Chapter 4 #2
“We’re coming in next week!” Neil says. “Did I forget to mention? We’re already checked in!”
“You’re always so forgetful, darling,” Kelly says, dropping a finger on Neil’s nose.
“That’s great news!” I exclaim, pulling a reddening Reese in under my arm.
I can sense she’s about to blow, and half of me hopes holding onto her might keep it tamped down for a moment longer.
But the other half of me is still so bowled over by what she just did for me, I’m not even as worried as I should be.
“Could you maybe give Reese and me a minute to talk logistics before we do this little walk-through?”
“Yes, of course,” Neil says. He takes Kelly’s hand and slips it into the crook of his arm, and I have to look away.
“We’ll try that sous vide the Scot was just telling us about.”
The moment their backs are turned, Reese practically shoves me into her office, slamming the door shut behind us. Any semblance of empathy is long gone.
“Eli.” She grips her fist between us, and for a moment, I think she’s going to hit me.
But she just presses her fist against her forehead.
“What the hell was that? Did you know they were starting early? And how could you call that great news?!” She turns as if she can’t stand to look at me, her hands on her forehead, elbows up.
But I don’t care about the show. Not right now. “You covered for me,” I say, unable to keep the grin off my face.
She whirls around. “No.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“No, I mean don’t do that…smiling thing.”
I grin wider.
“No! You don’t get to be happy right now. You should be thinking about how you’re going to turn this situation around, tell them that it’s all a big misunderstanding. We’re not together, and I’m sure as hell not going to dinner with all of you tonight as if we are.”
“Reese, why did you do that?” I ask, ignoring her protests.
She ignores me back. “When did you tell them we were together? Was it when Neil called you today? Or have you been talking to Kelly, telling her all about—”
“No,” I interrupt, my smile gone. “It hasn’t been an elaborate lie, Reese. It was an impulsive thing I said when I ran into her for the first time after not seeing her for years.”
“You told them six months ago,” she whispers. “You had six fucking months to correct something you shouldn’t have done in the first place, and you tell me—”
I lean back against the door. “You don’t have to tell me how badly I fucked up.” Any good feelings I had about her not throwing me under the bus out there are like vapor now.
“No. I don’t. But you need to tell me the truth. What happened? Why did you say it?”
“Because I was at our fucking storage locker, dealing with everything I hoped our life would be,” I bark.
She’s silent, waiting for me to continue.
I grit my teeth. “That locker was filled with the furniture from our house. And you know, I didn’t care about most of it. But there was some stuff—”
My throat goes fucking tight.
“There was a crib in there, Reese. A rocking chair. Baby furniture I’d collected and didn’t even tell Kelly about because I knew it’d freak her out.
All I ever wanted was to be with her…to have a fucking family.
I gave her everything, and she tossed it all out like it meant nothing.
And when I had to go back and deal with the shit I knew I hadn’t let go of, she was fucking there.
With Neil, who I want to fucking hate but can’t.
I couldn’t tell her I hadn’t moved on, Reese, I just couldn’t.
So I ran my mouth off. Told her I was happy.
I’m sorry you were the person I thought of when I came up with that tall tale. ”
She blinks. She wasn’t expecting any of that.
“You’re right. I should have told you ages ago,” I continue. “And yeah, I shouldn’t have told them in the first place. But there it is.”
Reese takes a step back, then another, until she’s sitting on the edge of her desk. “I never knew you wanted a family, Eli.”
“It’s all I ever wanted,” I say, my voice cracking. “I did everything to try to make it happen, and it wasn’t enough. So there we are. Now you know.”
She pinches her lips together, her eyes on me. I’m not sure if it’s pity in her expression or something else, but it doesn’t matter. The truth is out there now and it’s pathetic as hell.
“I’ll tell them, okay? I’ll go to dinner tonight and I’ll tell them myse—”
“No.”
My stomach flips. I’m not sure I heard her right. “What?”
“No. You won’t. I’ll go with you.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Why would you do that?” I can’t help being slightly incredulous. “After everything I’ve done—”
She holds a hand up. “Don’t. I covered for you out there because I didn’t like the way she was talking to you.
And I’m agreeing to pretend we’re together now because…
” She rubs her arms, looking up at the ceiling.
“Because they’re only here filming for six weeks.
And after the show, I’ll be handing in my notice. ”
My stomach drops at the sudden whiplash of emotions. She said yes. She’s actually going to do this. But that seems less important than the other bomb she just dropped.
“You’re leaving?”
She nods. “Yup.” She won’t meet my eyes. She adjusts the little potted cactus on her desk. “I need to see what else is out there for me. Even if it’s not…” She trails off. Then she looks at me, her gaze almost like a challenge. “Anyway. That doesn’t matter right now. Do you want my help or not?”
It’s me, I realize then. I know working in restaurants was never really what she wanted. I remember that from when we didn’t hate each other. But maybe it would be different if it wasn’t my place.
But she’s still offering to help me. And she could pull back that offer at any time.
“Yes,” I say quickly, once I come to my senses. “Yes, Reese. Thank you.”
We’re really going to do this. For the first time, my heart actually lifts.
“But Reese, it can’t be one-sided. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing.”
“No. That’s not fair.”
She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “I don’t know, Eli. Make my dreams come true.”
She’s being facetious, I know. But I’m going to take her perfectly seriously.