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)
“The accounts can wait.” And, still holding her as though she were a new bride, he swept her off to the bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Jay got home, he was grinning from ear to ear. What a revelation. All those years he’d known the Davenports and Betsy hadn’t been fooled by his act—yet she’d neither called him out on it nor embarrassed him. She cared about him, despite everything. Cared deeply enough to believe he was a match for her daughter. He’d have to deal with the Davenport men, not to mention convince Erin he was serious about her. But after his talk with Betsy, Jay felt so much better, as though maybe he’d never needed to pretend so hard to be someone he wasn’t.
Nelson was predictably delighted to see him, even though he hadn’t been gone an hour, and happily followed him as Jay paced from room to room, letting his idea percolate until he could see clearly how to execute his plan.
Jay went to his library, pulled down every book he owned on screenwriting—there were quite a few—and carried them into his office. Then he fired up his laptop and sat down. Nelson immediately curled at his feet.
“If it’s a romantic comedy,” he said to him, “you have to start with the meet cute.” Nelson wagged his tail in agreement.
He thought about Erin the twenty-year-old university student he’d first met. She was quiet but so smart. And then he pictured his young self, all brash and acting bold, when really he was just trying to disguise his insecurities and impress people. He could see those two younger versions of himself and Erin so clearly he felt as though he were time traveling.
He remembered vividly the first time he’d entered the Davenport home, walking in behind Arch and meeting the rest of the family, who were already crowded around the kitchen counters, helping out. He remembered seeing Betsy and thinking he’d never known a mother could be that beautiful and so well put together. And she combined her undeniable beauty with genuine niceness. He fell for her immediately.
Howie had treated Jay like one of the boys from the second he arrived. He handed out jobs to everybody, Jay included, so he immediately felt like one of the family—the kind of family he’d read about and watched in TV sitcoms, but until then had never really thought existed. Now that he could see what a real family could and should be like, it opened up a whole new world.
He’d been blown away by statuesque, sun-kissed surfing goddess Mila, and then he’d met Erin. She didn’t dazzle him the way Mila had, but he’d liked her right away. He’d found himself talking to her a lot. He’d probably just been boasting, he thought with a cringe, but she had listened and given him the time of day regardless. That was probably the thing he’d noticed about her most at first—that she was such a good listener.
Suddenly inspired, he began to type. He’d never win an award for his screenwriting, but if every word came from the heart, as these did, then he was halfway there. He thought again of his young self and instead of cringing, tried to laugh at himself. He crafted the scene in a humorous light. Erin as the quiet, smart girl who saw right through the brash showoff trying so hard to impress her. Both of them a little clueless about how they could connect. And now here he was, a whole fifteen years later, taking the plunge and planning to reveal his true, innermost feelings to Erin.
What was even more frightening was that it would be in print. If Erin was still mad at him, she could publish his first attempt at a screenplay in the newspaper, laugh about it with her friends, or post it on social media if she wanted to. He paused, wondering if he was on a fool’s errand, but then he shook his head. There wasn’t a chance in hell Erin would ever behave like that. She was the most gracious, most understanding, most thoughtful human being he’d ever met. And that was why he loved her.
Still, he felt a little woozy when he finally pushed Send.
* * *
The trouble with living in a small apartment was it was so easy to clean. Everything was organized, her laundry was up to date, her bills paid, Boswell fed and walked. After taking the scripts back to Jay with the note, Erin hadn’t heard a word. That had been a couple of days ago.
Until now, she’d been trying to deal with her emotions by herself, but there was one person she could always turn to when she was in a mess, and that was her sister Mila.
She called, and then worried that she was interrupting Mila and Hersch doing something lovey-dovey and fabulous, but after just a few words of greeting, Mila said, “What’s up, Erin? You sound weird.”