Chapter 55
Chapter Fifty-Five
M itch carried Ruthie to the front door with him to let Harper in. Assuming it was her. He smiled when he saw he’d been right. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She tickled Ruthie’s belly. “And hey to you, too, little one. How’s Grandpa treating you?”
“Like the princess she is,” Mitch replied. “I hope you don’t mind Ruthie joining us for part of our chat. Kyle’s in the shower so I said I’d watch her.”
“I don’t mind one bit.” She shut the door behind her. “How did your writing day finish up?”
“Better than expected. Somehow in between talking to you and getting in the pool with Kyle and Ruthie, I knocked out another thousand words.”
“Excellent. You’re doing really well with staying on track despite the changes to your life. That’s impressive.”
“Thanks.” They went up the steps together. “I don’t really know how I’m doing it, but I’m trying not to think about it too much in case I jinx something.”
“Smart move,” Harper said, smiling.
“You want something to drink?”
“Some water, but I can get it myself. Your hands are a little busy.”
“Thanks. Sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for.” Harper went into the kitchen.
He rocked Ruthie gently. She looked like she was going to drift off at any second. Hopefully his conversation with Harper wouldn’t wake her up.
Harper filled a glass with water and ice then turned to face him. “Did you get that list of dogs I sent you? There’s just three of them, but they’re all available at local shelters.”
“No, did you email it?”
“I did. But only just before I got ready to come over here.”
“I’ve been occupied with work and Ruthie, but I’ll take a look at it.”
Harper came over. “How’s she doing?”
“Great. She’s the best baby ever.”
“Not that you’re biased or anything.”
Mitch grinned. “Not one bit.”
“I need to tell you something.” She glanced past him as if checking to see that they were still alone.
He immediately wondered what was going on. “What?”
“Maybe I’m overthinking this, but Kyle and Willa had quite a chat last night. I don’t know what he said to her, and it doesn’t matter, but she’s decided to leave school, get a job, and stay here.”
“Oh, boy.”
“Yep. She swears that she and Kyle are just friends and have no plans for anything more than that, but I wanted to tell you all the same. Nothing against either one of them, or young love or any of that, but Kyle obviously has a lot going on. So does Willa now that she’s made this decision.”
Mitch nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Right now, he’s very focused on getting his book ready to send to my agent. He’s been editing based on our feedback. With the book and Ruthie, he’s fairly well occupied.”
“It’ll be exciting to see what your agent thinks, huh?”
Ruthie sighed, a sweet, sleepy sound. Mitch kept his voice down. “One thing about Lucinda is that I can count on her to be honest. Even without reading it, she already thinks she can sell the book based on his connection to me, but Kyle doesn’t want to use the Ripley name. He wants to do this on the merit of his writing.”
“That shouldn’t be an issue. The book was great.”
“I agree, but being published as my son could mean a big difference in the advance. It’s something he and I need to discuss some more. But I won’t know if it matters until Lucinda chimes in.” He shrugged. “Anyway, you want to go to our usual spot on the deck?”
“Sure.”
They went outside, settling into their seats. He eased Ruthie from his arms to rest on his lap. She was fast asleep now and probably would stay that way until closer to her next feeding.
Harper set her glass on the side table, crossed her legs, and smiled at him. “So tell me what happened in the book today.”
Mitch told her what he’d written, explaining the progress in the story and what new things had taken place. He tried to include all pertinent information while keeping things clear and concise. It was odd talking about what he’d just written. It felt fresh and he always expected her to give him an odd look, like he’d gone off into left field.
She hadn’t ever responded that way, but his writer’s insecurities never seemed to go away completely, no matter what level of success he’d achieved.
As he was wrapping up, Kyle came out to the deck. “Hi, Harper.”
“Hi, Kyle.”
“Dad, do you want me to heat up those leftovers for dinner or was there another plan?”
“Leftovers are fine. I won’t be ready until about seven, though.”
“That’s fine. I have laundry to fold and put away.”
Mitch had his hands on either side of Ruthie. She was in no danger of rolling off his lap, but he liked keeping her secure. “Ruthie can stay here with me if that’s easier.”
Kyle smiled. “I was going to put her in her crib. I’m hoping she starts sleeping a little longer soon.”
“That would be good.”
Kyle came over and carefully picked Ruthie up. She stayed asleep as Kyle carried her out. “See you later.”
Harper got up and slid the glass door closed behind him. She got right back onto the topic of Mitch’s book. “Everything you’ve told me sounds great. I can’t wait to actually read the story. I do have a couple of questions.”
Mitch smiled. “That’s what you’re here for.”
“What’s Charlie’s reaction when she gets the note that someone she trusts is about to betray her? Does she think it’s the mayor’s son? Does she think it’s someone else? Have you hinted at who it might be?”
Mitch nodded. “I’m trying to get the reader to think it could be the mayor’s son. I think most will. I don’t have her think that, though. She’s supposed to be in love with him. Or at least in deep like. Wouldn’t it feel, I don’t know, disingenuous to have her first thought be the mayor’s son?”
“It would be, if you really want to show her loyalty to him, but Charlie’s no one’s fool. This is fine-line territory. Readers see Charlie as street smart and extremely savvy.” Harper tapped a finger against her jaw. “What if there was something either on the paper or about the delivery that made it seem as though it had come from the mayor’s office? But in a way that was clearly designed to get Charlie to think that’s where it had come from. A deliberate attempt to make her think that. But she sees through it.”
“Oh, right.” Mitch nodded, his mind working with that suggestion. “The mayor’s office is known for the expensive jasmine incense they burn. What if the paper bore that scent?”
“I love that,” Harper said. “Does that little twist work for where you see the story going, though?”
“It does. I like that whoever’s behind this supposed warning wants Charlie to think it’s coming from inside the mayor’s office. Like they might really be privy to this kind of information. Like they might be trustworthy.” He smiled. “That’s good.”
She smiled back. “Thanks. So who did send the warning?”
He laughed. “I don’t have a clue. That’s just how the writing works sometimes. When the moment’s right, I’ll know. The story will reveal it.”
“I don’t understand how you do it. Although I guess working with you has given me some insight.”
“Kind of like finding out how the sausage is made?”
“Something like that. Except I’m still a really big fan of sausage.” She snorted. “Forget the sausage, I’m still a really big fan of the books.”
“I’m glad. Looks like I’ll be headed to L.A. next month for the first meeting with the producers and director of The Light Within . I’d like you to go with me. It’s the first big creative meeting and I want them to meet you. They need to know you’re part of my team.”
“How exciting.”
“It is. They’re going to show us storyboards, talk about the vision for the movie, what kind of big-picture ideas they have, and they want feedback. You can come, right?”
She nodded. “Of course I’m available. I’m looking forward to it. But talking about L.A. is a great reminder that I need to sign off on my life out there. I have to clean my place out and let my landlord know I’m not renewing my lease. Plus, I have to move my stuff here.”
“What about your clients? Have you told them?”
“I need to break the news to them, too.” She sighed, then quickly smiled. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. The move, I mean. But I’m really glad I am.”
“So am I.” He couldn’t imagine his life without her now.
“Have you told Kyle about us yet?”
Mitch shook his head. “I was planning to do that tonight over dinner.”
“I hope it goes well.”
“It will. He likes you.” It didn’t hurt that Mitch had done so much for his son recently. Kyle would have a hard time complaining about Mitch being involved with Harper after that.
Harper made a show of crossing her fingers. “Back to the book. How long before you reach the end?”
“My goal right now is to have this draft finished before we go to L.A. I should be able to do that if I really focus. At the very least, I should be able to get within a few chapters of the end.”
“Good goal. I’m going to reread The Light Within and make notes so that I’m fresh on the story for the meeting.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
She lifted one shoulder. “It’s what you’re paying me for.”
“Speaking of, that list of dogs you sent me—you said there were three?”
“As of this afternoon, yes.”
“I’m sure there will be one on there I like. If I want to go meet one or two of them tomorrow, will you go with me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good. I value your opinion on dogs.”
“Aren’t you playing racquetball with Lucas in a couple days?"
He pressed his hand to his forehead. “Yep. Almost forgot about that.”
“It’s a good chance for you to ask his opinion on dogs, too.”
“True. I’ll see what he thinks about the dogs you sent me.”
“Great. Now tell me more about where you see the story going.”
They talked until nearly seven, then Mitch walked Harper to the door, where they said goodnight with a hasty kiss.
He went back upstairs to the kitchen where Kyle was fixing them some plates. Kyle glanced at Mitch. “Harper’s really nice. And smart. You ever think about asking her out? Like on a date?”
Mitch did his best not to react too strongly to that. “You think I should?”
“I think you should if you want to. She obviously likes you. And you like her, right?”
Mitch nodded. “I do. Would you be okay with that? Me dating someone?”
Kyle shrugged. “Yeah. You should be happy. Mom would want that. And I’d definitely be okay with it if it was Harper. Or someone like her. Although I don’t know how you’d ever meet anyone else like her.”
“You mean someone who likes me and my books?” Mitch laughed.
“And someone who sees you as a person, not just as a big author who could do something for them.” Kyle gave his dad a serious look. “I mean it. You should ask her out.”
Mitch just smiled. “I’ll take that under advisement.”