So here we go. “You need to sit for a photo shoot. For the cover.” “No.” “It’s nonnegotiable.” “Everything is negotiable. Haven’t you gotten enough? I’ve agreed to the excerpt.” “You and I both know how valuable new images of you would be.” “T said no.” OK. Here we go. I can do this. I just have to do what Evelyn would do. I have to “Evelyn Hugo” Evelyn Hugo. “You agree to the cover photo, or I’m out.” Evelyn sits forward in her chair. “Excuse me?” “You want me to write your life story. I want to write your life story. But these are my terms. I’m not going to lose my job for you. And the way I keep my job is I deliver an Evelyn Hugo feature with a cover. So you either persuade me to lose my job over this—which is only possible if you tell me when this book is being sold—or you do this. Those are your options.” Evelyn looks at me, and I get the impression that Iam more than she bargained for. And I feel good about that. There’s a smile forming that is hard to keep in. “You're having fun with this, aren’t you?” she says. “Tm trying to protect my interests.” “Yes, but you’re also good at it, and I think you’re delighting in it a bit.” I finally let the smile out. “I’m learning from the best.” “Yes, you are,” Evelyn says. She scrunches her nose. “A cover?” “A cover.” “Fine. A cover. And in exchange, starting Monday, I want you here every waking moment. I want to tell you all I have to say as soon as possible. And from now on, when I don’t answer a question the first time, you don’t ask it again. Do we have a deal?”