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She dressed quickly, leaving her hair to air dry, and then made her way downstairs.
As she walked past the library, she couldn’t help but peek in. The reading light was on and a book lay open on a side table, reading glasses beside it. She was almost certain she’d interrupted him reading.
Dammit, couldn’t he have been doing something she really disliked, like watching sports?
Reading was her favorite activity in the whole world. She had a momentary vision of the two of them sitting in this library, both reading, maybe talking about what they read. Other women had wild sex fantasies about their men, but to Erin, the sexiest thing she could imagine was a man who read for pleasure. Then, that moment when they closed their books for the night and looked over at one another with a certain expression in their eyes, when all thoughts of reading would be forgotten.
She shook away the image and scolded herself.
When she walked into the kitchen, he said, “Perfect timing,” and poured warmed milk into two thick earthenware mugs, then gently dropped three marshmallows into the liquid.
When she took the first sip, she let out a deep sigh of bliss. It was perfect. Rich and creamy. She licked a melted marshmallow and a hint of chocolate from her lip. There was a pause and she searched her brain for something to say, sifting through subjects, but nothing felt right. For once, Jay was also quiet. It was weird, because they knew each other so well, but normally they were in a group. Until today they’d rarely—if ever—been alone together.
It was as though they were playing poker, both looking at their cards, thinking about what they might put down, what the other might have. But the trouble was the card she really needed to play was sort of a joker.
She might as well get it over with. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
He looked surprised. “Okay. Shoot.”
She took another sip of hot chocolate to buy herself some time. With her index finger, she poked at a marshmallow, watching it bounce up and down on the hot chocolate like a life raft. That way, she didn’t have to look at him. “It’s more of a favor, really.”
“I’m listening.”
“And it wasn’t my idea.”
“Noted.”
Finally, she took the plunge. “My editor at theSea Shellwas understandably annoyed that I never told them about Arch getting married right here in Carmel.”
“Your editor should know you’d never throw your brother under the bus like that,” he said gravely.
“I think she does. But in her journalist’s eyes, I denied the paper the scoop of the year.”
She glanced up and saw that Jay was nodding and, without words, clearly understanding what she was getting at.
“She found out that you’ve moved here, and that you’re Archer’s agent.” She paused. “She wants a profile piece on you. And she wants me to write it.” She ended the last bit in a rush and waited for Jay’s response. When it didn’t come, she blurted, “You don’t have to do it. The thing is, a lot of celebrities live here, and since a number of them are perfectly happy to be profiled in the paper, my editor insisted that I ask.”
Jay was still silent. Erin could tell he was balking at the idea, but she wasn’t entirely sure why. Yes, he was a busy man and wouldn’t want to give up his valuable time, but he seemed troubled by the request. Strange. This was the man who loved an audience, who would talk to anyone and everyone. She didn’t know what else to say, so she waited for Jay to speak.
Finally, after appearing to weigh a long list of pros and cons, he said, “I’d be happy to do it.”
Erin blinked twice. Despite their long history, she’d been expecting him to say no. The little flutter in her chest told her that she’d been hoping he’d say yes. Was it simply because she didn’t want to go back to her editor without a story, or was something else at play?
“Really?” she asked, not quite believing it. “I’d be so grateful. It might get me off the blacklist. Otherwise, I bet she assigns me to report on high school basketball. I don’t even understand basketball.”
Jay grinned. “Well we can’t have that, can we? I’m free tomorrow, if you like.”
Erin blinked again. Jay wasneverfree. He must have sensed her desperation—since she needed this interview for the next issue, it had to happen this week. “Seriously? I know what that really means is that you’re going to clear your schedule, and you’ve probably got several zillion-dollar contracts on the line for your clients right now.”
“It’s no big deal. I needed a breather while I moved in anyway. I’ll tell my PA to keep everyone at bay for a while. They can wait a day.”
Erin breathed out a huge sigh of relief. “I am so grateful,” she said. “And would it be okay if a photographer came and took a couple of shots of you?”
“Of course.” He was still smiling. “You never know—with all the movie stars moving to Carmel, I might pick up some clients.”
She knew he turned away more clients than he took on, but she appreciated his making it seem as though it were a mutual favor. She suggested a start time of eleven a.m. and he nodded.
“There’s one more thing before I come tomorrow,” she said.