should all be doing our best to take care of ourselves. Designate a sick room or area in your home if caring for ill family members. Be responsible and prepare accordingly. Stock up on N95 masks and enough food and supplies to shelter at home for a few weeks.”
They spoke for an hour, and Sarah spent the rest of the evening transcribing and condensing her notes until she had nine hundred words ready to post at seven a.m. The Q&A with Owen became one of the most shared articles that day across all social media platforms. Sarah’s inbox was flooded with new interview requests from NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and four different television news outlets.
KEEP IT UP, read a rare encouraging email from Dory.
Sarah got Owen on the phone again and read out all the inquiries that had come in. “You see how easy it can be?” she said. “Everything on your terms.”
“That’s quite the list.”
“I’ll be your filter,” she said. “Your gatekeeper. All you have to do is answer the phone every once in a while from the comfort of your living room. And maybe write the odd blog post. I’ll supplement.”
For the next three weeks, they spoke twice a day, once mid-morning and then again in the evening, after Noah was in bed. Sarah was getting used to the low, grave sound of Owen’s voice; how the flattened vowels of his Midwestern accent emerged when he was flirting; how empathy shaded his voice when he spoke of the ARAMIS victims and the bewildering hysteria around ARAMIS Girl. And how when he sounded annoyed he was usually just excited and in a hurry to move on to his next big idea. Sarah continued the series of Q&As and acted as an intermediary for various print and online magazines. She set up phone calls for radio interviews, and talked Owen through setting up Skype on his laptop, since he wouldn’t visit television studios.
Occasionally, their conversation meandered off-topic to Sarah’s favourite authors (Virginia Woolf and André Gide), her hometown, her shelf full of sailing trophies from when she was a teenager and still had dreams of winning the America’s Cup. Though she was the interviewer, Owen had an innate curiosity and in certain moods would ask her nearly as many questions as she posed to him.
One night, he said, “Does Noah spend any time with his father?”
Sarah’s hands froze above her keyboard. “His father isn’t in the picture, never was.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, seeming to hear the sudden wariness in her voice. “I didn’t mean to pry. I only wondered if you ever got a break.”
“My brother helps,” said Sarah. “I couldn’t do it without him.”
“My ex-wife is a single mother, too,” said Owen. Then added, “Not by me. But I’ve been thinking of setting up a fund for her boy just the same. Henry is right around Noah’s age. Do you think you can help me do that? Look into how to get the process started?”
“Okay,” said Sarah, slightly bewildered. It would be bizarre for Owen to have suggested the idea merely as a way to gain her trust, but she couldn’t help thinking it all the same. “I’ll do my best.”
Another part of her job was to moderate the interactions on Owen’s newly minted blog, and respond or forward as necessary. Half were scams hawking so-called ARAMIS cures or protection spells being offered by sketchy online pharmacies or Haitian witch bloggers, and the other half were messages from female fans looking to strike up a correspondence.
Dear Mr. Grant,
Your book is the #1 most-requested book in our city library system. I’ve just put in an order for thirty more copies. I’ve been recommending it to everyone, and I wanted to personally tell you how much your work has meant to me over the years. We’d love to host a reading at our local branch the next time you visit the West Coast.
Sincerely, Laura C.
Hi Owen. I saw you on television and remembered our night at Jiminy Peak all those years ago. Nice to see all the success you’ve had. Let me know if you’re ever in D.C.
xo Angelica
These messages Sarah forwarded without comment, though they embarrassed her and she was relieved she hadn’t reminded Owen of their previous flirtation. But she became uneasy when Owen asked her to start deleting them. She sent a quick note to Dory seeking advice, but Julia’s due date was only a week away and all she received back