Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Jay was still silent. Erin could tell he was balking at the idea, but she wasn’t entirely sure why. Yes, he was a busy man and wouldn’t want to give up his valuable time, but he seemed troubled by the request. Strange. This was the man who loved an audience, who would talk to anyone and everyone. She didn’t know what else to say, so she waited for Jay to speak.
Finally, after appearing to weigh a long list of pros and cons, he said, “I’d be happy to do it.”
Erin blinked twice. Despite their long history, she’d been expecting him to say no. The little flutter in her chest told her that she’d been hoping he’d say yes. Was it simply because she didn’t want to go back to her editor without a story, or was something else at play?
“Really?” she asked, not quite believing it. “I’d be so grateful. It might get me off the blacklist. Otherwise, I bet she assigns me to report on high school basketball. I don’t even understand basketball.”
Jay grinned. “Well we can’t have that, can we? I’m free tomorrow, if you like.”
Erin blinked again. Jay was never free. He must have sensed her desperation—since she needed this interview for the next issue, it had to happen this week. “Seriously? I know what that really means is that you’re going to clear your schedule, and you’ve probably got several zillion-dollar contracts on the line for your clients right now.”
“It’s no big deal. I needed a breather while I moved in anyway. I’ll tell my PA to keep everyone at bay for a while. They can wait a day.”
Erin breathed out a huge sigh of relief. “I am so grateful,” she said. “And would it be okay if a photographer came and took a couple of shots of you?”
“Of course.” He was still smiling. “You never know—with all the movie stars moving to Carmel, I might pick up some clients.”
She knew he turned away more clients than he took on, but she appreciated his making it seem as though it were a mutual favor. She suggested a start time of eleven a.m. and he nodded.
“There’s one more thing before I come tomorrow,” she said.
He looked up, alarmed. “What is it?”
“Can I bring my dog? He usually comes to work with me and he hates to be alone.”
Jay laughed, the alarm vanishing. “Of course. I love dogs. I’ve always wanted one, but I’m too busy.”
With the business chat out of the way, they fell into their usual easy rapport, drinking hot chocolate in the kitchen and laughing about some of the funnier things that had happened at Archer’s wedding in Scotland. Then suddenly she remembered his asking her to dance, and how comfortable they’d been together, how well they’d moved together. She hadn’t seen that coming, any more than she’d seen that library coming.
In fact, she was beginning to realize there were aspects to Jay Malone that she’d never glimpsed before.
* * *
Jay offered to drive Erin home, but it turned out she had parked her car nearby. By the time they’d finished their hot chocolate, he felt so comfortable in her company that he’d been tempted to ask her to stay and hang out. He’d had a vision of them watching an old movie in his home theatre and it felt darned good. But then he remembered his earlier conversation with his oldest and one of his most valuable clients, Archer Davenport, who’d warned him to stay away from his sister.
Then there was the small matter of his own conflicted feelings. He didn’t want to give Erin the wrong idea. He’d wanted them to watch a movie like old buddies, but what if she got the wrong impression? Or worse, what if, in the intimate setting, he got the wrong idea and let these new thoughts about Erin take the reins?
No, it was much better to say good-bye and tell her he’d see her tomorrow. Besides, he had an absolutely packed day of meetings to reschedule.
He wasn’t sure why he’d told Erin he was completely free tomorrow. They both knew it was a lie. It was just that he’d been able to read her and could see how much she wanted to get back in her editor’s good graces. He’d worked with enough journalists and enough media to know that stories were always time sensitive. He imagined even a weekly community newspaper like the Sea Shell tried to stay topical. Besides, it might be fun. It would be interesting to see Erin at work, to hear the kind of questions she’d ask him—especially with so little time to prepare. Maybe there was also a little pride at play. He wanted to show off his new house and, more than that, he wanted to fit in with his new community. It was important to him to be accepted in Carmel—it was already feeling like home in a way nowhere else ever had, even LA.