AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 10
For the next hour, Jake walked around town in disguise, taking photos and video of things that had changed and things that had stayed the same.
He photographed the wrought-iron balconies on the Mariposa Street buildings, the marquee and façade of the Vitaphone theater, and the portico of the Hotel Casa Grande, which had once been the only hotel in Bliss Cove.
Then he returned to Starfish Avenue to peruse the shops. Life and circumstances turned on a dime in Hollywood, so it was comforting to find that the central part of downtown was mostly as he remembered it.
He paused in front of a bookstore window displaying recent fiction hardcovers alongside aHelp Wantedsign. The name Title Wave Books was etched on the glass.
Jake pushed open the door, and a little bell announced his arrival. A stubble-faced, dark-haired man in his thirties was stooped over the front desk. He glanced up without a smile.
“Morning,” Jake offered.
The guy nodded and returned to studying a newspaper crossword puzzle open on the counter. Taking off his cap, Jake studied the books stacked on the front tables.
A narrow staircase led to an upper floor mezzanine lined with shelves and a railing overlooking the rest of the store. He took a copy of the latest Stephen King novel off the shelf and brought it to the register.
“That it?” The guy didn’t look up.
“Do you have any books about screenwriting?”
He pointed with his pen to the mezzanine. Jake started toward the stairs and stopped.
“You still looking for help?” he asked. Though he had no idea where that question had come from, he found himself waiting almost hopefully for the answer.
The guy squinted at him. “Why? You interested?”
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
“For something to do. I’m only in town for a few weeks.”
“And I should hire you?”
“Why not?”
The guy flattened his hands on the counter. His eyes narrowed to a penetrating stare that made Jake uneasy.
Then the other man shrugged. “Okay. You’re hired.”
“Just like that?”
“Why not?” He returned his attention to the crossword. “No regular hours. You work if we’re open. Pay sucks, but you get a twenty percent discount on the books.”
“Great.” Jake scratched his head. “So when are you open?”
The guy shrugged again. “Whenever.”
Okay, then.Good thing Jake didn’t have much else to do.
He went up the stairs to the mezzanine. It was probably stupid to take a job that would put him in contact with the public, but he liked the idea of having something productive to do. He could hardly remember a time when he hadn’t worked. Plus, he loved books, and the store didn’t seem to be overrun with customers. He wasn’t too sure about his new boss, but at least the guy wasn’t chatty.
He found the writing resources section and perused the titles about screenwriting and story structure. The library had an entire shelf of writing reference books, but he needed to own several so he could make notes in the margins and dog-ear the pages.
After taking a few promising titles from the shelf, he turned back to the stairs. The bell over the entrance rang again. Awareness shot down his spine. Callie walked in, bringing with her a rush of cool morning air. His heart did a perfect ten pole-vault.
“Hi, Sam.” She approached the counter, and the guy—Sam—actually straightened up and put down his pen.
