Doug laughs, and it makes me smile because this volley of working out a plot issue is one of my favorite parts of the writing process.
“Write me the chapters, and I’ll let you know my thoughts.”
“You got it.”
“Okay, I’m going to go eat dinner with my wife now. I’m surprised you’re still working. Don’t you usually only work a couple hours a day these days?”
I sigh, glancing at the clock to see it’s just after six.
He’s right. I should get upstairs. Greer and I didn’t exactly talk about her hours, and this might be abusing it.
“I have a nanny now. Well, nanny-ish. One of Calla’s friends is helping me out for the summer so I can meet deadlines and Grey can still go to all his camps.”
“Oh, that’s good news. So I can expect to see your work by the end of the week.”
I laugh. He’s one of the main people who gets my working late because I can’t keep my to-do list straight.
“I have a good feeling that will happen.”
“Good. Now, have a good night.”
“You too.”
I end the call, glancing at my office door when I hear the squeak again.
What the hell are they up to?
I close my computer and scoot in my chair. When I step into the main room of the basement, I move to the bookshelf in the corner that opens to my very own library.
Grey knows about this room, but to everyone else, it’s just a bookshelf in the basement. Last summer when my basement flooded, I’d intended to remodel the basement the same way it was, but then Calla didn’t move back in, so I decided to add this piece for myself in the main room. The shelf directly across from this one opens to a little hideaway for Grey. We went all out to make it what we wanted. Big main room, office, secret rooms, and a gym in what should have been the spare room. I’d say we didn’t miss a beat.
While his space is smaller and has a TV and gaming set, mine is floor-to-ceiling bookshelves everywhere but one wall. That wall has photos of my bestselling books, and a reading chair. I do a lot of final edits in that chair.
Every book I’ve written since I put that room in has become a bestseller. Maybe that’s why no one knows about it.
I secure the shelf before jogging up the stairs.
As soon as I reach the top of the stairs, the smell of something baking swallows me, and I have to pause to inhale.
Fuck. That smells like heaven.
I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but it’s a home-cooked meal. It’s not takeout or delivered pizza again, and for that I am glad. It’s also not a meal I’ve cooked before. I’ve never smelled something this good. Something that makes my stomach growl before it even knows what it is.
As soon as I’m finished obsessing over the smell of dinner, I move into the living room. Again, I pause. It’s so clean.
I move farther into the room and swipe a finger on the fireplace mantel.
Not a speck of dust.
I let out a breath. For as much as it pained me not to take over when I heard Greer and Grey come home, I didn’t realize how thankful I’d be to have her here. It’s only day one, and I can already tell that Greer is going to lower my stress level more than I imagined.
Grey’s laughter steals my attention from the room. I move to the kitchen, groaning at the heavenly smell I wish I could just devour right this second, and open the back door to see Grey and Greer tossing the football back and forth.
This makes me feel like a horrible parent. The guilt over wanting my career to be successful consumes me. I should be the one playing with him.
I have a job where I make my own hours. I should have changed my schedule years ago. Still, as it is, I have so much on my plate that unless I chose to have three- or four-hour sleep nights, I’d never get it done.
Greer is a good thing. This was the right choice. I just need to accept it, no matter how hard it may be.
