Page 30 of Absolute Certainty
She sighed but continued, “She used to teach art at the community college. Anyway, Ellie and I ran into her at the grocery store this morning, and Kathy mentioned that she now has her own studio where she teaches beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. Your daughter blurted that she’d just left her art class back home, and Kathy suggested coming to her. You should go check it out. She’s an incredibly kind lady.”
Jay looked from his mother to Eloise. His daughter’s big eyes widened even more, donning the expression she often wore when she really wanted something. With that look, he’d never been able to say no.
“You really want to go?” he double-checked.
“Yes! I liked art class a lot, but hated that shitty man. Can you at least talk to her?”
He glared at her. “Language.”
“Horrible man,” Eloise clarified.
“You know it’d only be for the summer. Is there a commitment?” He aimed the second part of the question at his mother.
She shook her head. “No commitment. Pay can be weekly or monthly. Seasonally, she can come and go whenever. And classes would be twice a week.”
“Okay, I’ll run it by Maya. Did she give you a card?”
“Ellie has it in her backpack.”
He veered his gaze back to Eloise. “Alright. Say bye to grandma and grab up your things.”
Eloise ran to his mom’s side and hugged her. “See you tomorrow, Grandma!”
“See you, love bug,” she replied. “You don’t want to stay for dinner?” she asked Jay.
“I promised her we’d get shrimp tacos. You’re more than welcome to come with us.”
“No, it’s okay. Spend time with your kid. But don’t forget about Sunday. I’m making moussaka.”
He stepped closer to where she stood and placed a kiss on her head. “I won’t. And is El still staying over on Saturday?”
“Yes, Iris and her granddaughter have confirmed the sleepover.”
Jay bobbed his head. “Cool, cool.”
Since he didn’t have to pick up Eloise after dropping her off that day, maybe he could finally seeMidnights at Pemberley. He made a mental note to add it to his to-do list.
Talk to Maya. Revise episodes three and four. Call the art teacher. Buy tickets.
Jay walked back into the house and into the kitchen as Eloise came down the stairs with her belongings. He opened the garage door for her, and she called out another enthusiastic goodbye to his mom.
“Do you want to go home for a bit first or have an early dinner now?” he asked.
She thought about it, maneuvering her way around his mom’s parked car. “Um…early dinner,” she returned.
He agreed. “Food it is, then.”
“How come you were late today?”
“I had a meeting,” he answered candidly.
He and Patrick finally had the time to catch up in person to discuss some of the changes in the screenplay before Patrick had to goto work. But Jay didn’t want to say who the meeting had been with, so Eloise wouldn’t get upset about the fact that she hadn’t seen her godfather in weeks. Patrick had been caught up with a few commitments, and she’d be seeing him on Sunday anyway when he came to dinner.
“What kind of meeting?”
“We talked about a TV show we’re working on.”
When they drew closer to his white Honda CR-V in the driveway, Eloise jumped into the backseat. He shut the door after she buckled her seatbelt, right as he caught a pesky mosquito landing on his arm. He swatted the demonic insect with his other hand and flicked it off with his middle finger.
