I snort a laugh. Leave it to Bennie to come up with something like that. “No. They’re dating.” I try to be nonchalant, but my voice breaks at the end. I clear my throat. “I need some water. It’s freaking dry in L.A.”
“Oh, bullshit. Why torture yourself like this? You let him go. You broke it off for your own sanity.”
“You’re right.” I lay a fist on the table and rest my forehead on it. “He’s not mine anymore. I know that—I’ve accepted it. Really. But I can’t cut off my feelings and pretend he doesn’t exist… It hurts so much to see him happy with another woman.”
“Of course it hurts. You want him to mope. Be miserable for the rest of his life. Hopefully he’s already impotent.”
“Is that what you wanted for Drew when you were going through a rough patch?” Drew is Bennie’s British boyfriend. Mr. Perfect.
“What else?” Bennie says. “If he’d screwed around to get over me, I would’ve never forgiven him. Because I did want him back, even though I refused to admit it to myself.”
“Well, I don’t want Lucas back,” I say, even though my mind asks, Don’t you? Really?
“I know that. But he deserves at least a week of misery for every tear you shed over him, and erectile dysfunction is a good start.”
I flip the phone so I can look at the photos again. Faye and Lucas look happy, both of them smiling although dark sunglasses hide their eyes.
Does she know that the deal regarding his inheritance is real? That his siblings lied about it being the tabloids’ fevered imagination?
Maybe she does and just doesn’t care because she’s too sophisticated to care about stuff like that. What do I know about the people in Lucas’s circle? Maybe this kind of messed-up deal for an inheritance is par for the course, and only crude, backward plebs like me don’t get it.
I hit send on the email I’ve been typing. That was the last thing on my list. I lean back in my seat, suddenly feeling like the proverbial wet noodle.
“Ava, y
ou there?”
“Yeah. Still here.”
“I have to get going, but if you want me to come out this holiday and cheer you up, I’m all for it. L.A. isn’t that far from Japan.”
“Not as far as Virginia, but still trans-Pacific. Besides, I thought you were going to visit England with Drew.”
“He’s not going through a crisis. And he’ll just have to understand if he wants to be with me. I won’t abandon a friend in need.”
“Thank you, Bennie, but you don’t have to. Ray and Darcy are coming out to spend the holidays with me. I won’t be alone.” And neither will Lucas…
“Okay, but if you want me there anyway…”
I force myself to smile, hoping it will put the smile into my voice as well. “I’ll let you know. Don’t worry.”
“Love you, babe.”
“Love you too.”
Chapter Seventeen
Ava
I feel atrocious the next day. Not even a super-hot shower and a latte with extra espresso perk me up. And my throat hurts for some reason. I paste on more foundation and concealer than usual and select a pretty red dress as a pick-me-up because I’m definitely going to need it. I have things to do, and Lucas is coming over tomorrow to discuss progress and our next steps.
While Robbie’s in his early morning meeting with the other managers in operations, I go over his agenda for the next few days and answer some emails on his behalf. One in particular catches my attention. It’s from a counselor from a private clinic.
Robbie,
You missed yesterday’s appointment, and Jay wouldn’t talk without you. Is something wrong? Hopefully you can sort out your schedule and get back to me.
The name Jay is familiar…then it strikes me: Robbie’s wife. I feel vaguely like a voyeur as my sleep-deprived brain finally registers the name of the clinic: Pacific Family Therapy. I don’t ever recall seeing children’s photos on Robbie’s desk, so it must be for couples counseling.