Chapter 3: The First Date

The two hopped in the truck, and he started down the driveway. Jamie was already a nervous rider, and now, trusting him over a bridge with no sides, her anxiety was high enough for Phineas to notice. He went super slow down the driveway, doing his best to make her comfortable.

He took her down Bates Lane, onto a little side road that turned into a gravel road, and they ended up at the banks of Smithfield, but away from the tourist side. He pointed to a slit in a rock and told her to watch what happens. He had packed a picnic, and they sat down to enjoy their lunch. She told him about her life in New York, and he had a confession for her—a kind of big one.

After he confessed that his real name was David Montgomery, he told her to look at the rock. Jamie, still processing that Phineas Shark wasn’t his name, looked over, and the water started pouring out of the hole.

“Every day about this time, a waterfall happens from that hole. I’ve never stayed late enough out here to see how long it lasts.”

Her heart warmed in that moment. The water rushing out was so beautiful and blue; the rainbow it left over the water was stunning. All of a sudden, his name didn’t matter. It was so romantic; she was swept off her feet.

On the way back, he explained that Phineas Shark was an alias—he didn’t want to be known as “The Writer.” He just wanted to be David. Jamie nodded in acknowledgment and asked,

“Well, do I call you Phineas or David?”

He chuckled and said,

“Please call me David.”

“Okay, David. Well, we need to get some work done. Tomorrow, I need you to focus. If you don’t get the firm two new chapters by next Friday, they will have my head—I might even lose my job.”

David laughed and promised to have the next chapter by tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. at breakfast, and the second chapter before next Friday.

As David pulled up to her parking lot, she told him that she had a really good day with him. He walked her to her door. Jamie invited him up for a drink, but David said he’d have to raincheck. He kissed her on the cheek and told her, “I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast.” Jamie walked up the stairs to her apartment, unsure of what to think. He didn’t want to come up, but he wants me at breakfast tomorrow—does he like me, or is this professional? How do I dress for breakfast when I don’t know if this is straight business or something more?

Her mind raced, and her stomach was filled with butterflies. She hoped he liked her as much as she liked him.

David pulled out of her parking lot and took a left, the opposite direction of his house. At 7 p.m., right before the sun set, he drove back to that waterfall. He parked behind the brush, walked about halfway up to the rock, and just looked down. For about 15 minutes each evening, he watched the water smash against the lake shore, and he left with the last few minutes of daylight. And as the sky darkened, he carried that quiet weight with him, holding onto a secret only he knew.