will read like a short story. You’ll know the entire concept once you finish it.”
Wynn opened her briefcase and withdrew one of the folders. She watched him open it. They rode in silence as he read. Scarlett pulled into Rylon Pictures a few minutes later and stopped at the gate to give her name as he finished and slipped the treatment back into her briefcase. The guard handed her a pass and gave her directions on where to park and where the executive offices were located.
“What do you think?” she asked.
He ran a hand through his hair. “It blows me away. Rylon would be insane not to jump on this. I can’t believe Cassie and Breck came up with something so fast. It’s creative. Offbeat. And I can totally see it working for Carbon Man.”
“You inspired them. Not only to write that but now they have direction on the other script they’ve been working on.”
Scarlett pulled into a parking place and turned off the ignition. She handed Wynn the keys. “Thanks for letting me drive. I’d love to own a car like this someday.”
Wynn passed the keys back to her. “It’s yours.”
CHAPTER 10
Wynn enjoyed seeing the dumbfounded look he’d put on Scarlett’s face. “Consider it a bonus.”
“Wynn, I haven’t done anything yet,” she said, her exasperation obvious. “I’m pulling out all the stops for you but it doesn’t mean Rylon is going to go for this. I put our chances at sixty-forty, at best.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he told her. “You’ve done a lot for me. Already, I believe in myself more than I have in a long time. You’ve introduced me to a wonderful group of friends. Even if you can’t scuttle my contract, I still plan to work with RCDS on Cassie and Breck’s screenplay eventually. I’m hoping it will help me move into a new phase of my career.”
She clutched the keys. “It’s too much,” she said, but he heard the wistfulness in her tone.
Taking charge of the situation, he said, “Hey. I’m Wynn Gallagher. I’m made of money. I have half a dozen more cars waiting for me at home that need restoring. I’m happy to give Philippa a good home with you. That way, I can still see her from time to time.” His eyes met hers. “Take the damned car, Scarlett, and say thank you.”
She let out a long breath. “Okay.” A radiant smile lit her face. “Thank you, Wynn.”
He started to open his door.
“Wait a minute. Before we go in, remember that I’ll do the majority of the talking. I want you to be calm, cool, and collected. If you can pull off being a bit arrogant, that would be great. I want them to know you think highly of your acting skills and that you’re going to take them for every dime you can if they don’t let you go. Via me, of course, as your new negotiator.”
“Got it.”
Wynn got out of the car, holding her purse and briefcase. He handed them to her. “These look better on you than me.”
As they approached the building, he ignored the cells that appeared, all lifted in his direction, snapping photos. All his thoughts were on the smile she’d given him.
Wynn would give her a hundred cars just to see Scarlett’s look of joy again.
Entering the building, an assistant met them and provided lanyards to wear, proclaiming them VIP visitors. She escorted them to the fifth floor and led them to a large conference room. Ushering them in, Wynn saw the enemy came well prepared.
Ed Mussfield, Rylon’s president and CEO, sat at the head of a long, rectangular table. To his right was Rick Princeton, Rylon’s chief attorney. At least fifteen other employees were present, half of them wearing that smug lawyer look. He recognized a few from his and Del’s original negotiations but new faces had come to do battle.
Mussfield stood and made his way across the length of the room. The stern look on his face reminded Wynn of his one trip to the principal’s office after he’d punched a bully who taunted a skinny kid who’d just moved to town. Still, Mussfield shook his hand, so some civility might occur during the next hour.
“You must be Ms. Corrigan,” the CEO said. “Ed Mussfield.”
“Thank you for putting together this meeting so quickly,” Scarlett said smoothly. “With the Carbon Man 4 production starting soon, I appreciate you making this happen.”
“We’ll see if I appreciate what you have to say, Ms. Corrigan.” Mussfield returned to his