At that, Sewanee moved away from Alice and to her task. Mark began to read. She knew if she checked her phone, she’d probably see texts and e-mails from friends and colleagues who had already scanned the nominees and reached out to her. But she preferred it this way.
In the end, Mark was nominated for a Jefferson biography, Alice was nominated twice in the Romance category （one a co-narration with Brock McNight, who had an additional nomination of his own, prompting a pointed raised eyebrow in Swan’s direction from Mark）， and she herself was nominated in general Fiction for Them Hills. No one in the room would have sensed her disappointment at not being nominated in the big kahuna Best Female Narrator category she’d won the previous year. She was too good an actress to let any suggestion of a sting show. But when she saw the shocked joy on Carly’s face at having been nominated, for the first time, in Young Adult, she was reminded that all of it was an honor. More than the awards, she had a steady job in an industry she loved.
As everyone chatted and sipped their meager ration of sparkles, Sewanee found Alice in a corner of the kitchen. One of the engineers, Petra, came up to them and they congratulated her, too–she’d engineered one of the nominated books–and Alice smiled at her, setting her plastic glass in the sink. “Let’s finish out the chapter and call it a night. Let Swan get in studio 3.” Alice knew Sewanee recorded whenever there was a free booth–that’s how she made the bartering work with Mark–and today there wasn’t one.
They hugged once more and Alice and Petra moved to leave, but Alice turned back. “Oh, Mark told me about the June French series. Fantastic!”
“Thank you.”
“You’ll love working with Brock.”
“Yeah?”
“Sweet kid. Communicative, thoughtful, respectful.” Sewanee opened her mouth and Alice held up a hand, smiling. “No, I don’t know who he really is. But he’s one of the good ones.”
Interesting.
Sewanee finished her congratulatory rounds and then, when everyone had gone back to their work, she started the dishwasher and leaned on the counter. She took out her phone and composed an e-mail: From: Westholme, Sarah
To: Brock McNight
Date: December 17, 3:11 PM
Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!
Congrats on your Audie nomination（s）！ May you somehow win them both!
From: Brock McNight
To: Westholme, Sarah
Date: December 18, 5:27 AM
Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!
Thank you! I’m honored. Though being nominated twice in the same category means even if I win, I lose.
From: Westholme, Sarah
To: Brock McNight
Date: December 18, 1:36 PM
Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!
Lol.
I’m planning to record the first episode after the holidays. If we don’t speak （type? Correspond?） before then, I hope you and yours have a good rest of the year. Looking forward to getting into this with you in the new one.
From: Brock McNight
To: Westholme, Sarah
Date: December 18, 1:37 PM
Subject: Automatic Reply: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!
Hello,
I won’t be checking email until January 7. I humbly implore you to join me.
Peace and love and New Year’s countdown kisses,
B
From: Brock McNight
To: Westholme, Sarah
Date: January 7, 6:14 AM
Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!
Happy New Year! Hope you and yours had a good holiday. Have you looked at the next two episodes Jason sent? You’ll be doing the voice of Claire’s late husband in a flashback section. Can you send me a sample of how you’re doing it? I have one dialogue exchange where he’s condescending to me at the rehearsal dinner and I want to make sure we are in sync.
From: Westholme, Sarah
To: Brock McNight
Date: January 7, 9:57 AM
Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!
Happy New Year to you and yours! Hope it was merry and bright.
I’m thinking high and reedy, slightly sniveling. To contrast with your Alessandro, The Ultimate Man?.
Question: Jason had mentioned you’d never done a June French book before. So, I admit, I looked you up and surprisingly it’s true. 400 audiobooks and none June’s? Curious how this project found its way to you.
From: Brock McNight
To: Westholme, Sarah
Date: January 7, 4:35 PM
Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!
You Googled me, huh? Thought I felt something.
You know, it’s interesting. Before June died, she reached out and told me about the project and said I was the only voice she wanted reading it. So, I promised her. And honestly, I wanted to do it. To honor her. Her legacy, I guess.