“Still inColorado?”
I nodded.
“What do you like to do for fun?”
I let a sarcastic laugh slip asIpeeled away from him and kicked at the water’s edge. “Idon’t know.Drinkmargaritas and shit-talk with my girlfriends?”
“That doesn’t count,”Jacksaid in that annoyingly cryptic, “I’mthe sage, wise one in the story” tone. “Whatdoes your life outside of work look like?”
“Work is my life.Ithas to be.”Thewords caught in my throat. “Orat least it used to . . .”
“So, what?Youjust sit at home and write books all day?”Jackstuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “Forgiveme for not knowing a lot about how writing a book works.”
“Something like that.There’sa lot of emails and video meetings.Thoseare annoying.”
“What happens after you clock out for the day?”
I shrugged. “Eatsupper.Shower.Worka little more and then go to bed.”
The water danced at my toes, tickling them with each pass.Ihadn’t even noticed thatJackhad moved behind me.
“Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you’re not blocked?Itsounds like you’re burned out.”Hishands smoothed down my shoulders and arms. “I’mnot one to give writing advice to an author, but it seems to me like you've stopped living.I’mnot really sure how you can write about new things when you aren’t experiencing new things.”
“I’m like a shark,”Isaid, flinging my hand at the water.Werethere sharks in this part of the ocean?Ididn’t know, andIdidn’t care. “IfIstop working,Idie.”
“And what would you call where you are now?”
The question stung becauseIknew he was right.Ijust didn’t want to admit it.
“One minute post-mortem.”
9
AURORA
CURSORS AND CURSES
Ihad never been mocked by a computer before, but the blinking cursor on my computer screen taunted me with each passing second.
MaybeIjust need to do some research . . .
A dust plume rose from the ancient couch asIshifted and tucked my foot beneath me.Nomatter how muchIvacuumed and aired it out, it didn’t do a damn thing to combat the musty dusties.
I opened my internet browser, only to be met by another taunting screen:Youare not connected to the internet.Thispage cannot be displayed.Pleasecheck your connection and try again.
I had told myself that an entire summer offline would be the disconnectIneeded, but now it was just inconvenient.Sure,Ihad the data on my phone, but my thumbs would fall off ifIhad to do an entire book’s worth of research on a five-inch device.
Find nearby networks.
The prompt on the screen was tempting.Maybethere was a vacation rental close by withWiFithat wasn’t password-protected.
CedarIslandRental034
JollyDolphin203
PirateLandingGuest
FiveAlarmWi-Fire
