The Christmas Hummingbird by Davis Bunn

Author:Davis Bunn [Bunn, Davis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

19

Ryan called a half hour after he got home. Ethan was at his counter, making a first attempt at sketching the elven village. His drawing abilities were rudimentary, more of an architect’s design than anything artistic. But Ethan suspected that was all the initial phase required. He would submit a few concepts, then Harvey Chambers would probably require everything to be redrawn. Someone this captivated by the old tales would have his own set of mental images, carried with him since childhood, potent enough to force his executives to go along with his plan. Invest the network’s cash, sell the concept to advertisers, book a place in the network’s hottest season. All for a story that had been out of print for longer than Ethan had been alive.

Ryan’s first words were, “I should have been up hours ago.”

“I’ll write you a note.”

“Will you? How nice. How are you, Ethan?”

“Fine. Making some initial sketches. What is Liam up to?”

“Amara’s pretending to watch a cartoon movie with him. Beyond the Hedge. For maybe the twentieth time. That woman’s patience is unbelievable.” She paused for a sip. Sighed. “You met her. My regular sitter. Liam thinks Amara is great. She has two children, one works in New York and the other in Mexico City. She misses her grandchildren something awful. She and her husband claim Liam is the reason for their happiest hours.” Another sip, then, “I try not to be jealous of all the days Amara gets to spend with Liam.”

“Is Amara taking Liam all day?”

“Ethan, I just crawled out of bed. My brain is moving at turtle speed. I need one of Piper’s horse needles to inject this coffee straight into my veins.”

“Why don’t I come pick him up.”

A silence, then, “Ethan . . .”

“What?”

“Wait, let me ask him.” She set down the phone, called, murmured. When she came back on the line, she sounded much more awake. “Liam says yes.”

“Great.” He grinned at the blank kitchen wall. Ridiculously pleased. “That’s great.”

“Ethan . . .”

“What?” Another silence. “Ryan, take a breath and shape the words. Please.”

“The fire is partially under control. There were two messages on my phone when I woke up. Sheriff’s department is super stretched. They ask if we’ll do a drive-by of houses in the surrounding three valleys. Just making sure there haven’t been any further break-ins.”

“Count me in. But does that leave me time to be with Liam?” When she did not respond, he gently pressed, “You need to tell me what you’re thinking. Otherwise, I have no idea what’s right in your book.”

“We can’t leave on patrol until I’m done with a meeting at the station.”

“Which means what time, more or less.”

“I should be finished before six.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“Ethan . . .”

“Yes?”

“Nothing. It’s just . . . Thank you.”

“For what?”

She breathed into the receiver. Again. Then cut the connection.

* * *

When Ethan pulled up in front of Ryan’s place, Liam was again seated on the front steps with a backpack slung over his shoulders and the bird’s bowl on his knees.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.