Page 11 of Rewrites of the Heart

“What happened?” JJ asked, as she pushed Blake aside to get to her.

“I was in the kitchen when he picked me up, carried me to the deck, and threw me over the railing.”

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“Who else wants a ham, pineapple, and ground beef slice of pizza?” Blake asked as he opened the pizza box on the coffee table. JJ looked at Alex, not knowing whether to laugh or to barf at the thought of the native Brit working on pizza slice number four.

“No, thank you, sweetheart. But I will take another of the chicken, onion, and green pepper, if you would please.” She handed him her paper plate.

JJ looked at the two with a hint of satisfaction. There was some sort of pleasure knowing that these two individuals (could she call them that?) were of her very own creation. “How about you, JJ?” Alex asked. “Another piece of pizza?”

Not to be outdone, Blake offered his pineapple variety again. “I don’t think I can handle pineapple and ground beef on a pizza together. But I’d love another piece of the chicken.”

“Hurmph!” Blake tried to perform his best I’m-insulted routine. But it was no use. He couldn’t keep it up very long. “You are a good sport for not giving me bloody hell for the kitchen,” he said.

After the pizza boxes were packed away, the trio settled into the living room to watch some television.

“I know you guys didn’t get much sleep last night,” she said. “I just want you to know I fixed up the second bedroom for you. I won’t be insulted if you want to turn in early.”

They looked at each other. Even though it wasn’t very late, the pair looked exhausted. Their trip through that imaginary portal couldn’t have been easy, and then they got stuck in the small office last night. Yeah, everyone deserves a good night’s sleep, she thought, even fictional characters.

They retired to the bedroom.

She wasn’t ready to turn in, yet. She flipped through the television channels. Only now, with her characters out of sight, she gave her situation a little more thought. It seemed strange, but she had actually begun to accept that those two were real and they were, indeed, guests in her house for the moment.

If I don’t accept this, what are the possible alternatives? Am I—?

Alex’s shrill squealing abruptly brought the novelist back to the moment and on her feet.

“And don’t come back.”

Rushing to see what was wrong, she nearly collided with Blake, who was clad in only his boxer shorts, carrying a blanket and a pillow. Each of them screamed when they saw the other.

“What happened in there?”

“Apparently, we’re not far enough along in our relationship to be in the same bed at the same time nearly naked. Mind if I use the loveseat in your office, again?”

“You can use the living room couch,” she said as she sighed. “It’s longer.”

He held up the sleeping necessities in the international “would-you-look-at-this” fashion, as he took several calming breaths.

Then he softly said, “She let me have a pillow and blanket before she kicked me out.” He paused. A smile crept over his face. “Evidently she does love me.”

Chapter 10

The following morning JJ sat at her desk, took a deep breath, and began to write.

She furtively glanced his way, thinking he wasn’t watching her. His dark, deep eyes quickly found hers. That stare penetrated her soul. In that moment, she knew what happened in the past didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was her realization she could live in this moment and love him with every fiber of her fabric. And she was willing to accept the consequences that went along with that serious decision.

She nodded her approval. In fact, no section of any of her books had ever made her so excited.

“This is a test,” she muttered to herself. “This is only a test. Should this be a real-life romance situation, hero and heroine would be rushing toward each other in slow motion.”

Would this get Alex and Blake together in the same bedroom at the same time so they could all finally get a decent night’s sleep? We’d soon find out, she thought, as she hit the computer’s save button.

Just then the office door flew open. Alex was breathless. And there was a glow about her.

“I got it. I got it,” she shrieked over and over and again. “I’ve had a revelation. It just came to me. Out of the blue.” She paused a beat.

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