Chapter Seventeen
After another week of Tyler's constant flirting, I needed a distraction. While Tyler and Vanessa went to Whistler, I booked myself a flight back home to Maryland. I got very little work done on the plane and hadn't been able to sleep, so I'd restlessly watched movies while regretting the fact that I'd forgotten my travel pillow for the journey.
Kat picked me up at the airport, and after taking one look at me declared brunch was in order. I was severely jet-lagged, so I had no mental capacity to disagree. I was on West Coast time, so though the clock said it was half past nine, it felt like six-thirty in the morning after getting no sleep on the plane. I needed coffee.
We got to the packed restaurant in Bettisville and were promptly seated despite there being a half hour wait- "anything for Hollywood royalty"- which embarrassed me to no end.
Sally, the waitress who'd worked at the diner for as long as I'd been going there, stopped by our table to refill our coffee mugs. "Is regular coffee okay or do I need to bust out the French press now that you've become a California girl?"
"You know your drip coffee is the best in the country," I lied. "It is certified organic and fair trade, though, right? I can't have any GMOs in my coffee." I grinned as Sally walked away, muttering something about froufrou hipster bullshit. I turned back to a smirking Kat.
"You may not realize it, but being in California has changed you. For one thing, you're a lot happier now that you've come out of your cocoon. And the physical effects are obvious. Look at you, you just spent six hours on a plane, and you still look fabulous. Maybe it's the tan," Kat mused.
"The only soap available in California is avocado mash. It does wonders for the skin," I said. "That's where the glow comes from."
"I knew they were weirdos out there," Kat said, sipping the black sludge that this diner considered coffee. "So, any news on the movie?"
"We're almost done with filming. It's been a dream," I said mechanically.
Kat pursed her lips. "Any news on the delicious lead actor?"
"He's currently spending a very romantic weekend with his female co-lead," I said glumly.
Kat gasped. "Say it ain't so."
"It's so," I confirmed.
"Well, you know how much I hate saying I told you so-"
"No, you don't, you delight in it. You said it even when you're not right," I protested.
"Irregardless," Kat said. "I told you so. You were a moron, and now he's moved on."
"Speaking of moving on, let's move on from this conversation," I said. "I came home to escape the drama, not rehash it. How's your love life going?"
Kat made a face. "What love life? All I do is work. I'm still at the senator's house. Every time I try to quit, he offers me a bonus to stay. I think he likes me because I'm discreet about his personal life and what's going on with him and his personal trainer. Eventually, I'm going to be making more money than him."
"Kat, you shouldn't be exploiting a closeted man for personal gain," I said.
"I'm not, I swear. I never ask for the money. He just gives it to me. We never discuss anything but eggs and brioche," Kat said, wide-eyed.
"You're going to have to quit eventually, you know," I said. "You hate it there. Is money worth your happiness?"
"Right now, yes," Kat said. A stack of pancakes was deposited in front of her, and she practically licked her lips. My plate was filled with avocado toast, fruit, and an omelet. Kat eyed my plate disapprovingly, raising her eyebrow to prove her earlier point. "Not all of us get sudden windfalls dumped on our laps. We have to deal with shitty jobs for money."
I ignored her raised eyebrow and dug in. Sally reappeared to ask if the food was up to our expectations, and we nodded before returning to our conversations.
"I think I need a vacation, and I'll stop hating my job so much. Isn't that what normal people do- go on vacation, then go back to their jobs fresh as new?" Kat asked, syrup dribbling down her chin.
I reached up with a napkin to clean her face for her. "You're asking me how normal people navigate their lives? What a joke."
Kat chuckled. "Look at us. Two social anomalies, living fabulous lives. What are we even complaining about? I make a boatload of money as a private chef, and you've got America's Most Eligible Bachelor pining after you."
"We kind of suck, don't we?" I asked.
"Yeah, we do." Kat nodded sadly.
"Our lives still suck though," I asserted.
"Oh, definitely."
∞∞∞
My mom called us after breakfast, slapping me with an epic guilt trip to ensure I didn't "forget" to stop by my parents' house for dinner. I assured her that I'd had every intention of visiting (I hadn't) and promised to stop by the grocery store first to pick up dinner essentials like chicken and industrial-sized boxes of wine.
Kat was accompanying me to dinner tonight, and was currently my driver anyway, so she offered to help me do the grocery shopping. Shopping list in hand, we tackled the grocery store like we were on Supermarket Sweep, giving ourselves a ten-minute limit to get in and get out.
My good mood was quickly extinguished when I turned my cart sharply into the bread aisle and crashed into another cart. "I'm so sorry," I laughed, looking up to see my victims. It was Dave and Fiona. I sobered at the look on their faces.
Dave was holding his hand protectively over Fiona's belly, looking affronted at the cart attack. My stomach dropped. What if I'd just accidentally hit her in her pregnant belly and they thought it had been on purpose? They already thought I was a head case, and a minor supermarket assault wouldn't help to disprove that perception.
Fiona noticed my mounting horror and came forward with a smile. "Olivia, you look wonderful." She embraced me, which made me hate her just a little, then pulled back to look into my face with kind eyes. "Don't worry. You didn't get me. Just bumped into Dave a bit."
I was okay with that. "Dave." I inclined my head, and Dave pursed his lips. "Fiona, you look nice." That was an understatement. Fiona managed to make pregnancy look glamorous. She looked like she'd just been on a spa retreat and was now the spokesmodel for that spa retreat.
Dave nodded awkwardly, and Fiona beamed, rubbing her barely perceptible bump protectively. I really ought to hate her, but I couldn't. Not really. I gazed between the two of them, so apparently happy together, and I realized that I felt nothing negative towards them. Certainly not warmth, but there wasn't a burning hatred there anymore. If anything, I felt relief. Fiona had spared me from a lifetime of misery with someone who didn't love me. If I'm completely honest, I'd never loved Dave the way they loved each other.
An image of Tyler, smiling down at me on a sun-soaked pier, flashed through my mind and I pushed it away quickly, not wanting to unpack that. It was ridiculous. We had barely talked in the past couple of weeks. I wasn't in love with him. Well, maybe a little. In any case, I’d messed it up so royally it was beyond repair anyway.
"Well, it's been nice running into you guys. Good luck with the baby and the wedding." I nodded politely, ready to leave.
"Would you like to come to the wedding?" Fiona asked impulsively. Dave looked alarmed.
I shook my head. "Not a chance in hell. Goodbye, guys." I steered my cart away, feeling pretty damned triumphant, and found Kat in the cheese aisle.
"Muenster or Swiss?" She held up two blocks of cheese for my inspection. I pointed at the Muenster, and she tossed the Swiss back onto its pile, looking at me curiously. "Why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?"
"I don't," I protested.
"What did you just do?" Kat prodded.
"Find closure," I said glibly.
Kat looked at me quizzically, so I relayed what had just happened. "You go, girl," Kat whooped. "I can't believe she invited you to the wedding." Her eyes widened, and she grabbed my arm. "Oh! You should go to the wedding and bring Tyler as your date. Really rub it in their faces how well you're doing."
I imagined a cartoon version of Kat pulling a knitting needle out of her purse and poking at the happy bubble that had been building in me since I saw Fiona and Dave. "I like where your head's at, but I'm not in a position to bring Tyler to anything, remember? Besides, it's very satisfying to be an adult and not be petty." Mostly. "I realized I don't care very much about Dave or Fiona anymore."
"Thank goodness. You were getting to be kind of a drag before you jetted off to Hollywood," Kat said, pushing the cart towards the cashier.
I frowned and followed her. I was not a drag.
∞∞∞
We got to my parents' house an hour early to help my mom with the cooking. Nick was home this month from one of his travel photo shoots, so it was one of those rare occasions that the whole family was under one roof. Mom was in seventh heaven.
Dad grunted his hello to me and hugged both Kat and me briefly, then went back to the living room to watch the Orioles game in his favorite recliner. Nick greeted us, then joined my dad with a couple of beers, leaving the ladies in the kitchen to chat.
"So," my mother started, and I braced myself for whatever was coming. "How's the movie going? Are you going to move to California permanently to abandon your mother and father?"
I rolled my eyes internally. "No, Mom," I said. "Who would take care of you in your old age?"
"Old age?" My mother was insulted. She changed the subject. "I'm glad you're staying here, but being in California has changed you."
Why did everyone keep saying that?
"You're not as mopey anymore," Mom observed. "No more obsessing over Dickhead Dave and his little fling."
"They're having a baby and getting married, Mom. I don't think it counts as a fling anymore."
Kat snorted, and Mom frowned at her. "Time will tell if their relationship is strong enough to withstand a new baby and the first year of marriage. If they make it through that, I'll be convinced, and I'll send them a congratulations card." Mom looked very intently at the potatoes she was peeling. "I wonder if your relationship with Tyler has anything to do with your newfound outlook on their relationship."
"We're just friends," I said. It was a little true, even if we haven't been very friendly to each other lately.
Mom tsked. "Shame. That boy is seriously handsome. Can you imagine the grandkids I'd get out of the two of you?"
"Mom!"
Kat giggled. "She's right, you know. You guys would produce some sort of super child with brains, good looks, and neuroses up the wazoo. Hopefully the commitment phobia skips a generation though."
I snapped a towel at her. I didn't need my mother to know I'd actively rejected Tyler or I'd never hear the end of it. Mom either didn't hear or chose to ignore Kat's comment about commitment, though, and instructed us to follow her into the dining room with dishes and utensils.
We set the table together, and Mom insisted we sit instead of helping her bring in the rest of the food. "I'm not letting the boys sit on their lazy asses while we do all the work," she said. "NICKY! JOSEPH! Come help me!" She boomed.
Dad and Nick appeared at once. Mom pointed at the casserole dishes on the kitchen counter, and the men dutifully brought them to the table before seating themselves.
"Let's all be thankful for this increasingly rare occasion that all of my children are sitting at the same table. Including you, Katharine." Mom smiled warmly at Kat, who beamed. My mother had been Kat's own surrogate mother since we were ten and declared ourselves best friends.
"Okay, let's eat," Nick said. Kat swatted him on the arm. He grinned back at her and pinched her cheek, making her slap him harder. I laughed as I watched them tease each other, truly happy to be home- and not just because of Mom's Maryland crab soup.
"Have you met Clint Eastwood yet?" Dad asked. "You should've gotten him to direct your movie. That man makes damned good movies." Dad considered Clint Eastwood to be the pinnacle of masculinity, and he seemed to be the only Hollywood name that impressed him.
"Dad, I don't think Clint Eastwood is interested in historical romances," I replied.
"Shame." Dad didn't say anything else and proceeded to spoon his soup into his mouth wordlessly.
"Nick, how's work?" I asked. I loved hearing about the exotic places Nick got to travel to.
He nodded, chewing. "It's great. I just got back from a shoot in Madagascar. Gorgeous place."
"Madagascar, how exotic," Kat said. "Tell me, Nick, how were the local women?"
"Very accommodating," Nick said casually. Gross.
"Nicky!" Mom chided.
He looked at her with wide eyes and a saintly smile. "What, Mom? They were very kind. They fed me, they gave me tips on traditional garb, they housed me."
"Oh," Mom said, placated. Nick shook his head and winked over her head when she turned to Kat. "Katharine, how are your parents?" she asked kindly. Kat's parents had gone through a drawn-out and messy divorce ten years ago, but Mom still asked about them whenever she saw Kat.
"Good. Mom's in Tampa with her new boyfriend and Dad's still banging his secretary, I assume," Kat said.
Mom tutted, and Dad shook his head silently. Kat's bluntness had killed the mood, and we ate the rest of dinner in relative silence, too busy enjoying the crab soup and crab-stuffed flounder to make any meaningful conversation. When everyone was adequately in a food coma, Mom stood and started clearing plates. "Olivia, care to help with this?"
I nodded and buttoned my jeans back up before standing, following her into the kitchen with a stack of dirty plates in hand. I stood next to her at the sink, handing her dishes as she rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher.
"You know, I heard what Katharine said," Mom said conversationally. "You can't let what Dave did to you in the past dictate your future relationships, or you'll never find happiness."
"I know," I said. I sighed. "But I've already screwed this one up."
Mom shook her head. "If that incredibly handsome and charming man wants to be with you, and you want to be with him, then you need to march right back up to him and demand that he take you back. And you've got to mean it. No one likes a commitment-phobe, dear."
I nodded without response. In my heart, I knew she was right. I loved Tyler, and I didn't think I deserved to love him, but I was damned tired of denying myself when it came to Tyler Sutton.
"By the way, did you ever ask about getting me on the set of Passions of Our Lives?" Mom asked hopefully.
I rolled my eyes and finished putting the dishes away.