Chance on You (Pub 4)

22 - Wish

Leo had mixed feelings about his trip. Working on the movie deal and seeing Percy topped the list of positives. Being back in LA with his memories and Autumn so close were on the bottom except when they weren't. Leaving his kids was some place in the middle. He would miss them, but it was only one week, and he trusted Isla.

Isla. He didn't know where a break from her stood on the feelings spectrum. She continued to appear in his dreams. Although he preferred dreams of Isla over nightmares of Autumn, they made acting normal in the morning difficult. There was an intimacy to being dropped off at the train and picked up at the end of each day. Another commuter, a woman, commented about his family. "It's so nice your family drops you off every day. I love your wife's hair."

The words stung a moment. His wife wasn't his wife anymore, but she mistook Isla as his wife. She had beautiful thick, chestnut hair. It was much lighter than Lilli's darker hair.

As he rode to the airport, the memory of a recent dream filled his mind. He and Isla were in the pool together. When he hired the stranger in the heavy sweater and skirt, he did not know the garments hid a sexy body. Even in her modest swimsuit, he was glad the water was freezing, or he would have been the indecent one.

He went through the headaches of flying with long lines and the security checkpoint. Matthew was at the gate when Leo arrived. The men greeted each other with a handshake.

"How was your trip from Maine?" Leo sat next to the author.

"No traffic. I'm quite excited about our meetings."

"My goal is to protect your stories. It's personal, my daughter won't be happy if the movie isn't like the book."

Matthew smiled. "I appreciate it. So you know, I plan to stay on East Coast time. It'll allow me to wake and write for a few hours, and after our meetings. I'll call my wife and go to sleep early."

Leo nodded. "I'll want to call my kids."

Matthew looked at him with a slight tilt of his head. "No wife, Leo?"

Yes. No. "I thought Lilli would have filled you in on my single status."

Matthew shook his head. "Not me. Her best friend Lily perhaps. She talks about her wedding a lot. Women like those sorts of things."

Lilli was a sorcerer with Isla. She had helped transform her - jeans, shorts, swimsuit. With each transition, Isla appeared unsure, but she embraced her new styles and didn't go backwards. At times, she reverted back to the shy woman. It wasn't just Lilli because her two friends helped too. It was a good thing he brought plenty of work, because thinking about Isla confused him and it was a long flight across the country. The only perk was he upgraded to sit with Matthew in first class.

Once in Los Angeles, a car drove them to their hotel, close to the studio. Leo sat in the back glad to not live in the congested city anymore. His commute in and out of Boston took a third the time of his old commute. It had been just a part of life that he had accepted.

As if reading his mind, Matthew said, "I used to love living in London, but I'm happy to live quietly on the beach."

"I don't miss this at all." He looked up at the haze. The smog never left. In his backyard over the pool the sky was shades of blue, not gray.

Once at the hotel, Matthew shifted his feet. "I'm going to go write. I'll see you in the morning."

Leo nodded. "No worries."

They rode the elevator together, but when they stepped off, each turned in a different direction.

Matthew waved. "Have a good night."