Chapter Thirty-Four

Eliza

A full week had passed, and I still hadn’t heard from Ian. Nor had I heard from Raymond. The only person that had called me again was my mother, but I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to her. I told her that I was busy with an important project and thankfully she believed me. I was glad that I no longer lived near her. At least I could run away and hide from things with ease. The only people that I really wanted to talk to were Mae and Ian, and Ian was out the picture. Which just left Mae, my rock throughout it all.

When I got to work that day, I saw Mae standing outside. She had her bag on her shoulder, and she looked as if she were waiting for someone.

“Yay! You’re here,” she said and beamed at me.

“Uh, yeah. It’s Friday. I’m here to work,” I said, climbing up the stairs. “Did you think I wasn’t going to come? Hey, where are you going? You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

“Don’t go any further. You’re not going into work today. And I am waiting for someone. I’m waiting for you.”

“I’m not going to work? Why not?”

“Because you and I are having a girls’ day.”

I chuckled. “That’s a nice thought, but I don’t think John is going to be very happy with that idea.”

“John happens to be completely fine with that idea. No big project to work on, so you and I get the day off. I told Paul that we had to go out and buy stuff for another assignment. I didn’t want him to think that we were getting special treatment or anything.”

“We sort of are, though.” I was pretty sure that giving us a girls’ day when we should be working was considered special treatment. Although I knew that John would basically do anything when it came to Mae. I wondered what she had said to get him to agree to this.

“Yeah but he doesn’t need to know that. He’s got enough home stress to worry about.”

“Are you being serious about the day off?”

“I certainly am. You haven’t eaten, have you?”

“No, and I’m starving,” I said. I had planned to get a bite at work. Lately, I just hadn’t been in the mood to cook anything at home.

“Good. I have a full day planned for us.”

“You have?”

“We’re going for breakfast first. Then I’ve booked us at the hairdresser. After that, we’re going to see a movie. Then we’re going for a late lunch. How does that sound?”

I looked at her in amazement. “It sounds like the perfect day. Mae, you’re incredible. And you’re sure that John doesn’t mind?”

“He doesn’t mind.”

“He’s the best boss!”

I’d told John all about what had happened at the party, and explained how Ian had not been at fault. He’d told me how much he liked Ian, and how much he’d enjoyed speaking with his father too. He said they were good people and that the club had done no wrong. He’d told me that he was going to talk to the newspaper to see what he could do, but that in the meantime I should know that it wasn’t my fault. I’d cried a little in his office, and he’d sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Giving us a day off was probably more to do with the fact that he could walk around the office without worrying about upsetting me.

“Okay, so here’s the deal,” Mae said the moment we found a table at a nearby café. “We’re going to order a big breakfast and at least two cups of coffee. Then you’re going to tell me everything that’s upsetting you. I mean, everything! And once we finish talking about the whole situation, we’re going to leave this place and go get our hair done. Once we’re there, we won’t talk anymore about Ian or the party or Raymond. Once we walk out of this café, we are going to just concentrate on having a good day together.”

I smiled at her. “That’s a deal for sure. I’m good with that.”

I actually wasn’t sure that I wanted to even talk about Ian, but now that she had opened up the idea to me, it suddenly seemed like a good idea. We ordered waffles with scrambled eggs and bacon, and two cappuccinos—one for before the meal and one for after, and then we settled in for the chat.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“I miss Ian so much. And I feel like this whole thing was my fault. I keep picturing the other members of the club reading the newspaper and being upset at him for putting them in the spotlight. And I keep thinking of his father. Ian was always telling me how hard his father is on him. And I don’t think this would have helped. And he was doing so well before this. I’ve messed it all up for him.”

“I’ve got to say, Eliza. At first, I was skeptical about this guy. But when I saw how much you liked him, I started to change my mind. Then I met him at the party and I most definitely changed my mind. He’s not this bad guy that the media have made him out to be. He’s a good person. And he’s clearly smitten with you.”

I looked at Mae in surprise. So far everyone had been telling me to stay away from him. “You don’t think I should stay away from Ian?”

“Why would you do that? He saved your skin. I think he’s overreacting about you calling the cops, though.”

“I’m not sure he knows sometimes how to deal with his emotions,” I said.

Mae laughed. “That sounds like most guys I know. I have a feeling he just needs to clear his head. But I think he might need a bit of a helping hand. A push in the right direction.”

“What do you mean?”

Just then the waitress came by with our food and placed the waffles in front of us. We thanked her and waited for her to leave before continuing with the conversation.

“What I mean,” Mae said and then stabbed the waffle with her fork. “Is that you should probably go and talk to him.”

She put a forkful of the waffle in her mouth and groaned with pleasure.

I chuckled and did the same. “Oh wow. This is amazing. I like girls’ day.”

“Yeah, me too. Thanks, John,” Mae said.

“Thanks, John,” I agreed.

“So, you’ll go and talk to him?”

“I think I will. I just need to figure out how. I’m not sure if just showing up at his home or work is going to do it. And I’m not even sure what to say.”

“Be yourself and be honest. And then let him decide what he wants to do. There’s only so much that you can say, but I think the two of you definitely at least need to talk it out.”

I smiled at Mae. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being the only person to truly listen to me.”

I felt good for the rest of the day. After the breakfast, we got our hair done, and then Mae insisted we get our nails done too after seeing how awful mine looked. Then we enjoyed a movie together and topped it off with lunch. Considering how upset I had been when the day started, it ended up being one of the best days of my life. And I was glad to finally have a plan. I was going to speak to Ian. I was going to make things better.

That night, I lay in bed while the cogs turned in my brain. There must be a way to talk to him without going to his house or his work. There must be . . . .

And suddenly, I knew what I was going to do.