She nodded and mimed zipping her lips. "Your secret is safe with me. Now, what can I get you?"

Before I could answer, my friends began to arrive. Sterling settled in first, followed closely by my favorite camera operator, Gideon. After Gideon came Kieran and Micah, both designers—Kieran did interior design and Micah did set design. Brooks, a director, settled in last, apologizing for his tardiness. We quickly ordered and Katie scurried away to put our requests in with the kitchen.

We were all talking over each other, laughing and catching up and generally having a good time. Once the food arrived, we quieted a little, stuffing our faces instead of running our mouths.

"So, what's going on?" Gideon asked after we were done with our meals. "You don't usually call a meeting like this just for the hell of it."

I grinned. "I actually have news."

"Spill it, asshole." Sterling kicked my ankle under the table. "Don't leave us hanging."

"Fine, fine." I took a deep breath. "I talked to Doug Cutler today and he offered me a shot at running a show. My own show."

A cacophony rose up around the table, everyone congratulating me. "Tell us more," Brooks said when things finally quieted down.

"Well, it's in Virginia. The show is a renovation-type show. Restoring an old home, working with a construction crew to bring it back to life."

"Who's hosting?" Sterling asked, one eyebrow raised hopefully.

"Not sure yet." I grinned and rolled my eyes. "You guys basically know everything I know so far. Oh, wait. The best part is, he said it could become a series if things go well."

"Hell yeah," Kieran practically shouted.

Gideon cleared his throat and gave me a sly smile. "Does this mean more work for us?"

I shrugged casually. "Maybe. I'm hoping I can have some say in the crew and casting. I'll do what I can."

Micah took a sip of his drink and nodded. "This is really great news, even if you can't get us all jobs. Congratulations, man."

"Thanks. Really, it means a lot."

Katie stopped by just then. "Can I get you all anything else?"

Sterling leaned over me to smile broadly at her. "We're going to need celebratory ice cream."

"I can absolutely do that."