I inhale and exhale the words, “Probably get my brother out of his half way house and take him…away.”
“This is insane! Let me give you the money right now, Janie!”
“I will be okay when I get the second payment from Ben on the first. I’ll be able to truly breathe again after that. I’m doing okay now because I know it’s coming.”
“Tell him you need it freaking yesterday!”
“Absolutely not. I know he’s a billionaire. I’m getting used to so much...everythingall the time. But he will go overboard. Hehas already bought me so much and taken care of all of my living expenses, all new meals, a whole freaking dream house in Juniper Falls, and none of that was in the contract. It makes me uncomfortable.”
She opens her mouth, shuts it, and then opens it again, “Well, right now we need to talk about you and me, then we’ll circle back to that.”
“Okay,” I say and we both pause. Then in unison we say, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m so sorry, Janie.” She says, tears starting to fall, “I wish I’d known how you were struggling.”
I sniff too, “I should have sucked up my pride and told you the truth instead of just ghosting. You were right, you were my person and I shouldn’t have disappeared on you.”
“Well, maybe you would have told me the truth about your brother if I wasn’t such a judgy bitch.” She shakes her head, “Ugh. I should have kept asking, kept inviting, kept trying. I was so hurt I just shut down.”
“I’m so sorry I hurt you,” I am crying now too. We stand and hug each other at the exact same time. We start to cry a little harder and hug a little harder too. “Judgy bitch or not, I missed you so freaking much.”
“Same.” She pulls away. “We havesomuch to talk about.”
“So much!”
“Starting with that man out there who is totally, one hundred percent, head over heels in love with you.”
“No,” I groan.
“Oh yes, and this is your safe space, now, you’re back, so you can’t BS me about it—you are in love with him too.”
“Nooooo,” I scrunch my eyes closed and sit.
“Yes.” She sits too. “I knew the marriage was a sham because, hello, in what world do you get married on a whim in Las Vegas?” I snort and she goes on, “But I could see how you couldcompliment each other and fake it pretty well for…I’m assuming his family name and trust fund?”
“Nailed it.”
She chuckles, “Billionaires are so weird.” I glare at her but she pretends to be offended. “Weare still millionaires with an M, thank you very much. We’re from Tulsa, America, Janie, we’re salt of the earth, okay?”
I laugh at that. They’ve had arranged marriages, stalkers, a family member got shot, the whole gamut.
“Anyway,” she goes on with a wide smile, “I thought you’d show up separately and make an excuse, or show up and be, you know, friends. You two are not just friends.”
“No, we’re not.” I admit. “But, even so, it won’t last.”
She deflates a little, “You don’t think?”
“No way. You’ve been around him so you know, the man is a hurricane. He’ll get bored with me, Skye. Think about it. He needs to be moving, exploring, going. He’s not my type.”
“Sounds like he’s exactly your type,” she says with finality. I shake my head and she goes on, “Seriously, he is. You are drawn to charm. You think when it’sthe oneyou’re suddenly going to be attracted to the smart, stable choice? That’s not how you’re wired. Accept it. You are attracted to men with huge personalities.” I grimace, my heart racing, and she touches my arm when she adds. “But he’snotTheo, Janie.”
“He’s not, I know. Theo was all on the surface, I realize now. I do think he loved me at the beginning but then it became about what we were to others. What he wanted us to be. How we looked to everyone.…Ben…Ben is…totally crazy. Sweet. Smart. So much freaking fun. I’ve never laughed more in my life. One day my face hurt from all the smiling.”
“You?” She jokes. I flip her off. She laughs and says, “So, admit it, even if you don’t want that to be your type, because of yourmom and your romantic past and all that, even with the money and the charm and all that annoyingpersonality, even still…”
“Fine! Fine, even with all that I…I still love him.”
Her mouth falls open and no sound comes out.
