Page 60 of Morning Glory Girl
What had I done to earn this level of confidence from him? Maybe he was just an encouraging person. Either way, a smile spread across my face and happy tears brimmed in my eyes.He’s taking me seriously.
“Okay.” I swallowed.
“The first thing is a summary.” He gripped the pen in his fingers and scrawled:Lawyer and reading addict to write her own novels about:“We’ll leave that blank for now and come back to it. Next is goals.”
I chewed on my lip.
“These can be objective and start small.” He turned in his seat to face me, his thigh colliding with mine under the table. His face was so close, I felt his breath on my cheek when he released it. He didn’t pull his leg back, leaving it there, flush with mine, making my breaths shorter, my neck warmer. Should I scooch back?
I didn’t want to.
Hyperawareness of how alone we were—sitting in this quiet kitchen, the world dark outside the windows—set in. I lost my train of thought. What did he just ask me?
Oh right, goals.
He took a sip of his beer, watching my face intently, a ghost of a grin on his full pink lips, like he knew he’d distracted me.
“Goals,” I repeated. “I want to write at least four times per week, either for three hours or 1500 words.” He jotted those down in bullets. “I want to read books about writing, learn more about the craft, self-educate, you know?”
“Great.” His pen raced across the page.
“I want to turn the story I’m writing into a full novel and look into publishing it.” It was the first time I’d said it, even to myself.
“What are you calling it?”
“I don’t have a title yet but let’s say…Insider Trading Meet-Cute.”
A laugh rumbled from deep in his chest. “I need to hear more about this.” Black ink appeared on the page next to a new bullet:Turn Insider Trading Meet-Cute into full novel, then publish.
Ten words, now in writing, in the universe.
“Alright now let’s start with money. Like any new business, you’ll be operating at a loss for a while, but you still need to support yourself in the meantime.”
He jotted down categories: monthly expenses, monthly income, business investments. He turned and looked at me, nodding to the page.
“My expenses are pretty low, living with Mimi.” I estimated what my health insurance would cost if I quit, gas, groceries, and car payment. “And I’d insist on paying Mimi to cover taxes and utilities after she goes back to Florida.”
His eyes whipped from the notepad to my face. “You’re considering staying on the island full-time?”
I met his gaze. Wide-eyed, sincere curiosity stared back at me. I almost took it back, told him I had no idea if I’d stay on the island, but the look on his face stopped me. I nodded.
Did he want me to stay?
The corner of his mouth ticked up, my only clue the answer might beyes.
Luke cleared his throat and looked back down at the page. “What was that estimate again?”
I repeated what I’d want to contribute to Mimi’s taxes and utilities, and he jotted it down.
In the income category, he wrote down what he pays me. “Do you have enough time to write now? With all of Luna’s commitments?”
“Yes. Her schedule is actually good for me. It keeps me disciplined.”
“Good. And every six months you should negotiate a payincrease. Because of inflation. And increasing job challenge as Luna continues to hone her spunky attitude.”
“Luke, you don’t need to pay me more.”
“I’m just giving you objective advice I would give any business mentee.”
