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Chapter Eleven
A few days later, Emma met Mary-Margaret at an outside pub. "I hope that's not champagne."
The mother-to-be chuckled. "Apple juice." She put the glass down and took Emma's hands. "You've been avoiding me."
Emma sighed. "I just feel so bad."
"Don't. We all wanted out of our contracts."
"Before lining up other work?" she asked. Mary-Margaret scowled. "Exactly," said Emma. "I don't suppose he's found a job yet?"
Mary-Margaret smirked. "David? Or Killian?"
Emma frowned. "David."
"He's looking. Several people want to help but aren't in a position yet. We've got a lot of possibilities, but, well, we have to wait."
Emma shook her head. "You can't wait. You have a baby on the way."
"We'll be fine, Em," Mary-Margaret said.
Emma watched her friend drink. "So...um, have you seen Killian?"
"Every day." Mary-Margaret smiled teasingly at her.
Emma rolled her eyes. "So tell me, is he ok?"
Her friend laughed. "He's fine. He's found some temporary work as a model at some of Tink's shows."
"That's good."
"He's so sweet," Mary-Margaret said, swishing her juice. "Do you know what he did? Of course, you don't, cause you're avoiding all of us." Emma chuckled and shook her head. "That man gave us his wages."
Emma chuckled. "Of course he did." She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "Great minds think alike." She gave it to Mary-Margaret.
"What's this?" she asked, opening it. "No. Emma!" she cried as she saw the small wad of cash.
"It's the least I can do. I still have my job at the club and this was all my fault."
"Stop!" Mary-Margaret commanded, pushing the money back toward Emma. They pushed it between them for a while.
Emma won by saying, "It's for my godson."
Mary-Margaret chuckled, shaking her head. "Fine, just this once." She put the money in her bag. "What is it with people shoving money at us?"
Emma chuckled weakly. "Killian was sweet to do that. He had no reason, other than being a good guy." She sighed. "He should be the godfather. He sure beats the godmother. You should change. Make Ruby the god…"
"Stop. We love you."
She wiped a tear. "I don't know why. I'm glad Killian is helping. I think the best I can do is just stay away." She got up.
"Emma, don't."
"I'm serious, Mary Margaret. I'm a curse. I hurt everything I touch. Give the honor to Ruby." She walked a few steps. "I love you, too," she muttered, then she ran off.
A week of avoiding calls from David, Mary Margaret, Ruby, and KIllian were taking their toll.
When the doorbell rang on Friday, she jumped. "Who is it?" she snapped.
"Pizza."
"What? I didn't order any."
"I've got a pizza for this address, so open up."
"Wait, are you...Irish?" she asked, opening the door.
Blue, twinkling eyes met her. "I am indeed, " he said with a smirk.
She chuckled and leaned against the door. "Killian."
"Well, Love, you won't answer my calls. I had to get creative."
"You stole some poor delivery guy's pizza?"
"I did not! I ordered this! It's ham and mushroom," he said with a cocky grin, "just like you love."
"How did you know?" she asked, then closed her eyes with a chuckle. "Mary-Margaret," she said as he laughed with a nod. "She talks too much."
He pushed past her, into the apartment. "She's worried. We all are."
Emma shut the door. "I really messed up."
"Yes, you did. Shutting out your friends like that was really uncalled for." He set the pizza on the coffee table and plopped down on her couch.
She sat beside him. "That's not what I meant. I got you all fired."
"You're being way to hard on yourself," he said. "How many times do all of us have to tell you we wanted out?"
"You're just saying that."
He handed her a slice. "I am not."
She sighed and they ate quietly for a bit. "I...um, heard you have a few gigs with Tink?"
"I did, but she's fully staffed for the next few months."
"Darn it."
He smiled widely. "It's just as well," he said. "We just lined up something that hopefully will turn permanent."
"That's wonderful!"
He leaned in. "It gets better."
She chuckled. "So tell me."
"I would have told you days ago when it was in the works, but you weren't returning my calls or texts."
"Okay, I'm sorry, now tell me."
He smiled. "This job, if it works out involves us all: you, me, David, even Charlie. It could even last years Emma. Years."
She burst out giggling. She dropped her pizza in the box and collapsed backward into the couch.
"Happy about the news?"
She laughed. "I am so relieved! But..uh, if it works out?"
"Hmm, there's this writer, she's very good, but she has a pretty small readership. She mostly self-publishes. The last few years she got a contract with a smaller publishing house. They have a lot of faith in her, just not a lot of cash or advertising staff."
"She's wanted to hire her own promotion staff for a while but it's a big investment. If she puts the money into advertising, she can't invest in inventory."
"This author, she's a friend. She trusts us, so we've decided to pull our resources and attack the situation together, but slowly. We're going to concentrate on a limited amount of one novel. If sales take off, the publisher will start investing more money. Plus, she'll be able to invest the sale profits. If it works, she'll add more and we'll have a permanent gig!"
"All of us?"
He nodded. "You, me, and Charlie will be in promotion, David and Mary Margaret in sales. At first though we'll be working on a volunteer or low pay basis."
Emma nodded. "It sounds risky."
"It is but I have faith in the author."
"What does she write?"
He grinned. "Oh, a lot of nonsense about strong women in all kinds of adventures, with men who value and support their fire and intellect." He winked at her. "Stuff you'll hate."
She giggled. "She sounds familiar," she said, picking up one of Belle's books from the table. She showed it to him with a raise of her eyebrow.
Killian laughed. "You're quite perceptive."
"So it is Belle?"
"Indeed," he said.
She smiled and picked her pizza up. "In that case it could be with the risk."
"It is worth it. I have a good feeling." He winked at her. "To magic," he said, "and hopefully, a new start." He knocked his pizza against hers.
She laughed. "To hope and magic, I guess."
"Oh, you'll believe soon enough."
End of Chapter Eleven
