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“Before going home, I have to see a friend,” Ryan said, thinking how weird it was to be chauffeured around by someone else. He was sitting in the passenger’s seat holding Cleo in his arms. Gideon was driving whistling and following Ryan’s instructions how to reach the address.
They stopped in front of Polly’s house.
“That’s a nice house,” Gideon observed, looking around with obvious admiration, appraising the place with the eyes of a builder.
Polly, in her pajamas with zebras and looking frazzled with her hair in a lopsided knot on top of her head, didn’t make the same impression on him. She was chewing a pen, a sign that Ryan interrupted her from typing an eventful scene in her book.
From her office, Maurice, the menace dog came running and barking. He skidded to a halt a few feet away from Ryan, looking mesmerized at the fluffy bundle of white fur in Ryan’s arms. He dropped his head on his front paws and whined. With his head down and bottom up he was quite comical, if Ryan were in the mood to be amused. Cleo looked down at him and stuck her head under Ryan’s chin for protection. She was a delicate princess and didn’t want to play with the ruffian dog.
“No, you can’t have Cleo,” Ryan told the dog. Maurice whined again and dejected went back to the room where he came from.
“Please come in,” Polly invited them.
Gideon took his hat off. “I’m Gideon, ma’am. I’m Mr. Calhoun’s driver.”
“Really? Last I saw him, he drove his own truck,” Polly remarked surprised.
Ryan had to intervene with some explanation, close to the truth without alarming her. “It so happened that I had a small mishap.”
“His truck is in the shop, ma’am. I’m driving him around until it gets fixed,” Gideon said looking at the huge library – shelves overflowing with books covered the wall on either side of the fireplace in the living room.
“Call me Polly,” she answered absently, turning her attention to Ryan. “You’re hurt.” She touched gently his temple where he’d hit his head on the side window. “Come with me in the kitchen. I’ll clean your wound.”
Ryan didn’t mention that his sister-in-law had already done that. He followed her meekly in a large kitchen open to the family room. After placing Cleo on a chair, he submitted himself to Polly’s ministrations. The touch of her hand was cool and soothing. He covered it with his own hand to keep it a moment longer there. Polly was a nurturer. He should have expected that.
“What happened with the witch? Did she save the prince?” he asked, while she put some pungent smelling ointment on his temple.
This caught her attention like he knew it would. These stories were her life, her refuge from the drab reality. “Not yet. But she met a vampire who lived on an enchanted planet with three moons.”
“Three moons? I bet she is going to forget about the beleaguered prince,” Ryan joked teasing her.
“No, she’s not. But you gave me an idea for this book of the series. A temporary amnesia on the enchanted planet will lead to new and unexpected adventures with the vampire,” she said, her mind processing this new possibility of action for the good-witch heroine.
Ryan had always liked science fiction books, but not fantasy. Witches and vampires had no business in a futuristic world. That was his opinion. He could accept, however, that others might find these unusual creatures fitting right in, in a fantasy story. And he liked teasing Polly. “I tell you she’ll find the vampire so attractive that she’ll totally forget the captive Prince.” Her face fell and he regretted his arguing with her. “Hey, you’re the writer, not me. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“It’s not you. I remembered that while I was writing, Olivia called me. She’s unhappy and I don’t know how to help her. She’s not complaining. She never does, but I feel it.”
“Why do you think she’s unhappy? She’s been loved and praised by her parents all her life. She has a job and a loving sister like you. She has no reason to be unhappy,” Ryan argued, not mentioning that in his opinion Olivia was a spoiled brat, not worth worrying about.
Polly set aside her healing potions and whispered like afraid someone might hear them. “I think she still loves Miles. Of course, Olivia is too proud and she will never consider forgiving him and taking him back. After all, he spoke without thinking and he was inebriated. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“Of course, but she doesn’t want to even hear his name. He’s a lost cause. You, however...” She looked at him with a determined light in her eyes. “You are what she needs. If you would just talk to her nicely, I’m sure she’d be more willing to give you a chance.”
“Polly, you have to stop playing matchmaker. Why would you do that?” Ryan asked aghast. The woes of the beautiful Olivia were starting to get on his nerves. He could have told Polly that talking nicely to Olivia was not what she needed. She’d been indulged for too long.
Polly grabbed his hand trying to make him see her point. “Because you two are perfect for each other. You’d make such a handsome couple,” she argued.
“No,” he told her and wanted to leave it at this. It made no sense to argue with her. But an image of Amanda Lee came to him, beautiful and heartless. “Beauty is not essential to happiness. A couple needs much more to be perfect.”
She shook her head, not in order to contradict him, but to clear her mind. “There, you’re done. The bruise will improve with this ointment.”
“Thank you.” He stood up and kissed her cheek. Her skin was soft and velvety like a peach. His mouth trailed and landed on her mouth. Very tempting. Just in time, he remembered that Polly was his friend and as such not only did he value her constant presence, help, and advice, but also it made no sense to spoil their relationship just because she had a tempting mouth and he was a randy goat. So he stepped back before giving her the wrong impression.
Polly lifted Cleo in her arms. “She’s adorable. Where did you find her?”
“The veterinarian brought her to me as a welcoming gift.”
“Ah, Iris McRavy is a darling. She takes care and finds homes for all the strays in town.”
“I tried to explain that with my busy schedule I’m not the best person to adopt a dog, especially one as delicate as Cleo. A large German Shepherd would be more suitable on a construction site.”
Polly petted the white dog fondly. “Not necessarily. A large, active dog could get in trouble, while this doll is quiet and obedient. Besides, by the way she’s looking at you, she’s already adopted you, regardless of your intention. Iris is a smart woman and she chooses well the people who adopt her animals. Look at Maurice and I.”
“She gave you that mongrel?”
Polly laughed. “Yes, she did. He is my faithful companion during cold winter days and lonely nights. And he adores Iris. For her, he would endure uncomfortable examination and shots. Here.” She transferred Cleo to his arms. “Every person needs a dog. They offer so much love and comfort.”
They returned to the living room where they found Gideon ensconced in an armchair by the fireplace, absorbed in a book he was reading. He was frowning from time to time, turning the pages to find out what happened and he didn’t pay attention to them. At his feet, Maurice was snoring on the rug near the warmth of the fireplace.
“Gideon, it’s time to go,” Ryan told him.
The young man raised his eyes, looked at them, then turned the page quickly and read some more. He closed the book with regret. “I was curious if the witch found where the vampire was hiding. On his planet, reality was changing from one moment to the next.”
“He was hiding in the mirrored lake near the spaceships landing pad,” Polly answered smiling.
“I never would have thought. Did you read this book?” Gideon asked her.
“Yeah, I read it. In fact, I wrote it,” Polly confessed modestly. She was not used to open appreciation of her books by a reader, only to the positive feedback she got online. And that was very different.
“No way,” Gideon exclaimed. “Wow! You’re Diamond Day?”
“My pen name is Diamond Day.” She approached the bookshelves and picked three other books. She offered them to Gideon. “Here, this is the whole series. You can have them. I’m happy you liked the story.”
Gideon held them close to his chest. “Thank you. I’ll give them to Ryan to read after I finish them.”
Ryan opened his mouth to say he didn’t like fantasy stories, but Polly’s obvious pleasure at the true appreciation of her book, changed his mind. “I would like that very much.”
“It is a romance, but I tried to infuse in it a lot of adventures so the reader doesn’t get bored,” Polly said, all of a sudden having doubts.
“No, ma’am, no one would get bored,” Gideon assured her. “How could they? It is so catchy that it grabbed my attention from the first page.”
Ryan kissed Polly on the cheek again. “You’re very talented, Polly. Never doubt that. And you’re a good person. Thank you for your care,” he said ignoring Maurice, who was now awake and was whining looking at Cleo.
They were off driving home to Ryan’s recently bought Tudor house.
“Your girlfriend is a classy lady,” Gideon said.
Ryan looked at him in the darkness of the truck’s cab. Gideon was dead serious. After a first not so great impression about Polly’s rather sloppy appearance, the fact that she was a writer of such interesting books had won him over completely.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Ryan corrected him.
“Why not? Don’t be too slow. Some other lucky guy will snatch her up in a minute. Imagine, you could be the boyfriend of the famous Diamond Day.”
Hmm. Ryan didn’t mention the numerous failed attempts of the town’s matchmakers to find Polly a date. Probably Polly – modest as she was – didn’t tell anyone that she was a famous writer.
“She is my friend,” he said.