For the Love of a Blonde with Sand

It was a dark and stormy afternoon. No, that's not right. Jess looked out the diner window at all the people rushing down Willow Street with the sun dripping its afternoon rays on them like raindrops. The only thing dark and stormy about this day was her attitude. She was a copywriter for a local magazine which was now past tense. She had just been fired from her job an hour before and in an angry and confused haze she'd wandered over to the diner and plopped down in her favorite seat, the corner booth. She liked the corner booth because it had the perfect view of the entire diner with a wide view of Willow Street. She also had a direct line of sight to the front door of her office building; correction, her former office building.

Jess grew up in San Riel, a town about an hour outside San Francisco. As her dad had always said, "it's a small town with big dreams." Her dad had been a traveling salesman and had visited all fifty states. In her thirty years around the sun, she had never been farther than San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge but had always envisioned working in New York, Paris, or London. Now those dreams were like trying to capture smoke with a net; just passing fantasies.

What was she going to do now? Outside of her part-time job at the Tasty Cone when she was sixteen, she'd only ever worked at The San Riel Spotlight. She had a journalism degree but the economy was in a recession and jobs were scarce, especially in a small town like San Riel. She could pick up and move to a bigger city where the opportunities were plenty but the thought of that scared her a little, let's be honest it scared her a great deal. She might be thirty years old but she still lived on the second floor of her grandmother's house, didn't know the first thing about cooking a real meal, or living on her own. No, moving was not in the cards for her. She'd have to find something here that she could do to sustain the lavish lifestyle she was accustom to. She cracked a small smile at that last thought.

"Odd seeing you here at this time of the day, Jess. Are you just taking a break?" Annie bounced up to her booth with a Cheshire cat grin plastered on her face and a tone so perky it soured Jess's mood even more. " Not exactly, Annie. I just got fired and...and..." Tears began to stream down Jess's face and her throat closed up.

"Oh, dear!" Annie exclaimed as she grabbed napkins from the dispenser on the table and handed them to her. She patted her hand and screamed at Lou that she was taking a break, then scrambled over to grab a fresh pot of coffee, two mugs, and cream from the mini cooler at the end of the counter. This might be just a diner but they made their own vanilla creamer and it created the best coffee Jess had ever had in her life.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Annie. Nana lives on social security and I need my job to help keep the lights on." Jess blew her nose again and wiped at the tears staining her cheeks. She suddenly looked up at Annie with a hopeful expression, "I could work here! You're always running yourself ragged and I bet Lou could use the extra help. I've never waitressed before but I'm a fast learner, I promise."

"Oh honey buns, if you start working here you'll never leave. Look at me, I've been here for almost twenty years. Besides, Lou's a terrible boss. He's always grumpy and despite my sunny disposition, this job ain't glamorous. Not like you being a writer and all." She sat back and gave Jess a proud smile. Annie had been a waitress at the diner since Jess could remember. After her parents died when she was eleven years old, her Papa and Nana would bring her to this diner and sit in this very booth. It was Papa's favorite spot too and he'd always give her little sips of his coffee, to her Nana's protests. "Fred! You are not supposed to give children coffee. It's not good for them." She'd scold him. But Jess knew she wasn't truly chastising him because she'd always wink at her when she said it. There was never a question about where Jess would go when her parents died. Nana and Papa took her in and raised her like she was their own child. Now with Papa gone, it was just her and Nana. She started to tear up again but took a quick sip of coffee to push back the emotion.

"I never understood why you were copying other people's work anyway." Annie furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. "You are so much better than that, Jess Harmon." She gave her a long sigh, unfolded her arms, and leaned on the table. Jess almost laughed. She'd tried to explain to Annie multiple times what a copywriter was but it always went right over her head. "I don't, didn't copy other people's work. I wrote ads for brands and companies that paid for space in the magazine. Occasionally, Cheryl would let me write a small article but she'd always put them in the back and cut them down to a couple of paragraphs." She paused remembering Cheryl's words to her when she had asked if she could write more articles. "Your talents lie in ad space, Jess. You need to learn to stay in your lane." Cheryl was not a nice person to work for. Maybe She and Annie ought to hook Cheryl and Lou up on a date. She almost laughed out loud at that thought.

"It doesn't matter because I'm not a copywriter anymore. If it's okay with you, I think I'll just sit here a while and check my computer for jobs. Maybe Garrison's market or Harvey's Hardware is hiring." She gave Annie a weak smile.

"You can sit here as long as you like and the coffee's on me, but you're better than the measly jobs you'll find in this town. Mark my words Jess, you're going to be just fine and you'll find something amazing. I just know it!" She winked at Jess and headed to the other end of the diner and the patron that had just walked in and sat down.

Jess studied the man sitting at the other end of the diner. She was sure she'd never seen him here before, or really anywhere in town before today. He was tall with blonde hair and wore a tailored suit. Really nice and expensive looking loafers covered his feet. She remembered her dad saying, "You can tell a lot about a man just by looking at his shoes and his watch. Grow up to marry a man that takes care of his appearance and he'll take care of you." Papa always said her dad was full of crap, but he said it in the most loving way possible. Despite the fact that her dad wasn't always the most successful salesman, his father was always very proud of him. And when Jess graduated college Papa couldn't wait to display her degree in the living room like a trophy. "My granddaughter," he'd exclaim, "the first in the family to go to college and graduate." He was so proud.

She turned her attention back to the man at the end of the diner and noticed he was staring right back at her. She quickly glanced away and nervously began typing on her computer. She wasn't even paying attention to what she was doing when a screen of available jobs popped up. She began to focus on the list, skimming the descriptions of each one as she moved down the list. A listing halfway down the page caught her eye. It had just been added two days before and the employer was looking for a ghostwriter.

When she first started at the magazine she wasn't making much money and needed to supplement her income. She put out an advertisement in the local paper offering her services as a ghostwriter. San Riel seemed to be a hot spot for writers of all kinds to come and work on their pieces. The town was full of Airbnb's, bed and breakfast spots, and cabins for short term rentals; especially on Lake Winkie, as it was affectionately called. Her grandparents used to take her camping on Lake Winkatobe when she was young and she'd always see writers and painters sitting on the lakeshore creating their art.

She didn't really think she'd get any work as a ghostwriter but it turned out to be somewhat lucrative for a while. She wrote three novels the first year, but the work seemed to dry up in the second and she focused all her attention on the magazine instead. Soon, she'd forgotten about the side hustle and went to work trying to change Cheryl's mind into letting her be an actual writer for the magazine, which turned out to be an exercise in futility.

She opened the listing so she could read the job description and requirements in detail. From the type, it seemed the employer was writing a book and only in town for a limited amount of time. The book was non-fiction and seemed to be based on their life story. She scrolled down farther to see what the qualifications were to find out that she definitely qualified. Even further down the ad listed the pay as...wait, what did that say? She squinted her eyes as she moved her face closer to the screen then sat back in shock. The ad said that the applicant could make up to fifty thousand dollars, depending on experience level. She re-read the ad three times to be certain she was understanding it correctly, then submitted her resume to the position.

Annie popped back over to check on her and brought her favorite lunch; egg salad on rye toast with a side of fruit. Today's fruit included orange slices, red grapes, and pineapple chunks. She thanked her and pushed the computer aside to dig in. She was five bites in when the notification bell went off on her laptop and she could see that she'd already received a response to her application. "That was fast." She said out loud. She looked around to see if anyone heard her but Annie must have been in the kitchen and the man at the end of the diner had already left.

She started to read the response when her cell phone started ringing. It was a number she didn't recognize but, on a whim answered anyway. "Hello?" she said absentmindedly as she tried to read the response to her application.

"Hello, Ms. Harmon. My name is Judd McCain and I got your application for the ghostwriter position."

Jess stopped reading and was suddenly very attentive to the phone conversation. "Hello Mr. McCain, I wasn't expecting such a speedy response."

"Would it be okay if we meet in person? I'd like to put a face to the application and the voice." He spoke quickly but with purpose.

"Of course. My schedule is pretty open, what day and time would you like to meet?" Jess was trying not to reveal her growing excitement at the possibility of landing the job.

"Would now be alright with you? I'm already in town and on a short timeline. How about the diner on Willow Street? I can be there in ten minutes."

"Actually Mr. McCain, I'm already at the diner so that would be perfect. When you walk in I'm..." He cut her off. "Great. I'll see you in five minutes." And with that, he disconnected the call.

He's quite abrupt, she thought. He might be a handful to work with but for fifty thousand dollars she was willing to give it a try. She smiled at the thought of all that money. With that kind of cash, she could take her time finding another job and wouldn't have to worry her Nana at all.

Five minutes later she looked up from her computer to see the tall blonde man from before walk through the door. He quickly scanned the room and his eyes fell on her with surprise. He seemed to glide rather than walk over to her booth and elegantly slid into the seat across from her. Annie made her way over. "Hello there, glad to see you back so quickly. A cup of coffee or can I get you something else?" She smiled and threw a sly look at Jess.

"No thank you," he quickly said. Annie nodded and wandered back over to the counter. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get right to the point. I'm staying at the Starboard House by the lake, I would need you to move into the guest room for a week, possibly two to finish the book. I'm on a deadline and need to get it done as quickly as possible. In looking at your resume, you've ghostwritten before and I'm familiar with two of the pieces you wrote. On the way over today, I called Tony Small and he gave you a glowing review. I'd like to hire you and have you move in tonight so we can start fresh in the morning. The pay is top of the spectrum." He sat back and crossed his arms, waiting for her to reply.

She sat quietly for a minute collecting her thoughts. Move into the rental house for two weeks? That's a new one and she wasn't sure she was prepared for that. "That doesn't give much time to contemplate your offer, Mr. McCain."

"Let's be honest, Jess. I can call you Jess, right?" He didn't wait for her reply. "I know you're out of work, I spoke to your old boss. What a cow she is! You should be happy you're not working for her anymore. You need the money and if we work together it will be beneficial to both of us." He was very direct and if this wasn't an interview she might be offended. She wasn't in the habit of moving in with strangers but specifically ones that was working for. However, ghostwriting wasn't exactly a conventional job and he was right, she did need the money.

"Okay, I accept." She extended her hand for a handshake and he politely shook it. She noticed that his hands were rugged and strong as if he'd been a ranch hand his whole life.

"I trust you won't take much time to get your things together so I'll see you in an hour at the house." He passed a business card with his name and phone number across the table to her. "Call me if you need directions or if you'll be delayed." With that, he slid out and walked out the door before she could respond.

She began to regret taking the job when she thought about having to tell her Nana that she'd be moving in with her boss for the next two weeks. Nana was not going to like this one bit. But she quickly dismissed those thoughts when the payday entered her mind. She picked up her dishes and took them to the end of the counter, grabbed her purse and laptop, and called goodbye to Annie before heading out the door.

Nana was not happy at all happy about the job. When Jess told her she'd been fired, Nana said, "Let me go down to that magazine office and give that Cheryl Anderson a piece of my mind! I have half a mind to call her momma and give her a piece of it too. Maybe that would set Cheryl straight." But then Jess told her about the new job and Nana's face twisted with concern. "It's not right! You can't stay with a stranger for one night much less two weeks. You don't know anything about him. He could be a murderer!!" She blustered.

"He's not a murderer and you have to stop listening to those thrillers podcasts. Nothing is going to happen to me. On the walk home I called Tony, he knows Judd and recommended me to him. He said that Judd used to be a police investigator, detective inspector, or whatever they call it in Sweden where he lived before moving to the US. He's been living in Los Angeles for five years and working as a consultant on movie sets. Tony said he's perfectly safe, if not a bit brash and demanding. I definitely experienced that in my interview but nonetheless Tony said he's harmless and I should take the job.

"Where's the coffee?" Jess asked Judd the next morning. She'd been looking for it for twenty minutes. She got to the house exactly an hour after the diner meeting yesterday only to be put to work immediately on the book. They worked till after one in the morning and Judd asked her to set her alarm for six a.m. "I'm an early riser and want to get an early start." He'd said. When she woke up to that blasted thing she walked in a zombie trance to the kitchen to make coffee. When she couldn't find it she'd discovered that Judd was nowhere to be found because apparently, he'd gone for a run.

"Good morning, Jess. I don't have any coffee." He said, as he rummaged in the fridge for a minute then pulled out a Muscle Milk. She whipped around to face him and rather sharply said, "What? You don't have any coffee at all in this house? I can work under pressure but I cannot work without coffee." She slapped the counter as she said this last word and he cocked his head then threw her a big smile. "Tony never said anything about your fiery streak." He laughed as he walked past her and called out, "Let me take a quick shower and I'll run into town. Any requests on the kind of coffee you want?" She mumbled something like anything would do and then plopped down at the kitchen table, laying her head on her folded arms.

She must have fallen asleep because she awoke to the smell of delicious coffee being brewed. The scent pulled her from her groggy condition and forced her to walk to the coffee pot as if she were in a trance. "You know, that stuff is addicting and you could probably function better if you just drank a cold glass of water." He smiled mischievously at her from across the room and she stuck her tongue out at him in response. She was very different than the apprehensive woman from yesterday. After working hours together last night she felt as if she knew him inside and out, mostly through the notes and things he'd jotted down for the book, but also through their conversation. They hit it off and made so much progress in just one night.

Judd had been an orphan, growing up on the streets of Sweden. The police and others had tried to put him in an orphanage several times but he'd run away each time. As a result, he'd picked up some pretty bad habits and when he was seventeen he got caught for stealing food from a local cafe. The officer that arrested him developed a soft spot for young Judd and offered him a choice; he could go to jail or he could move into his house and go to school to be a police officer. The policeman would ensure his record would be expunged. He chose the latter and it likely saved him. He'd lived an interesting and fulfilling life ever since.

The next few days went by quickly but seemed to draw Jess and Judd closer as they worked on the novel together. Finally, on the tenth day, Jess handed him the last page she'd written. He read it and handed it back to her without mark-ups, "it looks good. Let's put it all together and get it over to my publisher so they can review it." She got up off the floor where she'd been working, over the course of days working on the novel she'd been in all places of the house writing. She wasn't the type of person to sit in one position and felt more comfortable moving around. She scanned the last page then typed up the email that she'd send to the publisher with the book attached.

When it was sent she said, "That's it. We're all done." There was a bit of melancholy in her voice and she realized she was sad it was over. She'd come to enjoy Judd's company and had gotten used to all of his little quirks and nuances. She realized in that moment she would miss him.

Judd looked at her for what felt like forever before getting up and walking over to the desk. He opened the drawer and pulled out an envelope then handed it to her. "My editors might have some rewrites or edits they want to make and I'll, of course, pay you additionally for any pages you rewrite." Was it just Jess projecting her own thoughts onto him or did she hear the same sadness in his tone too? She wasn't sure but he gave her a small smile before returning to his chair.

Jess didn't open the envelope but instead tucked it into her laptop bag along with her laptop and power cord. She stood up and headed to her room to pack. After all, she should be getting back to her Nana.

Back home she sat while to visit with her Nana and tell her all about the job and the week she'd had. She listened to Nana tell her about the neighbors missing cat and Miss Cora's back injury, as well as any other random thing in the neighborhood that had happened in her absence. Finally, she went to her room to unpack her things and pulled the envelope from her bag. The check was five thousand dollars more than their agreed-upon salary and the note included explained the additional funds were for expenses. What expenses? She didn't have any additional expenses but she wasn't going to complain. Instead, she'd run the check over to the bank in the morning.

It had been five days since she finished the job with Judd but she couldn't get him off her mind. She tried to tell herself that this was silly because she barely knew the man, but every time she pictured his face her heart would flutter for a beat or two. Every time her phone rang she secretly hoped it was him calling for more edits or rewrites, when in fact he hadn't called for any. She tried to ponder her next career move, hoping that would distract her and it did for a few minutes. In those minutes, she'd decided to give ghostwriting another try and put herself out for hire on the internet. She'd already scooped up one job and was negotiating another two that she would accept after the first one was finished. She was making a name for herself after all. Wouldn't Cheryl be so pleased, she sarcastically thought.

Two months later Jess was sitting in the back yard working on another manuscript when Nana popped out with a package wrapped in brown paper and a note addressed to Jess. "I walked out to water the peonies and found this on the front porch. It was dropped off rather than mailed. See? No address or return stamp." Nana held the package out for Jess to examine. She carefully unwrapped it to reveal a copy of Judd's book and a folded piece of paper with a hand-written note. She sat the note aside and inspected the book, turning it over in her hands to look at the back cover. On it was a very regal photo of Judd with his arms crossed in front of a bookcase full of books. She rolled her eyes at the stock photo but admitted to herself that he looked good. She shook her head and turned her attention to the note and read it twice before laughing out loud. It just said, "Meet me at the diner in ten minutes," and it was signed Judd. She hopped up so quickly she almost dropped her laptop and Nana let out a little cry of surprise. "Sorry Nana," she called as she ran toward the back door. "I have to meet someone at the diner in ten minutes."

When she got to the diner Judd was sitting in her corner booth with a cup of steaming coffee waiting for her. "What took you so long?" He asked with a laugh.

"I came as soon as I read the note," she said throwing him side-eye. "What do you think?" He asked tapping the book in her arms. She looked down and realized that she'd forgotten to put it down and carried it all the way over here.

"It's amazing. I love that photo of you on the back cover." She lied. He laughed and motioned for Annie to bring another glass of water. After she left the table he asked, "did you read the dedication?" Dedications in books were not something a ghostwriter contributed. They were either written by the author themselves or someone else close to them, such as a friend or colleague. She paused pulling the book in front of her and opened the cover to reveal the dedication and began reading.

"I've been around the world and done a number of amazing things. I've also had some horrific and also beautiful experiences. But nothing has ever compared to writing this novel. I chose the most beautiful location to put down on paper all of my experiences and the time I spent there has forever changed me. Therefore, I'd like to dedicate this book to the woman I cannot stop thinking about. Jess Harmon, thank you for everything you've done for me. You are beautiful inside and out, and if you'll let me, I'd like to spend the rest of my days getting to know everything there is to know about you." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe that he felt the same way about her that she did about him.

"Jess, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we finished this book. I think I'm in love with you and I know we haven't known each other long and I'm not saying we have to get serious right away or move in together or get married or anything..." She put a finger up his mouth and shushed him. Then she leaned over and kissed his lips.

As she pulled away she said, "you were rambling and I needed to stop it before you made a fool out of yourself." He laughed and pulled her in for a deeper kiss. She sighed, sat back in the booth, and said, "I've got time and I got a decent paycheck a couple of months back so I think we can figure this thing out as we go."

She smiled and ordered another blonde with sand.