“Will, this is Elsie. I wanted to say how sorry I am for what Lydia’s done, and I’m willing to pay you for the damage. I know insurance covers things like that but I’m sure it affected the value of your car, you know, not having its original paint anymore. Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m sorry, and I take responsibility for what happened.” She rubbed her forehead with her palm and waited for him to say something.
The three seconds before he answered seemed like an eternity.
“Elsie, you don’t owe me anything. I know it was Lydia and not you. At least, I hope not.” There was a hint of humor in his voice that made her feel slightly better.
“No, it wasn’t me. I’m sorry I ever believed a word of what Jeff said.” Just the mention of his name turned the whole thing more awkward than it already was. “Okay, well—”
“Wait. Would you like to come over for dinner? I could introduce you to my sister, Gianna.”
“I don’t know. Um, how do you know I’m in L.A.?” She glanced around, wondering if he had some kind of GPS on his phone that told him she was calling from close by.
“Oh, I … uh … I figured you came to help Lydia and that’s why you were calling. Are you in Meryton?”
“No, you’re right. I’m in L.A. Jane’s with me.”
“You should both come.”
Elsie’s stomach began to flutter with the possibility, but Jane was coming out of the bathroom right then and Elsie lost courage. “We’re actually meeting Mary at some vegan restaurant tonight. But, thank you.” She quickly ended the call and slipped the phone behind her, awash with conflicting emotions. Relief, disappointment, regret. There was no way she could just go over to Will’s for dinner like everything was not weird, but oh how she wished she could.
“Who was that?” Jane came over, rubbing her wet hair with a hand towel.
“Um, Lydia.”
“Then why is your face all … I don’t know … glowy?”
“Because Lydia got the main role?”
“Now I know you’re lying.” Jane sat down next to her and struck out for the phone, grabbing it before Elsie could stop her.
“No!” Elsie tried to take it back, but Jane ran to the bathroom and shut the door on her.
Darn Jane and her lightning-fast reflexes. Why couldn’t she take a long shower like a normal person? Maybe she wouldn’t be able to figure out who the number belonged to. Elsie checked the doorknob, but of course, Jane had locked it.
“Ah, ha!” Jane declared after a minute, her voice muffled through the door. “I had a wild hunch and I was right.”
She came out with the phone behind her back. “What did, ‘but thank you’ mean? Did Will invite you to something and you turned him down?”
“We’re meeting Mary for dinner.”
Jane grinned. “No, Lydia and I are meeting Mary for dinner. You can stop complaining about chickpeas and tofu and call him back right now. Whatever it is, don’t you dare turn him down.”
Elsie shook her head. “I can’t do that. I already told him—” Jane tapped on the screen and put the phone to her ear. “What are you doing? Stop that right now!”
Jane retreated back into the bathroom, though this time with the door open. “Hi, Will. This is Jane.”
Elsie paced in front of her, fighting the urge to grab the phone and end the call. But that would only make this look worse. Instead, she sent non-verbal threats Jane’s way while Jane smiled and ignored her.
“It’s good to hear from you, too. Mmhmm.” Jane turned away, so as not to be distracted. “Well, I really need to go see my sister, Mary, but we’re happy to spare Elsie for the evening. She’s all yours.”
When had Jane become so sneaky? So meddling? It was like she’d stolen a page out of Elsie’s playbook. If this was what it felt like, Elsie vowed to never meddle again. She frantically began ripping apart her suitcase, looking for her most flattering pair of jeans. All she had were comfortable, clean-up-after-your-sister type outfits. She hoped he wasn’t expecting her to dress formally.
Jane scribbled down something on the hotel notepad and hung up. “Let me help you.” She went to her own suitcase and pulled out a navy blouse with little white polka-dots. The keyhole neckline tied at the top in a cute little bow. It was very much a Jane shirt and not an Elsie one.
“No, I’m just going in my T-shirt and jeans.” Elsie pulled out one of their new T-shirts and studied it. The soft gray material looked great against the gold foil arrows running diagonally across the front. “This is me being me.” Elsie looked down at Jane’s beaded gold sandals. “But I’m stealing those.”
Jane took them off and handed them over. “I take it I also owe you my first-born child and I’ll be doing your laundry for the next three years?”
“Four years.”
