“That kind of persistence implies importance.”
“Ah, but that depends on whose perspective we’re talking about. To Jane, everything is a four-alarm fire where she’s concerned.”
“Still, it’s always best to err on the side of caution for your own peace of mind,” he offered, and she gave in, scrolling through the texts, half-reading and mentally discarding the content with invisible eye rolls and imagined face palms. These were tame compared to the time she went to Berlin for an acquisition. Still, even with an entire ocean separating them, her heart raced, and her stomach roiled, just as they had in the car on the drive back from the Hamptons.
-Where the hell are you?
-I’ve had it with this shithole apartment you saddled me with. I have a good mind to contact the city about the deplorable conditions you’re forcing me to reside in. Now the air conditioner is broken, and the fat, lazy super isn’t answering my calls! You’d better contact him, or I’m calling the city to file a complaint. They’ll shut this slum down in minutes and rue the day they ever effed with me. You know how I hate the heat.
-Lizzy, I just heard startling news. You MUST stop what you’re doing and call me!
-I broke my toe, tripping over the box of crap you were supposed to have picked up last week. Text me back. I can’t walk!
-WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? I NEED YOU!!!!
-OMG! I just saw Charlie with another woman! Cheating loser!
-Please call me, Lizzy. I miss you. I can’t understand why you are ignoring me. I’m so lonely with you so far away.♥(heart emoji)You’re such a great sister!
-Wow. I guess I don’t matter to you at all if you can’t take the time to reply, but then again, you’re always so self-centered. All you care about is your failing gallery.
-??????(middle finger x3 emoji)
-You’ll never guess who reached out to me. At leastheshows concern for my well-being. Stay in Paris as long as you like. I really don’t care. I’ve got myself a new man! Charlie—and you—can go fuck yourselves.
“Anything important?” William asked, as though reading her expression.
“Nothing the Sixth Arrondissement won’t cure,” she told him, attaching the phone to her handlebars without texting a reply. Damn. She had finally started to feel like her old self. “Next stop Pont-Neuf,” she cheerfully said, pretending that her sister flipping her the bird didn’t matter. She would not allow Jane’s attention grab to ruin the wonderful day spent with the love of her life.
Back in the day, William had been able to read her distress when it came to Jane. He scrutinized her, but refrained from commenting, finally softly smiling.
They rode in silence for a bit, her mind preoccupied by the texts and the emotional breakdown she suspected happening in Queens. She should have listened to her intuition and ignored Jane’s intrusion.
“Hey, Lizzy. You can still talk to me, you know,” he said. “I won’t judge.”
“I know—you never did. Thanks. It’s all good. I’ll deal with whatever it is when I get back. For now, you have a bridge to cross.”
“Maybe we both do.”
“Yeah. I’m working on it, but it’s complicated and I have to tread lightly. Well, here it is, the famous Pont-Neuf!”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s famous here. I think it’s the oldest stone bridge in Paris, about 500 years old.”
“Um, there’s a lot of traffic. You led me to believe it was a little footbridge.”
She turned in her seat, putting Jane to the back of her mind. “You’ll be fine, William. It’s only the Seine, not the East River. Just remember to stay in the bike lane.”
“Right.”
“Do you want me to follow instead of leading?” she asked.
“No. I prefer to follow you.”
She couldn’t help chortling. “That’s not always wise.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. The one time I didn’t follow you, it cost me big time.”
