“Too…different…same things in life,” he says slowly.
“Are you taking notes?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“No, I’d tell them I couldn’t reach you. Now, how’s my little Clara Bear doing? Can I talk to her so she doesn’t forget her uncle?”
“She’s not here. It’s Emma’s day off, so she and Pierce took her to the zoo. I think he’s trying to talk her into having a child so he’s hoping heartwarming experiences with my daughter will do the trick.”
“You should tell him that’s not how babies are made.”
Harrison laughs. “I’ll be sure to do that. Now the next question is from Rosy: Did you finally take the ring back because if you didn’t, by God, why haven’t you done that yet? You paid a small fortune for that thing and she’d feel a lot better if you were to have spent that money on a down payment on a house on her street. I guess one just came on the market that she wants to show you.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Really? What’s the house like?”
“You’re avoiding the question, Will, which leads me to believe you havenot,in fact taken back that five-carat rock.”
“I forgot. I’ve just been so busy preparing for the show.”
“Freud would have something to say about that,” Harrison says. “Actually, you wouldn’t even need somebody with a psychiatry degree to have something to say about that. Your average house cat could probably figure out that you’re still holding out hope.”
“Well, your average house cat would be wrong because I’ve only had a month to prepare for the biggest challenge of my entire life and the possibility of winning a million freaking dollars, Harrison.”
“You could buy a lot of rings with that.”
“Not doing that again. Once is enough for this guy.” Clearing my throat, I say, “Okay, I really have to run because my flight leaves in two hours, and I promised Dwight I’d wash and dry my sheets and towels and put the bed back together before I left.”
“Okay, last question, then I’ll let you go,” he says. “Also, from Rosy: Who’s this Amanda woman and is she interested in getting married and having babies with you?”
“Amanda is my partner on the show and nothing more. She has a great life back in the US that she’ll be returning to as soon as this whole thing is over. She and I are currently, and will remain, strictly professional.”
“Okay, she’s going to want to press the issue a little,” Harrison says. “And if I don’t point out that you said the exact same thing about Arabella, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I was lying about Arabella. But with Amanda, it’s true. She’s a really nice person, but she’s just not the one for me.”
“Okay, follow-up to the follow-up,” Harrison says with a sigh. “Is that becauseArabellais the right one for you?”
Sighing, I say, “No, it’s because there is absolutely no spark there whatsoever. She really feels more like a younger version of Emma to me. And also, if you refer to my earlier answer about never wanting to go down that road again, it will hopefully help resolve all curiosity on everybody’s behalf.” I take the ring box out of my drawer and open it, staring at it for a moment. Yup, still hurts. “Okay, I really gotta run. I’m going to try to come home as soon as we’re done filming, but unfortunately, with the contract I’m under, it’s not really up to me. If they need me to come back to Avonia first, then that’s what I’ll have to do. But make sure you give everybody there a hug from me and tell them all I miss them because I do.”
“Okay, I’ll pass the message on,” Harrison says. “Stay safe out there, okay, little bro?”
“Will do.”
“You better, because you won’t have a princess with you to rescue your sorry arse.”
“Just had to get that last shot in, eh?”
“Sorry, couldn’t help it. But seriously, take care.”
I finish packing, then pick up the last thing left on the bed—the ring box. Dammit. What do I do with that? It’s not like I can bring it with me. I take it to the kitchen and write a note for Dwight, who is up in Didsbury visiting his mum right now.
Dear Dwight,
Thanks for letting me stay. It’s been a blast. Sorry about eating all your ice cream and drinking all your bourbon. I need you to hang onto the ring for me since I ran out of time to take it back. You’ll find it behind the ice cream carton in the freezer.
Catch you soon,
Your favourite roommate,
