“I am.” He smiled. “See you soon.” Mitch went back to work. He had to focus and get his pages done. But first, he needed more coffee. Actually, it was probably time to switch to water.
He went into the kitchen. Beryl was in the living room sitting on the couch with Ruthie on her lap. Bunny was on the couch next to them.
Beryl was reading Ruthie a story. Something with bears. Mitch doubted Ruthie could understand any of it, but Beryl seemed to be keeping her attention. Maybe it was the accent, or the way she did the voices, or the soothing tone. Whatever the reason, Ruthie looked happy, and that made Mitch happy.
He filled a tall stainless-steel tumbler with water and went back to work.
An hour later, Kyle came into Mitch’s office, bringing with him a burst of nervous energy. “I’m done. The book is ready to send.”
Mitch looked up. “You’re sure? You want to sleep on it, take one more look in the morning?”
Kyle shook his head. “I’ve looked at it enough. My eyes are starting to cross. It’s as good as I can make it.” He put his hands on his hips and nodded resolutely. “I want to send it.”
“Okay. I gave you Lucinda’s email. She’s expecting it.”
“Do I need to tell her anything specific?”
“No. Just do a short introduction, tell her you’re my son, and attach the file.”
“Okay, right.” Kyle exhaled. “This is it, huh?”
Mitch smiled. Had he ever been that nervous or that excited? He supposed he had. “You’ve written a book you can be proud of. Don’t get too much in your head about it. What you should do now is start the next one. Do you have an idea for the next one?”
“I do. Sort of. I have a lot of ideas, but I was sort of hoping the story will work itself out as I write. Except I don’t know where to start.
“You could do some brainstorming with Harper. She’s great at it. She comes at things from a true reader’s perspective. I find her ideas and suggestions really useful.”
“Maybe I will. There are a couple of plot things I’ve been trying to make work without any real satisfaction so far. How expensive is her time?”
“Don’t worry about that. Consider it my investment in your career.”
Kyle grinned. “Thanks, Dad. I would love to talk with her.”
“We’ll make it happen. Now go get that book sent to Lucinda.”
“On it.” Kyle left, closing Mitch’s door behind him as he went.
Once again, Mitch returned to the story. As usual when he’d been interrupted, it took him a few minutes before he sank back into the world of Charlie Nightingale but then he was in, immersed in the realm where anything could, and often did, happen.
Everything else disappeared. The ice water in his tumbler, the subtle sounds of the world outside, incoming emails, whatever other responsibilities might await, they were relegated to the background.
He wrote, fingers flying, an occasional smile or grimace shaping his mouth as he mimicked the actions of the characters.
Then a persistent hum brought him out of the world. His phone, vibrating with an incoming text. He blinked and returnedto reality. A quick glance at the screen told him Lucas had texted to say his brother had arrived and could meet with them anytime.
Mitch finished the paragraph he’d been writing, hit Save, then picked up his phone and answered Lucas.I’ll collect everyone and we’ll be right there. Thanks.
Lucas sent a thumbs-up in reply.
Mitch texted Harper to get everyone ready and that he’d be over to get them in ten minutes. He used that time to brush his teeth, put flipflops on, and visit Ruthie. She was in her crib and Beryl was in the room with her, folding Ruthie’s tiny clothes out of the basket of fresh laundry.
He laid his hand on Ruthie’s belly and gave it a little wiggle. “How’s our girl today?”
“She’s perfect, as always.” Beryl smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Ripley, for the job. I am very grateful for the offer.”
“You’re very welcome.” He picked Ruthie up and kissed her soft cheek. “And please, call me Mitch. You’re part of the family now. Isn’t she, Ruthie?”
Ruthie patted her hand against his face. He kissed her fingers. “Where’s Bunny?”
