Honey on Your Mind (21 page)

“Yeah, I’ve sort of figured that out,” I said.

Andie nodded at me. “It’s not fair. She’s so nice, you know?”

“Yeah, it’s not fair.”
If you only knew.

The ring of McKenna’s cell phone saved me from having to say anything more.

“I’m sorry, ladies, that’s Hunter. I should get this.” She stood up to take her phone outside.

“I’ll get up too,” I said. “I need to use the restroom.”

“That means more wine for me,” Andie said, refilling her glass.

Crisis averted.

• • •

“So your dad’s getting married?”

I took a sip of my coffee and smiled. “Can you believe it? I never thought I’d see the day, but he’s like a new man since he met Betty.”

Andie nodded. “Scary how that works. I keep hoping some guy will come along to make a new woman of my mom, but apparently my dad isn’t going anywhere, so she’s still a huge bitch.”

I laughed. “Come on, she’s not
that
bad.”

“Oh no, she’s a nightmare. But it’s OK. I’ve come to accept it.”

We were finishing up brunch the next morning and trying to figure out how to spend our last hours together before Andie and McKenna left for the airport. I was so sad the weekend was already coming to a close. McKenna still wasn’t feeling great after our big night out Friday, so we’d again abandoned the idea of a nausea-enhancing ferry ride.

“How about we take one of those tours at the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side? I hear they’re cool,” I said.

Andie shook her head. “Too depressing. I’m already depressed enough that we’re leaving.”

McKenna took a bite of her French toast. “Can you imagine sharing one or two bathrooms with like twenty other families?”

“I can’t even imagine having a roommate,” I said, suddenly feeling guilty at all the food I was leaving on my plate.

After brunch, we finally made a decision to walk the High Line, an abandoned elevated subway track that had been turned into a charming park covering a mile-long stretch on the west side of Manhattan. After strolling the length of it, we finished off the afternoon with a hot chocolate up in Bryant Park, and then took the subway back to Brooklyn Heights.

We got home later than we should have, so Andie and McKenna ended up packing in a mad rush. I grew sad as I watched them throw their bags together.

“I can’t believe the weekend is already over. That went way too fast.”

“I know. I didn’t even eat a cheap hot dog on the street,” Andie said. “Nick is going to be so disappointed in me.”

“You know what? I’m sad to leave, but I’m also excited to get home to Elizabeth,” McKenna said. “I can’t believe how much I miss that adorable, toothless grin of hers. I even miss her little baby smell.”

“You’d
better
not be talking about the smell that most people associate with babies,” Andie said. “If so, you’ve totally lost it.”

“And you miss Hunter too, of course,” I said.

McKenna laughed. “Of course. Hunter smells good too.”

The buzz of the doorbell alerted us to the arrival of the taxi. Out of nowhere, tears started welling up in my eyes. My tiny elevator wasn’t big enough for all of us with their luggage, so I held the gate open for the two of them before descending the stairs alone.

I met them at the elevator, which was so rickety and slow that I beat them there.

“I think I just suffocated to death.” Andie jumped out of the tiny cage into the fresh air of the lobby. “I think I may be dead right now.”

“Good lord, you’re so high-maintenance,” McKenna said. “Does Nick know you’re so high-maintenance?”

Andie tilted her head to one side. “Does Hunter know you were dancing on a table two nights ago?”

“Touché,” McKenna said, laughing.

Andie nodded. “Don’t poke the bear.”

Once we were on the sidewalk outside my building, they took turns hugging me good-bye.

“Good luck meeting Jake’s parents,” McKenna said.

Suddenly I was nervous. “Thanks. I may need it.”

“No you won’t, that was just an expression. They’re going to love you. How could they not?”

Andie nodded. “You
are
quite loveable. Now, don’t be a stranger. I don’t want to have to tune into
Love, Wendy
to make sure you don’t cut your bangs too short again.”

I laughed. “I promise to be better about keeping in touch.”

McKenna put her arm around me. “So I guess we’ll see you at your dad’s wedding?”

I felt the tears welling up again. “You’re really going to come?”

She nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Ditto,” Andie said. “What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day?”

I smiled. “You two are the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you. What
would
I do without you?”

“Apparently, you’d be turning into a TV star in the Big Apple,” Andie said. She made scissors with her fingers. “Remember, don’t cut those bangs.”

I saluted. “I promise.”

I hugged them each once more, and then let out a sigh as I watched their cab drive away
. I wish you both lived here
.

After the taxi turned the corner, I unlocked the front door of my building and slowly climbed the stairs back to my apartment. Now feeling gloomy, all I wanted to do was curl up with a blanket and watch a sappy movie on Lifetime. I also wanted to call Jake and fill him in on all the fun details of the weekend. I needed to hear his soothing voice.

Before I even sat down, however, my phone rang. It was Scotty, asking me to cover a free concert in Prospect Park that had just been announced for that evening. I glanced at my watch to check the time. If I was going to make it, I’d need to leave my apartment in twenty minutes.

So much for my break from reality.

The following week was more hectic than I’d thought possible. Because so many of us were going to be gone around Christmas, we all had to prepare a lot of material ahead of time. Wendy was doing two shows a day in front of a live studio audience, and as a result, my team was shooting at least one if not two features each day. A couple of times, I actually had to change clothes to make it look like a separate day. I found this absurd, given that it was winter and in every outdoor segment I was wearing a huge black coat that covered most of what I had on underneath. But that was the protocol at
Love, Wendy
, so I kept my mouth shut. Although we had a long list of features to shoot, I still hadn’t come up with a good idea for the New Year’s Eve show.

Late Wednesday afternoon, I squeezed in an hour between shoots to meet Paige for coffee. She wanted to catch up on work stuff before she took off to visit her parents for the holidays. We’d only texted, so I still had no idea what had happened during her weekend with Gary. As I pushed open the door to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a wave of dread swept over me.
I wonder what he told her?

I spotted her sitting at a table when I walked in.

“Hey, Waverly, it’s great to see you.” She stood up and gave me a hug. Her blonde hair looked a little lighter than usual, and I wondered if she’d highlighted it for her trip to Vermont.

“It’s, um, it’s good to see you too.” I was at a loss for words, a rare experience.
Does she know?
Does she know I know?

She pointed to the counter. “I just ordered a hot chocolate. Want one?”

“Sure, sounds good.” I took off my coat and sat down at the table.
Oh lordy, this is awkward
.

A minute later, she handed me a hot chocolate and took a seat. “So how was your weekend with my cousin? I hope she didn’t get herself arrested.”

I laughed. “Thankfully, no, although she did drag me to a club in the Meatpacking District.”

“You did
not.
”

“I
did
. Do you know how
old
that made me feel?”

“I haven’t been to a club in years. I can’t imagine dealing with that scene now. Too many prepubescents in slutty clothes for my taste.”

I pointed at her. “Exactly! It was a total scene. The stars of the scene were prepubescents in slutty clothes, and I was an extra who never should have been hired in the first place. I kept waiting for the director to show up and kick me out.”

She laughed. “Please, I’m sure you added a much-needed touch of class to the establishment.”

I took a sip of my hot chocolate. “You are way too nice. But we had a great weekend. McKenna, the third Musketeer, so to speak, surprised me and came out with Andie.”

“She’s the one who just had the baby, right?”

I nodded. “She rallied to fly all the way across the country for a girls’ weekend.”

“Sounds like the three of you are tight.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty much the sisters I never had.”

She stared at the paper cup in her hand for a moment, and I was sure she was about to say something about Gary.

I held my breath.

What am I going to say back to her?

But then she appeared to change her mind—and the subject.

“So hey, I know you’re swamped with taping, but I wanted to debrief you on the rollout plans for the orders at Jordan Brooke and Bella’s Boutique. Those two accounts alone are going to keep us really busy, so I’ve found a couple students from FIT to do a work-study next semester.”

I raised my eyebrows. “FIT? As in the Fashion Institute of Technology?”

She nodded.

“You got students from
FIT
who want to do a work study for
Waverly’s Honey Shop
?”

She nodded again. “Why not? They’re smart, eager, and willing to work for super cheap to get some experience in the business.”

“I guess I associate FIT and ‘the business’ with runway models and couture, not girly tees and tote bags.”

She smiled. “Don’t sell yourself short, Waverly. Once Jordan Brooke and Bella’s Boutique start carrying your stuff, a
lot
of people are going to be jumping on the Honey bandwagon.”

“You really think so?”

She nodded. “You’re a trendsetter, my dear.”

I laughed to myself as I thought of the chocolate stains on my pajamas.
Trendsetter. Ha.

Paige filled me in on her plans for bringing down our production costs and streamlining the ordering system. As she neared the bottom of her checklist, I glanced at a clock on the wall. I’d have to leave soon to get ready for my next taping.

You have to say
something
, Waverly.

I knew I had to ask her about her weekend with Gary. If a friend goes away with a guy for the weekend for the first time, you
have
to ask about it.

When she was done with her list, I forced the words out.

“So how did it…go with Gary?”

For a second I thought I saw a look of distress in her eyes, but then it was gone, and she smiled.

“It was good. We had a really nice time.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing too exciting, really. We window-shopped, took long walks, went to dinner, your standard bed-and-breakfast weekend.”

“That sounds fun.”

“It was.” She smiled again, but I could tell something was off. She looked back at her notebook, as though she didn’t want to make eye contact with me.

Does she know he’s married? Does she know I know he’s married? And that I work for his wife?

My mind raced, searching for what to say next. I thought of Kristina’s advice to stay out of it, of Jake’s advice to stay out of it. Of my own desire to stay out of it.

Stay out of it, Waverly!

I knew it wasn’t my business. I knew I should just let it go.

But I couldn’t.

Not entirely. Not yet.

I watched her body language for a clue. Maybe she wanted to open up but needed a nudge to unlock the door. Maybe I could give her a key?

“So, um, do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly.

She looked up from her notepad. “What?”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “What do you mean?”

I studied the look on her face.
If she knows he’s married, she must know I know too. Does she know?
The thoughts were running around in circles inside my head, clamoring to get out.

One finally burst free.

“He must have told you I know,” I blurted.

“Know what?” She took a sip of her hot chocolate and made eye contact for a second, then glanced away.

“Paige…” I paused because I didn’t know what to say. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut, but I’d shown my hand.

She knew.

And she knew that I knew.

We sat there in awkward silence for a moment, and then she finally spoke.

“I don’t really want to talk about it, OK? I care about him and he cares about me, so let’s just leave it at that.”

She knows. Oh, my God. She totally knows.

“So you’re going to keep seeing him?”

She ignored me. “Listen, I don’t want to talk about it, OK? And I have to go now anyway. I’ll be in touch after the holidays. We’re going to have to hit the ground running when I get back.” She gathered her things and stood up.