The Girl and the Genie (14 page)

Ethan continued to peer down at the Bulldog, his expression stony. “In that case…” he said. In a slow, stiff motion he reached his hand down so that the dog could sniff it, and after Winston did this, Ethan carefully patted the dog on top of his head several times before pulling his hand back.

“Friends?” Ethan asked.

From Winston’s expression, he wasn’t willing to go that far yet, but at least he seemed to accept a truce. He made a grunting noise, then retreated several feet before lying down on his side, all the while keeping one eye open and on Ethan.

Emily broke into a more profuse apology. “I’m so sorry about that. But he really is a good-hearted soul. We traveled all day yesterday from New York and that must’ve gotten him wired up.”

Ethan stared at his hand that he had let Winston sniff. “No harm, no foul,” he said, his lips pursed in a slightly amused way. “Especially seeing how I’m still physically in one piece. If he had bitten off a digit or two, I’m sure I’d be upset now.” He had been sitting in an armchair, and now pushed himself out of it so he could lean forward and extend his hand to Emily to introduce himself properly. “Ethan Blake,” he said. “And you must be my intrepid editor, Emily Mignon, along with her deadly Bulldog, who I assume is named Winston?”

Ethan had said this mostly straight-faced, and Emily couldn’t help smiling. He hardly seemed the shy type as her mother had said. But her mother was certainly right about him being much better looking than he was in his picture. He wore rimless glasses and was taller than she had thought—at least a good foot taller than she was. He was also thinner with the camera having made him look pudgy when he wasn’t at all. His features were nicer too. His eyes steel blue and his jaw stronger and more defined than it had appeared in his headshot photo. Even his hair looked better. While still an unruly mop in need of styling, he had made more of an effort to part it, and it didn’t look that bad, with the color a nice soft brown. Once his hair was taken care of he’d be downright handsome!

Emily’s smile grew as she took note of how he was dressed. Olive-green turtleneck sweater, tweed sports jacket, gray slacks that had been ironed so that the creases showed, and black loafers. Neat, stylish, and bohemian in a way, but not stuffy or flashy. She reached out also, introducing herself, and her small slender hand disappeared within his much larger one. She liked the way it felt holding his hand. Then she remembered how she was dressed—not in the more professional skirt and blouse as she had planned, but in a pair of worn jeans and a tight tee shirt, and she began to blush as she felt severely underdressed with him, almost naked.

Alice Mignon came to her daughter’s rescue. “Emily, dear, you go change,” she said, bustling forward and getting enough of Emily and Ethan’s attention so that they let go of each other’s hands. “I’ll keep your guest company for a little while longer.” Then to Ethan, “You surprised my daughter by arriving early. Threw off her whole schedule!”

“I apologize for that,” Ethan said to Emily, nodding severely. A thin smile cracked his face. “And probably best that you do change into other clothing. I’m not sure I’d be able to concentrate a lick on work, or anything else for that matter, with you dressed the way you are.”

This made Emily’s blush deepen, but again, her mother came to her rescue as she shooed Ethan out of the room.

“Enough of that,” she said. “Let’s give my daughter some privacy. The two of us can step outside and you can tell me more of what I should be seeing today in Minneapolis.”

Alice Mignon just about pushed a reluctant Ethan Blake out of the suite. Winston sat up, a torn expression on his face as to whether to stay with Emily or to go outside so he could continue to keep an eye on Ethan. In the end he stayed where he was.

Once the door closed, Emily shut the blinds, then shed the clothes she was wearing and put on a skirt and blouse and nicer shoes that she had been intending to wear. She checked herself in the bathroom mirror, ran a brush several times through her hair, and in the end weakened and applied a coating of lip gloss to her lips. She felt silly doing it, but she had to admit she liked the way it softened her lips. After that she rushed around straightening up the suite. She then arranged the pastries on paper plates, and put those on the desk as opposed to the end table so that Winston couldn’t get at them. She put the coffees next to the pastries, along with the little containers of half-and-half and packets of sugar that she took from the bakery. With all that done she opened the door to invite Ethan back in, and it seemed as if it was her turn to rescue Ethan. Her mother had Ethan trapped and was giving him what amounted to a Chamber of Commerce spiel on how wonderful life was in Des Moines and why any young man like himself should move there right away. Relief washed over Ethan’s face as Emily interrupted them by inviting them back into the suite, and he used the opportunity to make his escape. Alice Mignon stood nonplussed for a moment as she watched Ethan hightail it back into the motel suite. Then she decided to overlook it. She spent half a minute smoothing out some wrinkles in her slacks, then joined them.

“I’ll just grab a coffee and something to eat and be on my way,” Alice Mignon announced. She added three packets of sugar and a half-and-half to one of the coffees, wrapped a cinnamon bun in a napkin, and then flashed a wave goodbye to both Emily and Ethan, not wanting to embarrass Emily by kissing her in front of the author. Emily followed her out onto the walkway and gave her a kiss and hug there.

“He was shy like the dickens with me earlier,” Alice Mignon whispered into Emily’s ear as they hugged. “But he sure wasn’t shy with you. I could’ve sworn I saw sparks.”

“Mom, please,” Emily said, but she was glad her mother said that.

“You better go back in there, dear. You’ve got work to do, and besides, you don’t want to leave Winston alone with him for too long.”

Emily agreed. She gave her mother one last hug and hurried back into the suite. Ethan was sitting in the same armchair he’d been in earlier, and while his truce with Winston was still ongoing, they were giving each other cautious looks.

“I bet you didn’t expect all this excitement when you came here this morning,” Emily said.

Ethan looked over at her and smiled thinly. “It’s all been very entertaining,” he said.

“And fattening too,” Emily said as she walked over to the desk with the pastries and coffee. She took a piece of chocolate pound cake for herself and asked Ethan what he’d like. “I’ve got enough food here for a dozen struggling authors, or at least half a dozen underpaid editors, so don’t be shy.”

Ethan looked over at the food and shook his head, his mouth shrinking into a small oval. “Nothing for me, thanks.”

“Really?” Emily asked, disappointed. “It looks good, and I was told the place I got it from is one of the best bakeries in the area.”

“I’m sure it’s very good,” he said. “But I follow a gluten free diet.”

“Oh. Do you suffer from celiac disease?”

“No.” His eyes glazed for a moment as he forced a polite smile. “I avoid gluten for general health reasons, as everyone should.”

“Oh,” Emily said, frowning. She felt awkward all of a sudden. “I don’t want you starving. If you tell me what you’d like, I’ll make another trip.”

“No need to bother. I wouldn’t want to put you out. And besides, I’m sure I can wait until lunch.”

“Well, you can still have some coffee, right? I can guarantee there’s no gluten in that. I’ve got decaf, regular, and latte. What would you like?”

“I hope I don’t sound like a broken record, but nothing, thanks.” He shrugged as he showed more of his forced, polite smile. “I don’t drink coffee, only tea.”

“Oh,” Emily said, her frown growing more severe which caused thin lines to crinkle her forehead. “I’m pretty sure the motel provides complimentary tea bags. Let me go look.”

“Don’t bother. At the risk of now sounding like a total snob, I only drink loose tea that’s freshly brewed.” His smile turned apologetic. “It’s just so superior. Once you’ve tried it it’s impossible to use tea bags again.”

Emily broke out laughing. It was either that or cry. She could imagine that if Jack were watching this he’d be rolling his eyes at the hints of pretentiousness that Ethan showed. It was also sort of funny in a way. All the assumptions she had made about Ethan. Her fantasies of them drinking espresso together in Rome, or sharing crepes in an outdoor café in Paris. All of that inferred from a novel he had written. She felt like an idiot.

“Well, I guess nothing for you then,” she said, trying hard not to sound as hurt as she felt right then. She took the latte for herself since he wasn’t going to be drinking it, and carried that and a slice of pound cake to the sofa that sat catty-cornered to Ethan’s armchair. He pursed his lips as he watched her.

“Maybe I will have something,” he said. “As long as you don’t mind me giving it to Winston. It might not be a bad idea for me to bribe him.”

Emily shrugged indifferently. “Go ahead,” she said.

Ethan got out of his chair and examined the food before selecting an apple tart. After picking off several of the caramelized apple slices for himself, he tore off a piece and used it to coax Winston over to him. The dog first cautiously sniffed the offering, then looked at Emily to see whether it was okay for him to take it. Emily nodded. Winston then carefully nibbled the piece of apple tart being held in front of his nose before nearly taking off one of Ethan’s fingers as he greedily snatched the rest of it. Ethan then tore off more pieces and fed Winston the rest of the tart. When he was done, Winston’s stub of a tail began wagging slightly and Ethan turned to Emily, a big, goofy grin on his face.

“Ha!” he exclaimed, “the bribe worked!”

His grin was infectious enough to make Emily grin in spite of herself. It also melted her heart a bit as Ethan’s enthusiasm over bribing Winston with an apple tart more than made up for his somewhat snobby attitudes towards the simple pleasures that she enjoyed, like a good piece of pastry or bread, as well as coffee, and even store bought teabags. So they’d never share a cappuccino or a piece of fudge cake. There was more to life than that.

“We should get to work,” Emily said.

“You’re the boss,” Ethan said with a good-natured wink.

Before leaving New York, Emily had printed out two copies of the manuscript with her notes added in, and had lugged them to Minnesota. She handed one of them to Ethan while she kept the other, and proceeded to go over her notes. For the first half hour, Ethan sat with rapt attention as he occasionally chewed on the end of a pen, but shortly after that he put his copy down on a nearby table and leaned back in the armchair with his eyes closed, his face tilted toward the ceiling and his hands clasped behind his head. After about fifteen minutes of that without a single peep coming from him, Emily began feeling increasingly foolish and she asked Ethan if he had fallen asleep.

Ethan shook his head, grinning in an amused fashion as he faced Emily. “I’m fully awake,” he said. “I promise. It’s only that I can process better what you’re saying leaning back the way I am.”

“Well, if you start snoring, I’ll kick you!”

Ethan laughed at that. “Fair enough,” he said.

“Any thoughts yet on my notes?”

Ethan smiled apologetically. “I need several days to let it all settle,” he said. “Once it does, I’ll let you know. But I’ll be giving everything you’re suggesting proper consideration.”

Emily accepted this. She had already given the issues she was raising a tremendous amount of thought, and she was convinced the changes she was recommending would not only improve the book, but were sorely needed. But she couldn’t be dictatorial about this. She needed to give Ethan the necessary time to think things over, and she was certain that once he did this he’d agree with her.

Knowing that Ethan was paying attention to what she was saying helped Emily relax and for the next two hours she continued to go through her notes while Ethan sat back in his more restful pose. When he started snoring loudly Emily ordered Winston to jump on him. Winston, who had been lying on his side, lifted his head to give her a confused look, but otherwise didn’t move. Ethan turned and grinned at her. It was one o’clock then and they decided to take a break for lunch. Ethan suggested a nearby Indian restaurant.

“One of the best places around for gluten-free food,” he added.

While Ethan might’ve been a snob with loose tea, Emily had become one with Indian restaurants. There were so many good ones throughout Manhattan and Queens that she was apprehensive about going to one in the suburbs of Minneapolis, but she agreed to Ethan’s choice, and the food was better than she had expected. Still not up to par with what she was accustomed to, but good enough for her not to be disappointed. The quality of the food, though, didn’t much matter as it ended up being an enjoyable lunch where they soon found themselves discussing their lives and their dreams. Ethan told her how he was hoping if the book was successful he’d move to New York, where he’d like to live for a few years while he wrote his next book. Ultimately, though, he wanted to move to Paris.

“I’d like to travel all throughout Europe,” he said. “Maybe even spend some serious time in Venice and Barcelona, but I’m planning to end up in the City of Light.” His smile turned wistful as he told her how he’d also like to find the right person and get married and have several kids. “I know those two goals don’t necessarily mesh,” he said. “I’m going to have to find a very special woman who won’t mind trading a more conventional lifestyle for dragging little kids all over Europe, possibly the world, and living a less traditional life and more of a vagabond existence.”

Emily was more than pleased that Ethan’s dreams matched her own so well. She didn’t tell him this, though. Instead she told him about life in New York, and how different the boroughs were, especially between Queens and Manhattan. When she told him about her current situation and how she was house-sitting this amazing apartment in Manhattan, Ethan half-joked about whether she needed a roommate. He said this with enough of a sly smile that she couldn’t help blushing. More so she could hide her blush from him than any other reason, she turned away from him and checked the time. She was surprised to see that they had been at lunch for over two hours. The time had flown by, and she could barely believe it was already past three thirty. She told Ethan it was getting late and that they’d continue this tomorrow.