“I can’t stay long,” she said. “Is there anything special you wanted to talk about? You look a little run-down.”
“I went to Saint-Germain to meet with my editor. They’ve changed my departure for Korea to an earlier date.”
“That’s great news! You’ll see your girlfriend even sooner.”
“The bad news is the reason for the earlier timing. I have to appear on live television.”
“But that’s wonderful!”
“Wonderful for someone else, maybe. But I feel like I’ve been having a heart attack ever since he told me. What the hell am I going to say? Live TV is terrifying!”
“When you’re in front of a camera, it’s not the words that count but the way they sound. It hardly matters what you say, as long as you say it with a smile. And if you’re nervous, viewers might just find that charming.”
“What do you know about being in front of a camera? Like you’ve ever been on TV!”
“Right, of course I haven’t,” Mia replied with a little cough. “And if it ever happened to me, I’m sure I’d be just as scared as you. But I was speaking as a viewer.”
“Here,” Paul said, taking the ribbon-tied envelope from his pocket. “This is for you.”
“What is it?”
“Open it up, you’ll see. Careful, though—it’s fragile.”
Mia drew out the little note from the envelope and read it.
“‘Three pounds of carrots, one pound of flour, a packet of sugar, a dozen eggs, a pint of milk . . .’” Mia read out loud. “It’s very lovely . . . I guess . . . Does this mean I’m supposed to get your groceries for you?”
“Check out the signature at the bottom,” Paul said with a sigh.
“Jane Austen!” Mia exclaimed.
“Jane herself. I know it’s not her most elegant prose, but you wanted something personal. Even illustrious writers have to eat, you know.”
Without thinking, Mia kissed Paul on the cheek.
“This is so sweet of you. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
Mia held the little note in her hands, caressing the ink with her fingertips.
“Who knows,” Paul said, “maybe this note will inspire you to come up with a new recipe. I thought you might want to frame it and hang it in your kitchen. That way, Jane Austen would be with you while you cook.”
“No one has ever given me anything like this before.”
“Come on. It’s only a little shopping list.”
“Written and signed by one of the greatest English writers of all time, thank you very much.”
“So you really like it?”
“Likedoesn’t cover it. I’ll never let it go!”
“I’m glad. You’d better go—I wouldn’t want theplat du jourto be overcooked because of me.”
“Thank you for a wonderful surprise.”
“But we’re in agreement this visit of ours was totally impromptu? So it doesn’t count.”
