“See? That’s a great opening sentence for a chapter. We could follow with your Truman Capote quote.”
“I thought writers were quite old,” she repeated.
“As long as they don’t die young, they all inevitably end up that way. So did you like the message I wrote?”
“There were things that appealed to me—enough to make me show up tonight.”
“It took me hours to write.”
“I’m sure it took me just as long to reply.”
“I would love the chance to ‘reread’ that reply. So, you have a restaurant serving Provençal cuisine? Pretty original for a Brit.”
“All my summers growing up were spent in Provence. Funny how childhood memories can be so formative in terms of taste, figuring out what you want. What about you? Where did you grow up?”
“San Francisco.”
“So how does an American writer end up Parisian?”
“It’s a long story. But I don’t like going on and on about myself—boring subject.”
“I suppose I’m not really crazy about myself as the subject either.”
“Careful. We run the risk of getting writer’s block.”
“What about a description of this place? That could certainly fill a few pages.”
“You only need two or three details to set the scene. More than that and you can lose the reader’s interest.”
“I thought there was no formula for good writing.”
“I was speaking as a reader, not a writer. Do you like long descriptions?”
“No, you’re right, they can be rather tedious. So what do we write now? What do the two protagonists do next?”
“Order a dessert?”
“Just one?”
“Good point. Two. It’s their first date, remember. We need to maintain a certain distance between them.”
“As cowriter, I might point out the fact that Madame’s glass is empty, and she’d love it if her date would pour her another.”
“Excellent idea! Although he really should have taken care of that before she had to ask.”
“Except she might have thought he was trying to get her drunk.”
“Ah. I forgot she’s British.”
“Aside from that, what are your biggest turnoffs with women?”
“If you don’t mind me saying so, what if she rephrased the question in a positive light? For example: What do you like most in a woman?”
“Oh, no, not so fast—that’s not the same thing at all. And if the question had been put that way, it could seem like she’s trying to hit on him.”
“That’s debatable, but fine. Anyway, biggest turnoff is lying. But to put it in a positive light, my answer would have been ‘honesty.’”
Mia looked at him for a long time, then said: “I’m not going to sleep with you.”
