Chapter 24. Holly
Holly
Making dinner for two was a foreign concept for Holly, but she was getting the hang of it. The green beans were a little soggy, the chicken and rice a little dry, but overall, the risk of food poisoning was pretty low, so that was a win.
Before diving into the meal, Jade put her hands together in a prayer position.
“I didn’t know you were religious,” said Holly, who didn’t know much about Jade at all, though, oddly, dinner together felt normal—familiar, even. Good lord. If a runaway helped Holly feel grounded, how woefully out of balance was her life?
“I’m not religious,” Jade said. “I just feel like Joey and Emily need all the help they can get now that their love is gone.”
It took Holly a second, but then she laughed. Oh yes—Ethan had cleaned off the graffiti. He’d made good progress on the other work, too. And thanks to Allen Spellman, Holly could pay for his time and materials.
She raised her glass of water. Jade reached for her Dr Pepper, a beverage choice Holly had never understood. It wasn’t her place to patrol the girl’s nutrition, yet she had the urge to get her a glass of milk instead.
“To Joey and Emily,” said Jade in solemn reverence. “May their love continue, or may they find true happiness elsewhere.”
“If Joey loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn’t love as much in eighty years as I could in a day.”
Jade’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa, that’s beautiful,” she said with complete sincerity.
“Yeah, it is,” said Holly. “Wish I had written it. It’s Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights. But I added the Joey part.”
“Heathcliff,” said Jade, surprising Holly.
“You know the book?”
Jade made a pshaw sound. “It’s a classic, but it’s not a love story, in my opinion. Catherine and Heathcliff had a super toxic dynamic. Way too obsessive to be healthy. If spray paint had existed in the late eighteenth century, I bet Heathcliff would’ve tagged Catherine’s name all over the moors.”
Holly laughed so hard she spit out her rice. For that brief moment, she felt downright at home.
“Speaking of the graffiti, how’s that handyman?” Jade asked, narrowing her gaze. “I caught a glimpse of him on his way out yesterday—he’s a total DILF.”
Holly didn’t get the reference at first, but then realized it was the male version of MILF.
“Any sparks?” Jade teased. “Seems to me you could use a little excitement in your life.”
“Taking in a runaway is enough excitement for me. Besides, I think he’s got a girlfriend.” Holly was surprised to hear obvious disappointment in her voice.
“So? You’re way better. I don’t even need to meet that woman to know she’s trash. He should dump whoever she is and go out with you.”
Jade finished everything on her plate, so Holly got up to grab her seconds, along with a glass of milk.
“I’m not looking for a relationship. I have too much on my mind and too much to do to let a man distract me,” she said.
“Like the book you have to write,” said Jade, drinking the milk without prodding.
“Yes, exactly. I have to focus. Writing is an extremely disciplined profession.”
Jade set her elbows on the table and leaned over her plate, a hungry look in her eyes. “Can you teach me your process? I’d love to learn.”
Holly didn’t hesitate. “Step one: Come up with a good idea. You do know why people finish books, don’t you?”
“To find out what happens,” Jade said, as if the answer were obvious.
“They read because they care about the characters,” Holly explained.
“Not all readers will connect with your characters the same way. That’s why writing a book that everyone loves is impossible.
But you, as the author, have to love the people you create on the page.
You have to care about what happens to them.
If you can do that for yourself, others will come along for the ride—and enjoy it. ”
“But not everyone,” Jade said.
“You can’t please the world, Jade.” Holly set her knife and fork down on her plate. “Speaking of pleasing people, how did it go at the Carmichaels’?” She couldn’t hide the trepidation in her voice.
Jade slid another bite of food into her mouth, chewing with care. “They seem pretty normal to me,” she said. “It should be an easy job and good money.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Holly said, though Jade’s words didn’t exactly sound convincing.
“But let me know if you run into problems. I’m concerned about you up there in that big house, with that family …
which reminds me, don’t you think you should call your aunt Alice? She’s probably very worried about you.”
Jade’s face fell flat. “She doesn’t care what happens to me. She isn’t rooting for my character in her story.”
“Touché.” Holly gave her a tender smile. “But please, let her know you’re alive, will you?”
“I can’t get into it tonight. I’ll deal with it tomorrow, okay?”
Holly wasn’t going to argue. “Give her my number if she wants to talk. You don’t have to go back there if you don’t want to. You can stay here—at least I’ll know you’re safe. But she should know that, too.”
Holly couldn’t believe her own words. Had she just invited Jade to live with her for an undetermined period of time?
Jade’s relieved expression said it was an offer she was more than happy to accept.
Tom Walker appeared to be right about one thing: Once you feed them, they don’t want to leave.