Chapter 51
Chapter Fifty-One
A fter a quick breakfast, Mitch went straight to his office to do a journal entry. Having Ruthie and Kyle around had thrown off his schedule, but he was adjusting. They were a great reason to adjust, and he didn’t mind.
No surprise what the day’s journal entry was about. Harper. And the kiss. And how he was going to do his best to smooth things over with an apology.
He finished that and tucked the journal away, then moved from the couch where he’d been writing to his desk.
His first email was to Lucinda to tell her about Kyle’s book. He fully expected her to give the email a nod and a wink. After all, Kyle was his son. Of course he was going to think the book was great. But he knew once she read it, she’d understand.
A knock at the door interrupted him. “Come in.”
Kyle walked through. “Hey, I just got Harper’s notes on my book. It was all really good, really positive. She had the same thoughts about some of those sections you did, that they should be tightened up. Do you think you could give me an example of what you mean by that? Sorry. I know you’re probably working on your own stuff.”
“No, it’s fine. Get your laptop and as soon as I send this email, we’ll go over a couple paragraphs together.”
“Cool. Thanks.” He started for the door. “Ruthie’s sleeping.”
Mitch smiled. “Good. Maybe we’ll take her into the pool this evening when the sun isn’t so intense.”
Kyle nodded. “She’d like that.” He slipped out.
Mitch returned to the email, adding a few more lines of assurance, then hit Send. Kyle returned. Mitch pointed toward the couch. “Let’s sit there.”
They settled in, and Kyle pulled his document up. He scrolled through, then stopped and nodded his head at the screen. “Here. I think this is one of the chapters you both mentioned.”
Mitch looked at it, read a few lines, then nodded. “It is. Now, I get that this is some setup here, you’re showing the reader the ordinary world of the police station, which is all good. But you’ve got two long paragraphs on how the electronic locking mechanism of the cell doors work.”
Kyle smirked. “Yeah, I did a lot of research on that. Guess I was showing off, huh?”
“No, not showing off. It’s understandable when you do that much research. You want to let readers know what you know. But it’s too much. I’d say ninety percent of what we learn from our research really just informs us, the writer. It never makes it to the page. But knowing it still makes the book richer.”
“So it should be one paragraph?”
Mitch grinned. “It should be one sentence .”
“Ouch.” Kyle grimaced. “Okay, I can do that.”
“You don’t have to knock everything down to one sentence.”
“How do I know?”
“Does understanding the locking mechanism further the plot?”
Kyle made a face. “No.”
“Then that’s how you weigh things. Now, let’s say the mechanics of the lock was going to come into play further down the line. That changes things. You might make it two sentences, or even a whole short paragraph. But that’s what it comes down to. How important is this information to the plot or to the development of a character. If your hero or villain were a locksmith…”
“Right. I get what you’re saying. Makes sense. And now that you’ve explained it, it feels like something I should have already figured out.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Takes some people years. You just had the benefit of having me as a father.”
Kyle laughed. “Pretty big benefit.”
His words gave Mitch a warm feeling inside. “You want to go over a few more paragraphs?”
“No, I think I get it now. But maybe I could show you the new versions later?”
“Sure.”
Kyle got up. “Okay, thanks. I’m going to work out on the deck. It’s so nice out there and with the fans going and the breeze off the water, it’s great. Beryl’s going to take Ruthie’s next feeding so I can work.”
“That’s very kind of her.” Mitch really appreciated how Joyce and Beryl had stepped in to help with the baby. Particularly Beryl, who was supposed to be here on vacation.
“I thought so, too. They’re filming tomorrow at Lucas’s. I think that’s so cool that he asked them to do that. He’s an all right guy.”
“He is,” Mitch agreed. “We’re playing racquetball this week.”
“Oh, awesome. I should go check the gym out. Now that I might actually have time to go.”
“You should. No reason not to take advantage of it. Especially with three of us here to look after Ruthie.”
Kyle nodded. “Right. Off to work.”
“Me, too.”
Kyle left and Mitch went back to his computer. Lucinda had already returned his email. He must have caught her at a good time.
Hi Mitch,
Interesting to hear about Kyle’s book. If it’s half as good as you think it is, there could be a bidding war. The Ripley name carries a lot of weight. When can I get a copy?
Best,
Lucinda
He frowned, realizing in his rush to get the email off to her, he hadn’t mentioned Kyle not wanting to use his last name. Mitch glanced toward the door. He didn’t want to talk Kyle out of that, but then again, if being open about his connection to Mitch meant a big advance… Mitch tapped his fingers on the desk. This was Kyle’s decision.
But Mitch would at least mention it to him.
Mitch opened his Word document and after rereading the last few pages, dug into the story with real effort.
It was a great way to escape the reality of what awaited him: The talk with Harper. Part of him felt like he should just do it and get it over with, but the rest of him knew that if the talk didn’t go well, he wouldn’t feel much like writing.
Better to do his work, then take whatever time necessary with Harper.
His pages weren’t finished until a little after three. Kyle hadn’t come back in, so maybe he was still working. Mitch saved his document, then went out to see where everyone was.
It wasn’t until he heard soft splashing and went to the windows that he found them. Joyce and Beryl were in the pool with Ruthie. Kyle looked very much like he was asleep on one of the lounge chairs, his laptop on the small table nearby.
Mitch smiled. Good for them. Then his smile faded. Now was the perfect time to talk to Harper.
He went to the bedroom and made sure he was presentable. He combed his hair. It didn’t need it, but it was as good a way to procrastinate as any.
He put on shoes, then slipped out of the house, through the path, and came to a stop at Harper’s front door. Reluctantly, he knocked.
Harper answered in shorts, a tank top, and bare feet. Archie stood behind her, tail wagging, looking eagerly like this might result in him going for another walk. “Hey, there. You want to come in?”
“Um, sure. Is this a good time?”
“Yep. Willa’s taking a nap by the pool and Frankie just left to see Lucas.” She backed away to let him enter. “What’s up?”
He stepped inside. He didn’t really want to get too far into the house in case she ended up throwing him out. But she didn’t seem mad. At all. He raked his hand through his hair. “So about last night—”
“Great dinner.”
“Yeah. I didn’t mean the dinner, though.” It was cowardly of him, but he couldn’t look her in the eyes. He didn’t want to see her opinion of him diminishing.
“Oh?”
“About the, uh, kiss.”
“ Oh . The kiss.”
Was that amusement in her voice? He glanced at her. The sparkle in her eyes and the slight upturn of one side of her mouth was unmistakable. She thought this was funny. Or he was funny. Or his attempt to apologize was. He scowled, not quite understanding what was going on. “I’m trying to apologize.” In case she didn’t get that.
“For kissing me?”
“ Yes .”
Her brows bent. “Why?”
“Because I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Why?”
“Because…we work together.”
“I had you sign an NDA not a no fraternization contract.”
He stared at her. This wasn’t going how he’d imagined it. Had he misread things that much? “You’re not mad?”
“No. Should I be?” She crossed her arms. “Are you mad that I kissed you back?”
“No, but…I just thought, that is, after it happened, we sort of pretended it didn’t.”
“Because we were surrounded by friends and family and what was the alternative? To stroll back in and announce what had happened?” She was grinning now. “Mitch, we’re two consenting adults. Kissing is okay.”
He scratched the back of his head.
She gently touched his arm. “I understand if you’re having some guilt issues with this. If you feel like you’ve betrayed Jeanie in some way. Maybe you thought you were ready for something new only to discover you weren’t. However you feel about it, I’m okay with what happened and I’m not going to judge you for whatever you decide.”
“I don’t feel guilty. I thought I might, but I don’t. I mostly thought you might feel like I’d taken advantage of the situation. Or something.” Honestly, standing here with her, he couldn’t remember half of what he’d imagined.
She shook her head. “Like I said. Two consenting adults. Who apparently find each other attractive. Acting on that is only human. Wanting companionship and intimacy is part of that.” She stepped closer to him, the amusement in her gaze replaced by earnest intention. “Is that what you want? Companionship? Intimacy?”
He nodded, the need for words gone. He kissed her again.