[chapter three]
Disclaimer: If you've heard of
them, I don't own them. Everything else is mine, so no stealing, pretty please.
;-)
**
Nya sat on her front stoop, staring glumly into space. Occasionally, she would take a sip from her nearest companion - a glass of Merlot - while contemplating her horrid day.
Her eyes felt puffy from the angry tears she had cried earlier, and she was sure her cheeks were still flushed from the drive back home. As a result of her reverie, she didn't notice her neighbor stealthily crossing the lawn towards her.
She jumped when Jamie suddenly appeared in front of her, waving a small square of white fabric. She looked at him quizzically and he gave a sheepish grin.
"I thought I better come armed with a surrender flag. Truce?" Jamie asked, his voice unsure.
"Truce?" Nya repeated dumbly.
"I don't think we got off on the right foot. I come bearing gifts of surrender." Jamie said, proferring another bottle of wine from behind his back. "You looked like maybe you could use it. Bad day?"
Nya felt her ice queen facade crumbling as she looked up into his sincere eyes. Suddenly, her demeanor changed and she felt tears well in her eyes. Blinking them away rapidly, she waved a hand to invite him to sit. Gingerly, he sat beside her, waiting for her to speak.
"I had a bad day." Nya said quietly, trying to maintain an edge of iciness. "I've been slaving over this manuscript, and the author totally ripped me this morning - in front of my boss. Naturally, my boss took the author's side to keep up good relations so we could keep the account, and I was totally humiliated - every change I made had STET next to it from the author, and then god knows, no day is complete without Jackson barging in and...you don't care." Nya trailed off after a long moment. "Sorry."
"What makes you think I don't care?" Jamie asked curiously.
"Why would you care?" Nya asked. "You don't know what I'm talking about, you don't know me, and I was mean to you the other day."
Jamie grinned and shrugged good-naturedly. "I thought you were just being British."
Nya gave a bark of laughter. "I'm sorry. I've been absolutely stressed over this account, and then today it just all came crashing down."
"I'm sorry." Jamie said sympathetically.
"At least I work from home, and don't have to deal with these people every day. Thank god for small favours." Nya said sulkily.
"Is editing what brought you to the States?" Jamie asked conversationally, stunned they were having an actual conversation that didn't involve pointing out his shortcomings or bad neighbor behavior.
"No. I came to live next to famous race car drivers." Nya said slyly, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
Jamie laughed. "I'm not famous."
"You have a website. I checked." Nya retorted. "With some lovely photos of you looking very playboy-ish."
Jamie blushed and tried to laugh it off. "They make me pose like that."
Nya smiled her first genuine smile of the day. "Thanks for the bottle. I appreciate it."
"Am I being dismissed?" Jamie asked.
"I don't think I'm very good company tonight." Nya replied, taking another sip of wine. "I just want to sink to the bottom of this bottle and then go to bed. I have a huge stack of manuscripts to work on tomorrow."
"I'm off to a racetrack tomorrow, so I won't be a nuisance for the next few days. And I promise to turn the stereo off before I go. Unless you'd like me to leave it on - maybe some Jefferson Airplane or REO Speedwagon on repeat?" Jamie asked, his voice deadly serious.
"You can go now." Nya said evenly.
"I'm gonna make you like me, you know." Jamie said, standing up and brushing off his pants with a wide smile.
"Don't count on it, playboy."
Nya shot back, her ice queen demeanor firmly back in place.