Page 45 of The Lost Book of First Loves

She felt profoundly honored that he trusted her with something so important.

“Thank you.”

“I’m grateful for your help. You’re providing a valuable service, giving an important perspective.”

She didn’t know about that. What perspective did she have to offer, except that of a devoted reader? “Are you sure you’re not simply finding some busywork to keep me from pulling out my hair?”

He gave a low laugh. “Positive. If a side bonus is preventing you from going bald, even better.”

She returned his smile. Despite her initial antipathy toward Beck, she was gradually coming to like the man.

“Did you finish the table I saw you working on the other day?” she asked as they headed out of the office to the main living area.

“No. It’s going to take a few more days.”

“I suppose you can’t rush a creative genius.”

He made a face. “You can’t rush a perfectionist,” he corrected. “It’s a curse. If I see the slightest flaw, I try to figure out a way to fix it. I wish I could take the Japanese approach and embrace the flaws. Have you heard ofkintsugi?”

“Yes. That’s translated togolden repair, right?”

“That’s right. When a piece of pottery cracks, instead of trying to hide the damage, it is repaired with gold to highlight the crack and show the beauty of imperfection.”

She knew the philosophy. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to do that, embrace her own cracks and wounds.

“I meant what I said the other day. I’m still interested in coming to watch you work. The whole process fascinates me. What will you be making after this one?”

“Another console table for the house in Jackson Hole. This one’s for the front hallway. I have a gorgeous piece of oak I’ll be using for the slab.”

“When do you start? I would love to watch you from the beginning.”

He looked uncomfortable at the idea. “I’m not sure when I’ll get to it. I usually have several projects going at once. And I’m really not accustomed to having spectators while I work.”

“You said Carson used to come and watch you.”

“He would sometimes pop in and hang out with his notebook, but I think he was focused on the company rather than the process. He’s really the only other person who has ever been interested.”

“Except your legions of online fans,” she pointed out, which only made him look more uncomfortable.

“Legionsis a bit of an exaggeration. They don’t really count, since I can ignore the camera.”

“You can ignore me, too,” she assured him. “I’ll be quiet. You won’t even know I’m there.”

At his skeptical laugh, she gave him an indignant glare. “What? I can do unobtrusive.”

“I’m sorry to break it to you, Juniper, but you couldn’t fade into the woodwork if you tried.”

What did he mean by that? She didn’t have a chance to ask before he continued.

“I guess if you really want to, you can watch me. It’s pretty boring at first, mostly building the form and making sure I have all the supplies I need.”

“That’s fine with me.”

“I can’t promise I’ll be very good company. I tend to get completely absorbed when I’m working, which is why I have to set up the camera first thing. If I didn’t, I would completely forget it was there.”

She couldn’t imagine being so engrossed in a project that she forgot a camera was recording her actions.

“I don’t need conversation. I would like to observe what you do. It’s a process that fascinates me. While I enjoy watching your videos, seeing it in person would be even better.”

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