Page 29 of The Beachside Rental

He stared directly at her, and she could see the wheels within his mind turning.“What time?”

“Trivia starts at eight o’clock.We should be there at seven.We want to make sure we get a table, and we can eat while we wait.”

He arched a brow.“Is dinner included with this date?”

She nodded.“It’s wings night.”

“Why didn’t you say that upfront?How am I supposed to turn down wings?”He sent her a teasing smile.

She couldn’t help but smile back.“Good.Then that’s settled.”

She told herself she shouldn’t be that excited about going to trivia night.Because it wasn’t like this was a real date with Simon, even if the word had been bandied about.They were just two friends going to grab something to eat and to beat her brother at trivia.

Chapter Nine

Whatwashesupposedto do now?

Simon had reread his agent’s email numerous times, but his mind was still stuck on how to up the emotional consequences of the book.A night’s sleep hadn’t helped him see his agent’s comments in a different—more acceptable—light.

In his prior series, the emphasis hadn’t been on the emotional element.It had been more about going on missions and testing the hero’s limits—sometimes physical and other times mental.

In the final book, which had Simon’s readers all in an uproar, the hero’s mission was to retrieve an antidote in order to save his newly found son.The hero accomplished his goal, but before he could hand off the antidote, he was shot by a sniper.While he’d been rushed to surgery, the antidote was administered to his son.With his goal at last accomplished, the hero breathed his last breath.

But with this new series, Simon didn’t have a clue about the hero’s journey.He’d thought it would be an intergalactic rescue mission, but his agent didn’t think the idea of the dog was strong enough to carry a whole series.

What if it wasn’t his beloved dog that the hero was chasing after?He thought of making it a family member—maybe a mother or brother.The more he thought about it, he didn’t think it would have a strong enough emotional component.

And then he knew who the hero had to chase after—the hero’s mate.If that was the case, Simon knew he had to start further back in the story to give a glimpse of the happy couple—their love—their devotion.

Feeling as though he was finally finding his footing in this new series, he sat down and turned on his keyboard writer.He typed:Chapter One.

The words started to flow, letting him instinctively know he was onto something.He chased after the story, one word after the next.

At one point, he stopped to jot down a thought about the next book in the series.When he reached for his notebook, it wasn’t there.He glanced around the deck but didn’t see it anywhere.He must have left it in the house.He didn’t want to get up to get it.

Gus spent most of the afternoon lying on the deck, but there came a time when he went down to the beach.Simon wasn’t worried about him.Gus might wander, but he always found his way home.

An hour or so later, Simon looked up from his laptop and found Gus stretched out in the shade.It appeared he’d worn himself out on his little adventure.

It wasn’t until Simon’s stomach rumbled with hunger that he realized he’d forgotten to stop for lunch.He checked the time.It was only a couple of hours until it was time for his date with Jenna.

He still wondered if it was a good idea for him to go out in public.But then he thought of his lunch with her at the Lighthouse Cafe.That place had been hopping with people, and no one had recognized him.If they had, no one said a word to him or acknowledged him in any way.

Maybe he was worried about nothing.After all, the hype about the end of his series had, for the most part, blown over.The media had moved on to a new story.Assured that he’d made the right decision to go out that evening, he went back to writing.

When he looked up again, it was time to get ready for wings and trivia.After sweating out on the deck most of the afternoon, he grabbed another shower.Not sure what to wear, he put on a nice pair of shorts and a polo shirt.

He turned to Gus.“I’m going out for a little bit, so please don’t make a mess.I’ll turn the television on for you.I’ll even put on some animal videos.Okay?”

Gus let out a whine, as though he understood exactly what Simon had said.

Simon turned on the television in the living room and found animal videos.Gus would be mesmerized by them.He didn’t let him watch them very often, so when Simon needed something to distract Gus, the videos would do the trick.

With a pat on the head, Simon said goodbye.Gus didn’t seem to notice.He stared at the television screen the whole time.Simon slipped out the door without a sound from Gus, who was watching a couple squirrels chase each other.

Now Simon’s thoughts shifted gears to his evening with Jenna.He rapped his knuckles on the door.He heard her call out that she’d be there in a moment.

While he waited, he paced around the porch.He noticed how her side of the porch had a homey vibe, while his side was just the basics and blah.He might have to work on that if things continued to work out for him on the island.He’d even found his muse again.