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)
With the auction over, he went to collect both his items, feeling pretty pleased with himself. The Mitchell Standard was being very carefully boxed up, and he was given a ticket to drive up and receive it, but the Leica they handed over to him. He was about to phone Erin when he caught sight of them ambling slowly away from the building.
“Hey, Erin, Clark—hold up,” he called.
When they turned, he jogged forward and presented Clark with the camera. Clark’s face transformed—first with shock, then with pure joy—and Jay felt a rush of happiness that he’d made this guy’s day. It had been a long time since he’d hung out with people who didn’t have more money than they could ever hope to spend, so it was refreshing to see someone so thrilled by a gift that was all but nothing to Jay.
Clark stammered, “I can’t believe it. Wow. Look, let me pay you what I can.”
But Jay shook his head. “It’s my pleasure. And I get it. I like to think that these pieces of history are going to people who’ll look after them and enjoy them.”
Clark nodded enthusiastically. “I will take such good care of this. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Jay smiled. “Why don’t you come and have coffee with me? I’m new to town and don’t really know many people.”
At this point, Clark would probably have given him a kidney if he’d asked, so coffee was a no-brainer. During the whole exchange, Erin hadn’t said a word. Instead, she was watching. But that was Erin all over. Quiet and observant.
As the three of them walked to a coffee bar that Clark knew near the auction house, Jay realized he was actually having a great day. He’d got himself a fabulous piece of movie history and had done a good deed for another human being. He was feeling pretty good about himself. When Clark insisted on buying the coffee, he let him.
While he was getting their order, Erin and Jay hunted for a free table, which wasn’t easy on a busy Saturday. When one became free, they jumped on it and then waited for Clark.
Erin was so quiet he wondered if she was holding a grudge about his earlier comments. But then she said, “That was a nice thing you did for Clark.”
He decided to tell her the truth. “He reminds me a little of me when I was younger. Full of passion, with some pretty geeky interests. So I knew exactly how good that camera would make him feel.”
She laughed. “I never saw you as a geeky guy, but I think maybe you’ve just hidden that side of yourself pretty well.” She gave him a smile that was almost coy. “A master of disguise. You were born for the movie business.”
Jay smiled back. “Hey, I’m sorry if I was out of line earlier. Who you date is none of my business.”
Did he imagine it, or did Erin look disappointed?
But she only shrugged. “You’re not wrong.” And then she changed the subject. “So, what are you going to do with the movie camera?”
“I might make a silent movie. For fun. I bet Arch and Smith would be up for it.”
She shook her head, laughing. “I can just see Archer hamming it up.”
“Not just Archer. We should get your dad involved, too. Can’t you imagine him all big and showoffy? In fact, all your family would love it.”
“Not me.”
He shook his head. She was telling the truth. “No, you’d be behind the scenes. Probably the screenwriter.”
She smiled, as though she was pleased he understood her that way. “Definitely.”
And then he had a thought. “Have you ever considered writing a screenplay?”
She tilted her head. “It would be impossible to say I’d never thought about it, since obviously there’s an actor in the family, and he talks a lot about scripts. But I’ve never pursued it.”
He didn’t comment, just nodded, because Clark was arriving with the coffee and he didn’t want to embarrass Erin any more than he already had today.
As the three of them talked, Jay could see that Clark was hopelessly in love with Erin. But his earlier instinct about the two of them had been right: She didn’t return that love. Even though she and Clark were close friends, it would never be more. Frankly, he was relieved, mostly because he didn’t want her wasting herself on somebody like Clark.
It flashed through his mind that he would make a better match for her, but obviously they could never be more than friends.
* * *
Erin did what she did best: She sat back and watched Jay and Clark converse. She’d noticed before that Jay could get along with just about anyone. He was naturally charming, and though he was opinionated and talked a lot, he had a way of making other people feel at ease. Now that she observed him with Clark, who was his polar opposite, she realized just how much he did to make other people feel comfortable with him. She was beginning to wonder if that was what he’d done with her all those years ago when they’d first met. Had he made sure that as a big male, he wasn’t at all threatening? Had he deliberately put her into the little-sister role because that would make things easier for her, and for him too? There were a lot of things to think about now that had never before entered her head.