“It’s Harry Connick Jr. doing the classics, Nathan. You’d be a fool to pass this up,” Mom stresses.

“Wow. That would be super woo-worthy. If you’re sure…that’d be amazing.”

“We insist,” Dad says firmly.

“Thanks. You guys are the best. This really means so much to me.”

“We know, Son. Mom and I are behind you two hundred percent. It doesn’t take a forensic scientist and inter-personal sociologist to clearly determine that you’re meant to be with this girl. We want you to have a stellar time.”

Brooke is thrilled when she gets my call.

“I love the Hollywood Bowl…and Harry Connick Jr…wow! You’re taking the wooing up a notch.”

Win!

“So, let’s leave right at six, and I’ll follow you home so you can get a jacket and something warmer to wear,” I explain.

I splurge on valet parking, and we slowly wind our way up the hillside, surrounded by happy faces and arms laden with food and wine. It’s a beautiful clear evening as we settle into our prime box seats facing the famous clamshell shaped theater.

Just the look on Brooke’s face when I unpack mom’s basket, spreading the cloth over the little fold-down table, makes everything worth it. While I uncork the wine bottle and fill our glasses, Brooke carefully opens each container and fills our plates. We even have cloth napkins and silverware. I’m so happy I can’t stop grinning as we eat and sip wine. There are berry tarts for dessert. The sun slowly falls behind the hill and the purple cast of twilight falls over us.

Later as Harry serenades us, Brooke curls up under my arm and I wrap the blanket around us. It feels like he’s singing just to us.

Brooke nuzzles my neck then whispers in my ear, “Thank you for tonight, Nathan. I don’t know when I’ve ever been so happy.”

“Me too, Brooke,” I reply and then gently kiss her, realizing this is one of those moments I’ll never forget.

I look up into the night sky, sprinkled with stars and as I hold my girl in my arms, the music surrounds and lifts us up, while Arnold and the weight of the last few weeks falls away. I never would have believed I could feel like this, my heart so full that it’s going to spring out of my chest in a big cartoony gesture.

We are in our own world now, my Red Hot and I. The title of the next number sums it all up perfectly…“It Had to Be You.”

Animate Me / Chapter Twenty-One / Master of the Woo

“It’s my turn now and I’ve got to make it.” ~ Speed Racer ^xx

“You really outdid yourself, you know,” Brooke sighs as she curls into me. The alarm clock’s gone off but we’re doing our best to ignore it.

“Yeah, that was a great evening,” I agree. “But I have to tell you, I have a whole support group behind me; Team Woo is leading me to victory.”

She laughs. “You’re just so damn charming that everyone wants to help you. Who got you those Hollywood Bowl tickets on such short notice anyway?”

“My parents,” I admit.

“Awww,” she croons. “Remind me to thank them. That was so sweet.”

“They really like you,” I share, hoping that makes her happy.

“I like them too. I see so much of them in you.”

I pull her tighter into my arms and kiss the top of her head. She sighs happily then lifts up to face me. “So don’t forget I have a late meeting tonight.”

“That’s right,” I say. “How late do you think it will go?”

“I’m not sure, I’ll call as soon as I get home.”

“Okay. What would you like for breakfast?”

“Can we have Pop-Tarts?”

“Strawberry or brown sugar?

She laughs. “Both!”

On the way to work, my cell phone rings.

“Hey Dad. Thanks again for last night. It was completely perfect.”

“I’m glad, Son. We were happy to do it, and the reward is hearing it achieved the desired effect.”

“I’ll say,” I agree, remembering not just the concert, but also the rest of our night with the physical manifestation of the woo. Before my thoughts get too X-rated though, I try to focus back on the conversation.

“By the way, I just finished going over your contract for your comic books. Nathan…wait a minute, are you driving? Is your headset on? Because the statistics of accidents due to cell phone usage while conducting a vehicle are staggering.”

“Headset’s on, Dad.”

“Excellent,” he says sounding relieved. “So regarding the contract, I’m not concerned about the points you asked me about…pretty much standard legal-speak. This looks pretty solid to me.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. Knowing Dad is good with the Sharper Edge Comics deal means a lot to me.

“I do have one question though, Son. How are you going to manage these obligations for Sharper Edge, do your job at Sketch Republic justice, and have a romantic relationship all at the same time? Don’t get me wrong—you’re highly capable. But men traditionally are not multi-taskers. Evolution really left that in the hands of the female species, and their ability to excel at it convinces me that they’ll eventually rule the world.”

“I can multi-task,” I insist, imagining myself stepping out of a phone booth and ripping my shirt open to reveal the big Super N on my chest.

“You’re already under the hypnotic spell, I see. With new love, when the surge of hormones hit you, you’re so euphorically distracted and blissfully unaware of the world that your house could burn down around you and you wouldn’t notice.”

I’m so flustered that I swerve the car a bit before I regain my composure. “Dad, can we please not discuss hormones hitting me?”

“But do you understand the ramifications of my point? Sharper Edge has very high expectations for you and your comics.”

“Of course. Look, my plan is to give it my all and go without sleep for a while until B-Girl gets established and hopefully succeeds. Then I will quit my day job and devote myself to Brooke and B-Girl full time.”

“Quit your job?” he asks thoughtfully. I can tell he’s making complex financial calculations in his mind.

“Hell, Arnold may fire me before then, and I’ll get unemployment. That could work to my benefit.”

“Being fired is never a desirable option, Nathan. Your industry is small. The stigma could follow you if you wish to re-establish yourself in animation.”

I start tensing up. Thinking about fucking Mojo just does that to me. It’s a relief as I pull into the parking structure not to see his car and be reminded I won’t see his car or his hairy ass all week.

“Dad, I just arrived at work…gotta go.”

Dad is patient with the brush-off. He knows I can only take so much advice at once. “Okay, Nathan, I’ll call Walter and let him know you’ll sign the documents and get them out today. Congratulations, Son. I’m proud of you.”

I feel a thrill realizing that this is good to go. I’m going to sign that darn contract as soon as I get in my cube, and be one step closer to my dreams coming true.

• • •

At lunchtime Dani agrees to order me a sandwich so I can drop the contracts at Fed Ex, before meeting up with them to eat.

“So it’s a done deal?” She nods at the contracts on my desk as I pull money out of my wallet and hand it to her.

“Yeah, I still can’t believe it,” I admit, shaking my head. “Everything’s working out so much better than I could’ve hoped.”

“Everything?” she asks, her eyebrows raised.

“Can you and Nick keep a secret?” I know I can trust them, and I feel like I owe them the truth after what we all went through together.

“It’s on with Brooke?” She asks, smiling and looking hopeful.

“It’s so on.” I grin like a fool.

“I knew it, I knew it!” She bounces on her heels excitedly. “Nick owes me twenty! I could tell—your whole vibe was so different yesterday, even if you were trying to hide it. We have to go out for drinks soon so we can hear the whole story.”