Christmas in Bethel

Chapter Ten

I met Lee’s agent. She’s not what I expected, but, considering my author, she should have been.

Beth Stilton’s Diary

I was up early the next morning, legs shaved, makeup on, packed. I was still mulling over the meaning of his just in case, so I brought extra clothes, including a swimsuit and workout clothes. I was near the front window when the car, a shiny black Lincoln Nautilus, pulled up at five minutes before the hour. The driver, an older, tall thin man wearing a black jacket and cap, walked up to my door. I opened before he rang the bell.

“Ms. Stilton, I’m your driver, Carl. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

He smiled. “Call me Carl. Do you have any luggage I could assist with?”

“Just this.”

He grabbed my bag’s handle. “I’ll take that.”

“I still need to make sure everything’s off inside. I’ll be right out.”

I ran back in, lowered the thermostat, checked each room, then came back out. I locked my front door, then walked down to the car. Carl opened the back door for me as I approached.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

I had never had a “car” with a uniformed driver pull up at my house. Even though I didn’t know my neighbors well, I kind of hoped someone was watching. I wanted someone besides just me to witness this moment.

A half hour after we’d left my house Lee called.

“You’re on your way?”

“I am. The car was right on time.”

“We’re having lunch at Jupiter with my agent at twelve thirty. The driver knows the address. I’ll see you there.”

That gave me about 160 miles to remember how to act like a normal person.

* * *

The car stopped in front of Rockefeller Center. Even though it was daytime, the giant, iconic Christmas tree above the gold statue of Prometheus was lit up, and the plaza was packed with people, both locals and tourists.

“Let me tell you where you’re going,” Carl said. “You see that little booth right there? That’s an elevator. You take it down to concourse level. There’s a mall under this entire area. Just follow the rink around, you’ll come to a restaurant called Jupiter. That’s where Mr. Harper and his guest will be waiting. If you get lost, there are kiosks around or ask anyone. Unless they’re a tourist, they’ll know.” He handed me a card. “Or call me. I’ll be happy to help.”

I took out my purse. “You do take credit cards?”

Carl smiled. “That’s been taken care of, ma’am.”

“And the tip?”

“That’s been taken care of too. You enjoy your time in New York.”

The restaurant was easy to find. Lee greeted me as I walked into the restaurant. He hugged me, then led me back to a table to meet his agent.

“Laurie, this is Beth. Beth, this is my agent, Laurie.”

Lee’s agent wasn’t what I expected. I thought he’d be a tall, slick-looking gentleman in an expensive Italian suit. Instead, she was a pleasant-looking woman, short, with stylish granny glasses and curly silver hair.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, extending her hand to shake. “Lee has talked so much about you.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Not so much.”

“Incessantly,” she said. “How was the drive in?”

“It was nice. It was a nice car.”

“Let’s sit down,” Lee said. “I’m famished.”

“It’s too early in the day to be famished,” Laurie said.

“I took the liberty of ordering some appetizers and wine. And here’s your menu.”

I looked over the fare. “What’s this Alfabeto in brodo?”

“Alphabet soup,” Lee said.

“I’ll have that.”

“I like her,” Laurie said to Lee.

I smiled. “I like you too. How are the meetings with your publisher going?”

“Well,” Lee said.

“For him they are,” Laurie said. “I’m not talking to them. We’re negotiating his next contract. It always gets ugly now.”

“She’s in pit bull mode,” Lee said.

“I’m always in pit bull mode.”

“Lee shook his head. She wants you to believe that, but she’s not. She’s really a sheep in wolf’s clothing.”

“Don’t call me a sheep.”

“What about a wolf?”

“That’s okay.”

I loved their relationship.

“Did you see Lee on the Today show?” Laurie asked.

“I did. He was great.”

“He was great. He’s a natural at promotion.”

“It’s my background in public relations,” Lee said.

“It’s your cute baby face,” Laurie said. “And brilliant blue eyes.”

“How is the book doing?” I asked.

“Dailies are up,” Laurie said. (I didn’t know what that meant.) “Looking at the field, he should debut at number one, but I never say that out loud. I don’t want to jinx it. And lists can be… unreliable.”

I suddenly panicked. “I left my suitcase in the car.”

“You didn’t,” Lee said. “I asked the driver to take it to the hotel. It will be waiting for you when you get there.”

I sighed in relief. “Thank you. You think of everything.”

“No, I just don’t forget a bad experience. The first time I came here I was lugging a massive suitcase with me through the sidewalks of New York. No one liked that.”

“It was awkward,” Laurie said. “Very awkward.”

“I was awkward,” Lee said.

“Very, very awkward,” Laurie said.

The meal was lovely. For dessert we had olive oil cake. We walked into the underground mall and took the elevator back up to the street. The cold air braced us as the door opened.

“I’m headed back to the office,” Laurie said. “You’re meeting with your editor?”

“Yes, then marketing. I’ll just meet you at the toast.”

“I’ll see you there.” She turned to me. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Beth. Be nice to him. He’s a good guy.”

“I know he is. And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’ll see you tonight.” She turned and walked toward the street, holding her hand up for a taxi.

“Do you like her?” Lee asked.

“Yes. Very much.”

“Good. We’re very close friends. She’s been great. She’s my guide through the publishing jungle.”

“How long have you been together?”

“The whole way. She was a junior agent when I found her. I was calling literary agencies, and she answered the phone. We had a good talk about the book, and she asked me to email her the manuscript. She called the next day, said it might be the best book she had ever read, but, because of her situation, she would have to pass her recommendation on to her boss, the agent she was being mentored by. He wasn’t interested and told her that if she wanted to pursue me, have at it. And she did.”

“That book was Bethel?”

He nodded. “Yes, it was.”

“I bet that other agent regrets that.”

“I’m sure he does too. Because he lost not just a ton of money, but also the clout that comes with having a brand-name author. Everyone wants J. D. Harper’s agent. Laurie deserves it. She’s smart, tough, but surprisingly pleasant.” He smiled. “She has a place up on Cape Cod near mine. Her partner just bought her a boat, so she fancies herself a sea captain now. I’m getting her one of those little captain hats for Christmas.”

“Yours is such a different world from mine,” I said.

“Just remember, it’s not what I grew up with either. And you have me.”

I loved that he said that.

“I have a meeting with my editor for the next hour, then we’re recording some marketing promos. I thought you might like to rest after that ride in. I have you booked in a junior suite at the Mark hotel. They have a very nice spa, and I made a four o’clock reservation for a massage for you. Everything is taken care of.

“I’ll be by to get you at six thirty. We’ll take a cab to the publisher. The toast is at seven and we have dinner reservations at Keens Steakhouse at eight thirty. If you’re hungry before then, you can order something from room service.”

“Where are you staying?”

“I’m in the room next to yours.” He reached into his wallet and handed me a credit card. “Just use this if you need anything. The hotel and amenities are already on my card, so you shouldn’t need it. Just don’t go crazy on Fifth Avenue.”

“I’ll be good.”

A cab pulled up to the curb in front of us.

“Here you go.”

“Oh, what’s the address?”

“He’ll know.” He opened the door for me, then said to the driver, “Take her to the Mark on Madison.”

The driver grumbled something that sounded vaguely affirmative, then put the car in gear. Lee waved to me as we drove off.

It all felt like a dream. I tried to forget that my dreams were usually nightmares.