A/N Thank you, PerryLovesDella for betaing.
Some People
Chapter 2
Coming in the unlocked back door straight into the kitchen, Seth called out. "Jessica! Are finally ready to come up for air?!"
Coming into the kitchen, she greeted him. "Morning Seth. How are Orville and his appendix doing this morning?"
Seth was glad that Jessica had been too busy the day before for him to have shared his opinion of Ernestine's diagnostic skills. Begrudgingly, Seth admitted. "Much better now that they are being kept in separate rooms."
Seth told her. "My apologies for standing you up last night."
Jessica dismissed the apology. "Beverly called and told me you were going to be in surgery."
She offered. "Crumb cake?"
"Is it still the store bought kind from yesterday?" Seth asked as she crossed to yesterday's tin.
"I'm afraid so." Jessica told him, already cutting him a slice and handing it to him.
"What's this?" Seth asked, seeing that the in progress novel of the past few weeks was gone, but its place on Jessica's kitchen table had been replaced by two stacks of legalese.
"The book I sent off to New York yesterday was the last one on my contract. My publisher sent over a contract renewal a few weeks ago that I have been meaning to go over, but I simply haven't had the time. He wants to extend for six more books. Of course, I am having my attorney review the contract, but still I like to take out the old one and the new one to compare myself."
"Six? He wants six more?"
Pouring them both cups of coffee, Jessica assured him. "Not all at once, Seth. It's spread out over the next two years."
"Two years is twenty-four months. Six books over twenty-four months averages out to one book every four months. Am I safe in assuming that he also expects you to go on the talk show circuit and a book signing tour for each of these books?"
"That is generally how it works."
"Are you going to sign it?"
Jessica sat down and sipped at her coffee. "I can't see why not. The terms seem more than generous."
Too agitated, Seth stayed standing. "You don't see why not?"
"Seth ..."
"Jessica, have you ever considered the idea of giving up writing to deadlines?"
Jessica frowned. They had had this argument before. "Seth, I enjoy writing."
"Woman, I am not saying stop writing. I'm saying stop signing all these damn contracts promising to write the books on everyone else's timetable! Forget about the Christmas catalog and the spring whatever you call it. Get back to doing it on your own schedule. Live your life on your own terms! When the inspiration strikes, write day and night and day and night again if it suits you, but write when you want to write and go fishing when you want to go fishing! Actually have the time to enjoy the flowers in your garden while they are blooming instead of letting them all go to seed. Go visit Grady and that little grandnephew of yours whenever the fancy strikes you – not when your next book signing has you in New York!"
Seth said it again. "I am not saying stop doing something you enjoy doing. I'm saying make time for all the other things you like to do too by not writing to these damn fool deadlines!
Seth continued his rant. "Write a book and then shop the book around or auction it off to the highest bidder for all I care! Just take back control of your own schedule and stop being beholden to your editor and publisher!"
Seth knew Jessica well enough to know that if he kept pushing it would only cause her to dig in her heels to the regret of both of them. Softening his tone, he added just one more thing before trying to drop the matter. "Frankie is only going to be young once. Just promise me you'll think about it."
"Seth Hazlitt -" The way Jessica started off, Seth was certain that he had not managed to soften his tone in time.
Thankfully, before he could find out for certain, Jessica was interrupted.
Hearing the doorbell ring, Jessica looked surprised. "Now who could that be?"
"No one good." Seth warned her. "Probably a door to door salesman or a Jehovah's Witness. Anyone worth answering the door for knows better - saves you the trouble and comes straight to the kitchen door."
Before Jessica could even get up from the table, the bell rang again. And again. And again.
Not appreciative - and in fact apprehensive - of anyone who would ring the bell that many times in such quick succession, Seth followed after Jessica unwilling to let her go to the door alone.
"Ah! What did I tell you?" Seth pointed out as Jessica opened the door to find Eve Simpson standing on her doorstep.
"Hello Eve."
After sweeping past Jessica to make her way into the house, Eve put her hands on her hips. "I have a bone to pick with you, Jessica. Just because you write murder mysteries for a living that is no reason to start letting your home look like a haunted house!"
When Jessica glanced back to him, Seth held up a hand as if to say I had nothing to do with this.
Clearly irritated, Eve stomped her feet. "Jessica Fletcher, do you have any idea how long I have been trying to sell the house next door to yours?"
The house had been empty almost a year now - since shortly after Connie Lewis's son had been arrested for breaking into Jessica's house and murdering the other man who happened to pick the same night to break into Jessica's house.
"Oh I'd say about as long as you've had your sign in front of the house next to mine."
"I had a buyer. I finally had a buyer! They were in my office pen in hand to sign the purchase agreement and what happens? They decided they wanted to take one more drive by to check out the neighborhood in the daylight. They took one look at your overgrown flower beds, your grass that looks like it hasn't been mowed since your lawn mower, Stanley Lewis, got arrested, and your windows in desperate need to be washed and they decided not to sign!"
Jessica blushed at Eve's words, but didn't try to dispute the criticism. "I had a new book idea while I was on my book tour and I'm afraid I have been working on it nonstop since I got back. I let things slide a little bit more than I should have. I admit, I may have let the front garden get a little frightful."
Eve Simpson was not one to be appeased with a simple apology. "Jessica, do you have any idea how hard it is to find a sucker willing to buy a house directly on the interstate?"
Jessica turned her head to exchange a look with Seth.
Seth said it for her. "Eve, I am sure Jessica would love to hear what kind of a sucker it takes to buy a house on her street."
Despite realizing that she had put her foot in her mouth, Eve couldn't bother to apologize. Instead, she just asked acidly. "Why are you always here?"
"And on that note ..." Seth said his goodbyes. "Thank you, Jessica, for the coffee and the crumb cake – even if it was -" Seth made a face. "- store bought."
"Don't bother. I'm leaving." Eve told him before turning back to Jessica. "Here!"
"What's this?" Jessica asked as Eve thrust a piece of paper with a phone number on it into her hand.
"It's the number for Loretta's nephew. I've had him over a few times to work on various odd jobs around the house. He's very good with his hands and other things – if you know what I mean."
Seth could have done without hearing the little trill in Eve's voice as she said it.
Closing the door behind Eve, Jessica frowned and looked down at the paper in her hand. "I suppose I have gotten to that age when it's not possible to keep up with everything myself."
"It's not just age." Seth pointed out trying to soften the blow. "It's the time involved and the other possible uses for that very limited and - might I add - quite precious resource.
"I haven't mowed my own lawn in …" Seth had to actually stop to consider it and in the end went with an estimate possibly on the low side. " … close to thirty years. There are only so many hours in a day. It's about considering what else you could be doing with that time and deciding which of your options you would most enjoy. When Margie was a girl, I realized that at the end of a long day at the hospital, I would much rather come home and be able to relax with my family rather than feel like I had to pull out the lawn mower."
When she asked him, Seth knew that for her it was a very big step. "Who do you use?"
"Actually …" Seth admitted. "... I use Loretta's nephew as well, but from what Eve just intimated, I am beginning to think that he doesn't offer Eve and me the same menu of services to pick from."
"I suspect you may be right." Jessica agreed with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smile.
Walking back into the kitchen with her, Seth picked up his coat and put on his hat.
Jessica looked surprised. "You're leaving? Eve's gone."
"Oh no. I've put you in a mood. Doesn't mean I have to stay to enjoy it."
Jessica chided him. "Really Seth!"
Seth looked at the time. "In truth, I really should be going. I shouldn't keep my patients waiting."
At that she didn't argue. "Sometimes, I forget that you actually have a medical practice."
"Sometimes, I forget too." Seth told her.
Jessica chuckled. "Dinner tonight?"
"I'll bring the dessert." Seth promised.
Seth put in a bit more of his two cents. "It's a little on the early side, but while he's here, have Loretta's nephew hang up your storm windows too so I don't have to bite my tongue as I watch you try to hobble around all bent over for two weeks while trying to pretend you didn't throw out your back doing something you had no business trying to do."
Unable to really offer anything in her own defense about their annual tradition, Jessica pointed out. "You know, you really shouldn't keep your patients waiting."
Walking to the door, she opened it for him, but there wasn't any real ill will in it.
Jessica even kissed him on the cheek as he headed out to show that there were no hard feelings.
Saved by Eve Simpson, Seth realized. Who would have ever believed it?
tbc
A/N If you are reading kindly take a moment to review.