Prove me wrong,Addie prayed.Email. Call. Say something.
When an enormous bouquet arrived at the apartment the next day, Addie was relieved. She would have to smush the blossoms to wrap her arms around it. For a brief moment, Addie thought she must have overreacted to Toni leaving silently.
Eric buried his face in the blossoms. Not a boring but delicious-smelling rose in sight. Orchids, lilies, and several things Addie couldn’t identify populated the enormous bouquet. It was beautiful but not particularly fragrant. “Elegant” was probably the best description—other than “expensive.”
Before Eric could grab the tiny white envelope out of the blossoms, Addie plucked the envelope out and opened it. She already knew who had sent it, and she had a surge of hope that there was somethingrealin it until she read the note.
It only saidTHANKS! SEE YOU SOON! TONI
Addie crumpled it up and tossed it at the wall. “If I hadn’t deleted her number, I’d say something rude to her right now.Grrrr.”
Her cousin walked over and picked up the note. Silently, he read it. “‘Thanks’?”
Addie shrugged, but tears welled up.
“Oh, honey.” Eric was there, arms around her. “What happened? Did she hurt you? Did you…”
“We had sex,” Addie blurted out, “And in Scotland we… she… with her hand.”
Eric nodded. “She got you off. Named the character after you. Took you to dinner. Emailed you constantly. And then you fucked?”
“Sort of,” Addie hedged.
“You either fucked or didn’t, Ads.” Eric went over to the sofa and patted the seat. “Come on, cuz.”
“We didthat,but it didn’t feel, like… justfucking,” Addie said,wincing at using that word to describe the night. She flopped down next to him.
“Sosex,not fucking, and then she vanished and sent that gorgeous bouquet,” Eric added.
“Yes, but did you see the note?” Addie let out another muffled scream, and then she told him all about waking up alone and then the text she sent with only a thumbs-up as a reply. And she finished with, “I thought I meant something to her, not just… sex. Shethankedme.”
Eric shook his head. “This is what we all went through in high school. ‘Did she like me?’ ‘Was it just sex?’ ‘Is she actually into me butalsoa dumbass who says stupid things?’ You know, you could call and talk to her.”
“Can’t.”
“Because?”
“I sort of deletedhernumber,” Addie said so quickly it sounded like one garbled word. She looked over at Eric. “You know my enthusiasm sort of…” Addie shrugged.
“Terrifies people who don’t understand you,” Eric finished with a sigh. “So you deleted her number to keep from texting. Well, she’s a fool if she lets you go, Ads.”
Addie shrugged. “I’ll see her sometime in the next few months. There’s this whole event at a historical house with photos and signings, and I was going to show up and wow her if I got the role. Now, it’s going to be awkward. I just hoped…”
“That she’d call?”
“Or email something,” Addie muttered. “Not send a note that could go just as easily to her grandmother or her editor or the showrunner or…anyone.”
“I can’t see how seeing her would work anyhow for anything other than hookups. Doesn’t she live in Ohio or something?” Eric shuddered.
“DC, but… she writes. Couldn’t she moveanywhere?” Addie thought about it. Sure, Toni had a teaching job, too, but wouldn’tshe quit that with the book’s success? Addie couldn’t move just anywhere because of her career, but Toni could.
I’m being foolish.Toni wasn’t even sending an actual message or making plans, so why would shemoveacross the country for Addie? The whole thing was pointless.
“I’ve let myself think this is some big romance, but maybe I was just… convenient?” Addie whispered.
“Then she’s the one losing out,” Eric said.
“I feel like I lost.” Addie swiped at another stray tear, and Eric pulled her close.
