Page 41 of What We Got Wrong

Liv should have asked Rhea to not talk about how long they’d known each other. She was a good friend at this point, so Liv was pretty sure she would have respected it. But it hadn’t occurred to her, though it probably should have. They’d built a great relationship between J&P Industries and the RJS Foundation, and Rhea didn’t miss an opportunity to express her appreciation.

They’d started working together about five years before, during what Liv would consider some of her darkest days. Liv was twenty-six, and she had a moment of realization one day that it had been more than thirteen years since her sister had passed, which meant that she had officially lived more days without Ronnie than with her. The realization had gutted her, and she’d been unable to pull herself out of the hole she fell into.

It was Audrey, actually, who’d helped her come out of it. Audrey had just started on the J&P philanthropy team, and she reached out to Liv to pilot a program allowing employees to be paid for volunteer hours. She was also launching a new charitable program, asking employees to recommend non-profits for the company to partner with, both small organizations local to their offices and larger ones that could work with different locations across the country. Liv figured maybe it would help her feel better to find a way to give back.

And feeling connected to Quinn had always made Liv feel safe. Maybe it wasn’t healthy, so long after they’d stopped being in each other’s lives, but what better way to feel close to Quinn than by supporting an organization that Liv knew Quinn would love.

It worked remarkably well. She had reached out to RJS on behalf of the company and thrown in the suggestion of a considerable donation towards building the relationship. It wasn’t long before she heard back from Rhea directly, and they met shortly after the initial email, with Liv flying to meet her at her home in Florida. Even during that first meeting, it had quickly become clear that they were going to work well together. They talked for hours about their businesses, their families. At the end of the meeting, Rhea had held her gaze and asked her why it was so important to Liv to work with her foundation, and Liv? Liv had told her the truth. That she was hunting for a distraction from her fixation on her sister’s death, yes, but also about how important Rhea was to Quinn, and why that mattered so much to her.

Rhea was one of the first people that Liv had come out to, and she’d made the mistake of telling her that Quinn was coming this week.

Which is why, after Rhea took time to shake hands with a few of the employees who’d jumped at the chance to greet the Olympian, even though they’d announced that they were going to schedule a meet-and-greet for the following afternoon, she scurried to Liv and asked, “Is she still here?”

Quinn wasn’t. Liv had seen her flee with Mel right after the interview had ended, and she laughed at her forty-five-year-old friend, who was talking to her like they were a pair of teenagers. Though Liv supposed she fed into that narrative a bit when she responded, “Stop. My parents are coming over.”

Rhea giggled, and then they turned to greet Liv’s parents. She’d seen her mom for just a few minutes before the event had started, but she took the time, now, to give her a proper hug, as it had been a while since they’d seen each other. This was the best-case scenario, too. They could interact as a family, but with the added buffers of Audrey, her Uncle Jeremy, and, now, Rhea.

“That was wonderful,” Liv’s dad told them, shaking Rhea’s hand, grasping her warmly. “I insist you join us for dinner.”

They agreed to meet in the lobby in one hour, giving everyone time to freshen up in their respective hotel rooms. While they all walked out together, Liv got sidelined by one of her team members, an Operations Manager from their Cincinnati office, taking a few minutes to speak with him about the conference. By the time she made it to the elevators, she was the only one left from her group.

The doors opened, and there was Mel. She didn’t get off the elevator, instead gesturing for Liv to join her. Liv pushed the button for her floor, side-eyeing Mel, who was watching her curiously.

“Good afternoon, Olivia,” she said, a smirk painted across her lips.

“Good afternoon,” Liv replied, trying to keep the edge of concern from her voice. She’d done her best that day to avoid Quinn, to avoid them both, and here they were, stuck one-on-one.

“That was quite the interview,” Mel told her. Her tone wasn’t mean, but Liv could tell she wasn’t exactly saying what she meant, either. “Interesting choice for your celebrity guest.”

“Rhea has become a friend,” Liv replied, and she didn’t understand why she was acting defensive.

Mel looked at her for another moment, and Liv watched as her façade fell. “So… I honestly don’t know anything about what happened between y’all in college. But right now, I’m trying to figure out if you’re evil…or if you’re exactly what she needs.”

“I honestly don’t know what to say to that,” Liv replied, shrugging. The elevator dinged, and she realized that they’d arrived at her floor.

“We’re going to the Melted Crayon tonight,” Mel said as Liv exited. “You should come. Bring your cousin.”

What the actual fuck?

As soon as she got to her room, she pulled out her phone to search for the Melted Crayon. The internet swiftly revealed it to be a queer bar, not too far from where they were staying, known for cheap drinks, a small dance floor, and drag king Saturdays. The photos made it look like a lot of fun, though not the kind that Liv usually let herself have.

And Mel had invited Liv to join them?

She didn’t have much time to consider the option. She checked herself over, refreshing her makeup and adjusting her tie. This was one of her favorite outfits, and she knew she wore it well. She’d purposely brought it for that day, knowing that Rhea would want to record the session.

It may have passed through her mind that Quinn would likely be in attendance. Just a fleeting thought.

Liv met back up with her family and Rhea, and they hopped into a large rideshare, arriving shortly after at an upscale Italian restaurant, her mom’s favorite place in the city. They were ushered in, their orders taken quickly, sharing a bottle of wine in short order.

Liv’s mom told them all about her recent trip to Australia, and Liv tried not to cringe obviously. This had been an ecologically focused trip, and the idea of her mom and her rich friends cleaning up beaches across the country was laughable, but the thought that their money might actually help the cause provided some semblance of relief.

When their food came, the conversation topic had shifted, and Rhea was sharing updates about her family. She had two teenage daughters, always loving to brag about them. One was a swimmer, though unlikely to rise to the levels Rhea had, and the other was a college freshman at sixteen. The way Rhea told it, they were going to rule the world one day.

When they’d finished the meal, Liv’s parents, along with Audrey’s dad, took a car back to the hotel, leaving Audrey, Rhea, and Liv at the restaurant, where they slid to the bar and asked for another round of drinks.

“How has the conference really been going?” Rhea asked. She was trying to be careful, eyeing both Liv and Audrey.

“Who the hell cares,” Audrey replied, before gesturing to Liv. “Do you know what this one has been up to?”