Chapter 16

Castle heard his daughter's footsteps coming down the stairs just as he finished the first batch of blueberry pancakes.

"Wow, a hot breakfast on a school day?" Alexis asked as she came up to the counter that bordered the kitchen. Usually she just had some cereal and fruit.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," he said and placed a plate in front of her along with a glass of orange juice.

She reached for the syrup. "You're up early."

He shrugged. "Woke up, and couldn't get back to sleep."

She shot him a concerned look, "Writer's block?"

He shook his head. "If anything, I've got too many ideas. Don't worry. It'll all sort out. It always does."

"And if not, you can always get a job as a short order cook," she grinned already part way through her pancakes.

"Hmm, I could tap into my inner Iron Chef," he said as he removed another batch from the pan.

They heard a shout from above and suddenly the force of nature known as Martha Rodgers came racing down the stairs her silk dressing gown flapping behind her like a cape.

"Eloise Gunderson fractured her hip last night, and guess who will be replacing her for at least the next six to eight weeks," she exclaimed holding her cellphone up in victory. She was the understudy for one of the aunts in an off-Broadway production of Arsenic and Old Lace, and after constantly being on-call, she finally had her chance to get back in the spotlight.

"That's wonderful, Gram," Alexis gushed and hugged her.

"Congratulations, Mother," Castle smiled then handed her a plate. "Have some celebratory pancakes."

"What's all this?" Martha asked noticing the small mess in the kitchen.

"He woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep," Alexis replied as she finished her breakfast and put her dishes in the sink.

"Uh-oh, writer's block?" Martha asked as she put her plate on the counter.

"No!" Castle said in exasperation. "I'm just sorting through all the ideas I came up with yesterday."

Martha raised her hands in a calming manner and went to get some coffee. "Far be it for me to comment on another artist's creative process."

Hasn't stopped you before, Castle thought then turned his attention back to the next batch of pancakes.

ooOoo

"Alright, what's going on?"

Castle shook himself from his musings and turned his attention to his mother who was in the entrance to his home office. "What do you mean?"

Martha rolled her eyes as she put her jacket and purse on the seat of the leather chair and sat on its arm. "C'mon, Kiddo. I know you, and I know how you work. Normally you'd be getting all those ideas down then spin them about until you got the kernel for your next story. Instead, you're here staring into space."

"I'm just thinking about something Betty said."

"So you did fall under her spell," Martha smiled. "What did she say?"

"She asked me if my next story had to be a Derrick Storm novel."

The simple comment made Martha blink. It was the creation of Derrick Storm that solidified his reputation. After so many bestselling novels, it was a natural assumption that his next work would continue the series. "Are you thinking of writing a stand alone story?"

"Actually, I'm thinking of something a bit more big picture," Castle confessed. "But it'd be one hell of a gamble, and I don't know if it'd be worth the risk."

"Well, I can't tell you what to write about next. Only you can decide that," Martha said. "But I can tell you that a little risk makes life worth living. Where would you be if you hadn't submitted that story to the school's literary magazine when you were at Edgewick Academy? Where would you be if you hadn't sent In a Hail of Bullets to Black Pawn Publishing back in college? Now granted not all gambles work out, but, heaven help me, if you hadn't taken a chance with Meredith, you wouldn't have Alexis today."

As unconventional as his childhood was, the thing Castle admired most about his mother was her joie de vivre. She faced life with a fearlessness that would intimidate people half her age. At times, like now, it also provided a certain amount of clarity to a situation.

With a mischievous grin, he got up from his chair, quickly skirted his desk and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, Mother."

"Where are you going?" she asked puzzled as he continued toward the living room.

"Out for a walk," he declared as he checked for his keys and wallet then grabbed his jacket. "I just need a bit more time to think before taking the biggest risk of my career."

Martha watched as he headed out the door then shook her head. "Sometimes I just don't understand that boy."

ooOoo