A wall of emotion hit me when I realized she was here again. She was remembering things the way they had actually been. It was such a banal thing to remember too, but it was everything. I was unable to hold back the small tear that escaped my eye as I basked in one of my mother’s very rare lucid moments. I smiled at her. “Flipping fishburgers was not one of my career highlights, that’s for sure.”
“You can give it to her now, though,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I have it in my jewelry box.” She said it so casually that I wasn’t sure I’d heard it at first.
“The ring?”
“Well, after you threw it out, I figured maybe there’d been a lovers’ tiff, and I knew you two would get over it, so I went and fetched it and kept it, for when you needed it again. Do you need it now?”
Did I need it now?
That was the biggest question in my universe.
CHAPTER 61
Ash
I was exhausted. I’d spent most of the night on the phone with Sebastian looking at the lodge photos and discussing how to translate the previous shots from the storyboard to this location. So when I finally found myself standing on the runway the next morning, I was utterly finished and had no idea how I was going to keep my eyes open long enough to work.
I walked round the plane in front of me. How was it possible that it was smaller than the previous one? This thing looked like it was made from a tuna can that had been tossed away and rusting in the sun for ten years. This plane did not inspire me with confidence. It inspired me with thoughts of a fiery death and plummeting from the sky. Years shaved off my young life and a no doubt agonizing death. But I was left with no choice but to climb in. As soon as I did, I buckled up and tried to distract myself by messaging Sarah.
Ash:OK. This plane is tiny!
Sarah:You’re messaging me in private?
Ash:Because what the hell is going on between Frank and Charlie?
Ash:Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
Sarah:I’m thinking it.
Ash:Do you think something’s happened between them?
Sarah:I don’t know.
Sarah:I don’t even know if they’ve realized how they feel about each other yet.
Ash:They are totally into each other.
Ash:That hug was a dead giveaway. This is huge!
Sarah:Something else is huge too.
Ash:?
Sarah:Oh, I don’t know, you dropping the bomb yesterday that you’re in love with Max.
Ash:Yes. That.
Ash:Do you think falling in love with him is the worst thing I could ever do?
Sarah:I don’t think you just fell in love with him.
Sarah:I think you’ve loved him this entire time.
Ash:What should I do about it?
