“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Cord lifted his hands, penitent but resolute. “I have a job, Gio. We have elderly mothers!”
Giovanni scoffed. “The theater kids at Dalton think I have the norovirus,” he said. “And I told my family I was going on a wellness retreat and I’d call in ten days. You can do this, Cord.”
“Oh, I see. I should tell the Sweethearts team I won’t check in about the IPO because I’m sick?”
“Whatever you have to do,” said Giovanni.
“I’ve been literally shaking all day,” Cord disclosed.
Giovanni nodded. “Detoxing,” he said, in a know-it-all tone that made Cord want to slug him.
“I drank all my hidden nips already.”
“Let’s go get a DVD and some popcorn from the Fun Library,” said Giovanni, perusing theReturn to Lovedaily planner. “Or we can stargaze with Sheila, arrange flowers with Pam, or have sex!”
“I used to read books,” mused Cord, staring out the Kottage window at the impossibly black sky. “I’d open a book and just…read it.”
“Imagine,” said Giovanni dryly, crossing his arms over his chest.
But all Cord could imagine was the dozens—hundreds—of electronic notifications surely shining on his phone, ready to prime his dopamine transmitters to pump out some of that serenity, that buzzy calm. He yearned to check his phone. Hedesired his phone more than his Giovanni, and that was, he knew, a problem. The only other way he knew to soothe himself was booze.
“Go for a long, hard run,” his AA friends would say. “Do an insane kettlebell class!” Neither worked for Cord.
He knew Giovanni was trying to salvage their relationship. And he did not want to be alone. He loved Giovanni, truly and forever. He was just a damn mess. But he had to try—he had to try. “Can we snuggle?” asked Cord.
“Come here,” said Giovanni. He lifted their coverlet and patted the soft sheets, smiling. Cord crawled into the cozy spot next to the love of his life. He tried to rest.
32
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Entertainment & Arts
REALITY STAR LEE PERKINS EMERGES IN GREEK MYSTERY
Appears disheveled and emotional at press conference in Athens, Greece
By Helena Chen Entertainment Reporter
Lee Perkins, whose raw struggle with manic depression madeOne of You to Love Memust-watch reality TV, has surfaced in Athens, Greece, searching for her missing sister, and sources say the story behind the disappearance is raising eyebrows.
Perkins, 43, whose public breakdown during her show’s final season drew record ratings, appeared disheveled at a police press conference yesterday in central Athens. Her sister, Regan Willingham, is reportedly missing in Greece.
“Lee is completely focused on her family duringthis crisis,” says her agent, Francine Bloom. “Although she’s being courted for several prestigious projects, her only concern is finding her sister.”
Adding another layer of Hollywood intrigue, Perkins’s ex-boyfriend Jason O’Brien has just been cast as Lord Byron in Ben Morris’s biopic,Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know. O’Brien, who dated Perkins before her reality show debut, was contacted at his Hollywood Hills home but declined to comment.
“The whole thing is pretty wild,” says an industry insider. “Lee was famous for baring her soul on TV, and now her sister’s missing in a foreign country. It’s like reality TV came to life.”
Greek authorities declined to comment on an ongoing investigation.
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Flora
On weekdays, Flora woke at6:47a.m.,allowing herself exactly thirteen minutes to shower and get dressed before she needed to leave for school. She slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom, stepping carefully over the floorboard that creaked. Everyone had always told her not to bother Auntie Lee, who was unstable, so until her mom came home, Flora had decided to take care of herself.
She showered quickly, braided her hair while it was still damp, and put on her school uniform. She’d adjusted to her silent morning routine—no hair dryer, no cabinet doors slamming. In the kitchen, she made herself toast with honey and poured orange juice into a travel mug. She packed her lunch: a sandwich with the good cheese, an apple, some crackers. She left a note on the counter.
