Page 50 of First Love, Second Draft

Gracie groaned again as she peeked through her fingers up at Rachel. “What if I don’t know how to get the heroine together with the real hero of the story before time runs out? Wouldn’t it just be easier to leave her with the farmer?”

“Sure. It’d also be easier to leave my ceilings popcorn-style, but since when do we ever do what’s easy? Get back to work. Neither of us is out of time yet. You work on saving those characters and I’ll do whatever it takes to rescue my ceilings.”

25

Noah:Sam Elliott’s a problem.

Matt:I take it you’ve met Luke.

Noah:I may have followed him to Lyla’s Diner this morning.

Matt:You stalked him.

Noah:I stalked him.

Matt:And?

Noah:He’s one of the most likable guys I’ve ever met! I can’t stand him! Or Sam Elliott! Or you!

Matt:Likable guys are the worst.

Noah:He says he’s a big fan of baseball!

Matt:The nerve of this guy.

Noah:He says he’s a big fan of me!

Matt:Well, maybe you shouldn’t be so likable either.

Noah:What am I going to do? I can’t just let him go around being all likable around Gracie!

Matt:I wouldn’t worry. Pretty sure I heard he’s leaving soon for his next project.

Noah:Yeah? Well, what if another likable guy comes strutting into town after he’s gone? I can’t keep risking losing Gracie to likable guys. And you know she’s not going to let me keep renting that cabin forever. I need to do something!

Matt:Like what?

Noah:Something drastic! Something I swore I’d never do.

Matt:Listen to me. You CANNOT kill Luke. Or Sam Elliott. Or anyone for that matter.

Noah:But I CAN force Gracie to talk to me.

Matt:Conversation? Oh my. Drastic indeed.

Noah:Kid, you have no idea. This might be the most drastic thing I’ve ever done.

26

Elevator doors pinged open. Matt held his arm out, allowing an elderly woman he recognized as a regular visitor to exit first. Her husband was one of the patients on the long-term care unit. They seemed like a sweet couple.

His favorite couple, though, was the husband and wife who both battled dementia and stayed in a room together at the end of the hall. Every night the wife would say, “Well, it’s getting late. You reckon we should book a room for the night?” Like clockwork, her husband would return from inquiring at the nurses’ station and say, “Don’t worry. I got us all checked in.” Then they’d shuffle off arm in arm down to room 222.

With hands stuffed in his pockets, Matt sauntered past the nurses’ station, catching the unit secretary’s eye. “How’s my grandpa today?”

“Ornery as ever.”

He smiled. That’s what she always said. He feared the day she described his grandpa as docile. Buck would probably already have both feet in the grave the day she said that.

---