9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
What was he supposed to do now?
Simon had reread his agent’s email numerous times, but his mind was still stuck on how to up the emotional consequences of the book. A night’s sleep hadn’t helped him see his agent’s comments in a different—more acceptable—light.
In his prior series, the emphasis hadn’t been on the emotional element. It had been more about going on missions and testing the hero’s limits—sometimes physical and other times mental.
In the final book, which had Simon’s readers all in an uproar, the hero’s mission was to retrieve an antidote in order to save his newly found son.
The hero accomplished his goal, but before he could hand off the antidote, he was shot by a sniper.
While he’d been rushed to surgery, the antidote was administered to his son.
With his goal at last accomplished, the hero breathed his last breath.
But with this new series, Simon didn’t have a clue about the hero’s journey. He’d thought it would be an intergalactic rescue mission, but his agent didn’t think the idea of the dog was strong enough to carry a whole series.
What if it wasn’t his beloved dog that the hero was chasing after? He thought of making it a family member—maybe a mother or brother. The more he thought about it, he didn’t think it would have a strong enough emotional component.
And then he knew who the hero had to chase after—the hero’s mate. If that was the case, Simon knew he had to start further back in the story to give a glimpse of the happy couple—their love—their devotion.
Feeling as though he was finally finding his footing in this new series, he sat down and turned on his keyboard writer. He typed: Chapter One.
The words started to flow, letting him instinctively know he was onto something. He chased after the story, one word after the next.
At one point, he stopped to jot down a thought about the next book in the series. When he reached for his notebook, it wasn’t there. He glanced around the deck but didn’t see it anywhere. He must have left it in the house. He didn’t want to get up to get it.
Gus spent most of the afternoon lying on the deck, but there came a time when he went down to the beach. Simon wasn’t worried about him. Gus might wander, but he always found his way home.
An hour or so later, Simon looked up from his laptop and found Gus stretched out in the shade. It appeared he’d worn himself out on his little adventure.
It wasn’t until Simon’s stomach rumbled with hunger that he realized he’d forgotten to stop for lunch. He checked the time. It was only a couple of hours until it was time for his date with Jenna.
He still wondered if it was a good idea for him to go out in public. But then he thought of his lunch with her at the Lighthouse Cafe. That place had been hopping with people, and no one had recognized him. If they had, no one said a word to him or acknowledged him in any way.
Maybe he was worried about nothing. After all, the hype about the end of his series had, for the most part, blown over. The media had moved on to a new story. Assured that he’d made the right decision to go out that evening, he went back to writing.
When he looked up again, it was time to get ready for wings and trivia. After sweating out on the deck most of the afternoon, he grabbed another shower. Not sure what to wear, he put on a nice pair of shorts and a polo shirt.
He turned to Gus. “I’m going out for a little bit, so please don’t make a mess. I’ll turn the television on for you. I’ll even put on some animal videos. Okay?”
Gus let out a whine, as though he understood exactly what Simon had said.
Simon turned on the television in the living room and found animal videos. Gus would be mesmerized by them. He didn’t let him watch them very often, so when Simon needed something to distract Gus, the videos would do the trick.
With a pat on the head, Simon said goodbye. Gus didn’t seem to notice. He stared at the television screen the whole time. Simon slipped out the door without a sound from Gus, who was watching a couple squirrels chase each other.
Now Simon’s thoughts shifted gears to his evening with Jenna. He rapped his knuckles on the door. He heard her call out that she’d be there in a moment.
While he waited, he paced around the porch. He noticed how her side of the porch had a homey vibe, while his side was just the basics and blah. He might have to work on that if things continued to work out for him on the island. He’d even found his muse again.
The door opened, and Jenna stood there, wearing jean capris and a yellow knit top. She left her hair down. His gaze moved to her face. She had on a little bit of makeup—enough to highlight her natural beauty.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thanks. You look good too.”
“Are you ready to go?” When she nodded and moved to close the door, he said, “That’s good because I worked through lunch, and I’m starving.”
As they made their way down the steps, he said, “Tonight I’ll drive.”
She arched a brow as she looked over at him. “I guess if you insist.”
“I do. I even looked up the directions to High Tide Pub.”
“I’m impressed.” After they set off for the pub, she said, “So, what sort of work do you do?”
The words stuck in the back of his throat. There was a part of him that wanted to tell her the truth, and there was another part that recalled how his ex-girlfriend had blown up his world when she’d revealed his true identity to the tabloids. Just the memory made his stomach knot up.
And then he realized that it wasn’t fair to judge Jenna based on his experience with Stephie. He wanted to trust Jenna. He didn’t think she’d do anything to hurt him. She was nothing but kindness.
He swallowed hard and said, “I’m a writer.”
“Oh, that’s cool. So, what kind of things do you write?”
What should he say? Be as vague as possible? He didn’t like that thought. He was proud of his writing. He shouldn’t have to hide it.
“I write books.” The words came out softer than he’d meant.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear you.”
He swallowed again. “I write books.”
“Wow! That’s impressive. I’ve never known an author before. What sort of books do you write?”
He inwardly groaned. He wished she wasn’t quite so interested in his books. Maybe it was a mistake mentioning it.
Before he could say more, Jenna said, “Looks like the parking lot is filling up, but I see a spot. It’s over there.”
As she pointed to the available parking spot, he turned into the parking lot. He snagged the spot before another cart coming from the other direction could get to it.
She looked over at him. “I’m sorry. What were we talking about?”
He shook his head. “I can’t remember.”
“It’ll come to me.” She got out of the cart and then turned back to him. “Are you ready for this?”
“As long as you aren’t planning on winning.”
The smile slipped from her face. “What’s that supposed to mean? I thought you were good at trivia.”
“I never said that, and you didn’t ask.”
“I didn’t?” She frowned. “But we have to beat my brother.”
“I take it your brother is good at trivia.” When she nodded, he asked, “Why is it so important that you beat him?”
“Because I need him to take me seriously.”
He arched a brow. “And you think beating him at trivia will do that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
As they stepped up to the door of the pub, other people joined them, and their conversation ceased. He had to admit he was intrigued. Why didn’t her brother take her seriously? And why did she care so much?
He didn’t have any siblings, so he didn’t have any insight into those sorts of relationships. Something told him this was going to be an interesting evening, in more than one way.
Her stomach was a knot.
Jenna introduced Simon to a bunch of locals. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. But she’d noticed all of the side-eyed looks she’d been getting by showing up with Simon.
Everyone was jumping to the wrong conclusion. Why did this town have to always make assumptions? Right now, she was certain that text messages were flying through town, and they were saying she was involved with Simon.
Now she would have the task of telling everyone that she was just friends with Simon. She had a feeling it was going to be a waste of her time. They weren’t going to believe her.
As they stepped farther into the pub, she spotted her brother. When he spotted her, he started over in her direction.
“Hey, Jen, what are you doing here?” Neil asked.
“The same as you. I’m here for the wings and some trivia.”
Neil arched a brow. “And what do you know about eighties rock?”
She was ready for him. “Probably about as much as you, considering neither of us were alive during that period.”
Her brother stared directly at her with a serious look on his face, and then he let out a laugh. “Who knew my little sister could talk smack?”
She smiled. At last, she got a little bit of respect out of her brother. Maybe she’d been reading him wrong. Maybe he was just feeling the stress of taking on all of the responsibility for the market now that their father wasn’t there to handle everything.
Neil’s gaze moved past her to Simon. “And who is this?”
“Neil, I’d like you to meet Simon. He’s my new neighbor. And, Simon, I’d like you to meet my big brother.”
“And reigning trivia champ.” Neil held his hand out to Simon. As they shook, he said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Thanks. It’s good to meet you too. Your sister has been going out of her way to familiarize me with the island.”
Neil nodded. “She knows everything about the island. So, she’s a good person to have your back. Are you planning to play trivia?”
Simon nodded. “We’re going to give it a try.”
Jenna spoke up. “And who’s your partner, since Tony is out of town?”
Neil nodded toward a table. “I talked Ethan Walker into joining me.”
“Is he any good with trivia?” she asked.
“We’re about to find out,” Neil said. “I better get going so we can eat before the game begins.”