“Peep that subject line. It’s a joke, but still, I thought you’d like it.”
My eyes lift to the subject line where I read,ANNULMENT BONUS.
Those two words make bile leap up my throat and sting my tongue. “That’s not funny, Devin.”
He laughs. “Oh, lighten up.”
There’s a knock on the door, and since it’s just me and Mabel here, I make the choice to end the call with Devin in favor of Mabel.
“I have to go. I’m… glad you enjoyed the film. Thank you for submitting me to the awards. And… I’ll let you know when the film, screen, and equipment arrives.”
“Great.”
We don’t even say goodbye, and I’m not sure either of us even care.
“Come in, Mabel.” Taking a seat in the tissues on the edge of the bed, Mabel enters wearing an apprehensive smile.
“Hiya, honey.”
“Hi.” I flop back on the bed and blink up at her. “Thanks for hosting the premiere.”
She smiles. “I wanted to tell you but… you’ve been working so much.” She tips her head sideways a touch, taking in the litany of Kleenexes scattered about. “Looks like you’ve been cryin’ as much as you’ve been working.”
I nod, my chin growing wobbly at just the mention of my situation.
Mabel shoves the tissues aside and sits next to me, and she even goes so far as to flop onto her back right by my side. We watch the ceiling fan spin lazy circles for a few minutes.
“How’d your boss like the first cut ofThe Comeback Rider?” Mabel asks, because while I’ve been holed up crying and only sneaking out to hang with my favorite six-year-old, I’ve also been fed and had my clothes laundered by Mabel. Not to mention she pops her head in every so often and checks on me, and makes sure to keep the devil rooster far from my door. Mabel is like my mom away from home, though if I told my mom that, she’d run out and get Botox, no doubt.
“Absolutely loved it. Sent it to scoring right away.” I twist my head and bat at a few tissues that stand between our faces so I can see her. “Scoring is music.”
She rolls her eyes playfully. “I know that.” She nudges me. “Honey, I’ve been trying really hard to give you your space but… what in the world is going on with you and Landry?”
I stare at the ceiling fan again, wishing for a second I could be an inanimate object that feels no heartache, no confusion, just spins blindly for all of time. I let out a sigh that sends some tissues to the floor. “You know I married him to help him out, but everything turned very real between us.”
“Oh, I called that on day one.” Outside, Mr. McCharger has finally realized Mabel is missing, and begins squawking angrily in the halls. “Ignore him. Come on. Tell me the rest.”
I don’t know exactly where to start, and I’m not comfortable vilifying him because I don’t feel that way. I’m hurt but I don’t hate him. I’m confused, not over him. Instead of semantics and preamble, I cut to the chase.
“Some woman named Jenna wants to bang his brains out. I went out the other day to get him heating wraps for his neck and when I came back, Jenna was there and she was all flirty with him. Landry has assured me that he is not attracted to her, and that’s why they only ever went on one date.” I sit up, cross my legs, and tuck my hair behind my ears. “But my gut was just… unhappy. So… I went through his phone.”
Mabel sits up and squints. “That doesn’t seem like you, Quinn.”
I shrug. “I know, I just… had this weird feeling.”
Mabel waits, and I get the courage to tell her what I found. “There were all these call logs between Landry and Jenna and…hewas callingher. Every time.”
When she brings her hand to her mouth and her eyes widen, that’s when I really feel bad. “And then when I confronted him, he didn’t explain himself. He just asked that I trust him.”
Mabel blinks, but her hand falls away from her mouth,and her confusion smooths into something like blurry understanding. “And you said?”
I shake my head. “I needed to know why he was calling her behind my back and he couldn’t tell me. I left. I came here.” I catch my head in my hands and manage another bout of tears, even though I’m certain there cannot be many more left inside me.
Mabel strokes her hand down my hair. “I can’t wait to see your film.”
I bob my head and sob.
“Hey, hon,” she says softly, urging my gaze up to hers. I swipe an errant tear and blink into the eyes of one of the nicest people I’ve met. Her smile is slow. “Can I take you to the kitchen for a minute?”
