AllFreeNovel
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“Yeah, that’s fine,” Beatrice replied. “Maybe you can come up with a company name for yourself, though, because I already promised Nan I’d give her one, and I don’t want the credits to be all Chamberlain, Chamberlain, Chamberlain.”
“It is your name,” Rosemary said.
“It’ll make me look like an amateur, though. Did I tell you I’m ‘Baroness Films’?”
“You’re not a baroness.”
“I know, but I will be eventually, and you’d be surprised how much play it gets me over here. Like I’m Lady Gaga.”
“We do love our stuffy English people.” Allie looked meaningfully from Winston to Rosemary, then to Beatrice. “No reason you shouldn’t exploit our tender feelings for profit.”
“Speaking of your nan,” Rosemary said, “I phoned her this afternoon.”
“You spoke to my mother?” Winston asked.
“I did.”
“Is that something you’re in the habit of doing?”
“No, it was the first time since we divorced.”
Winston dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, clearly perplexed. “How is she?”
“What he means is, why did you do that?” Allie asked.
Rosemary smiled. “Oh, I knew what he meant. The truth is, I needed some advice.”
“And you spoke to my mother?” Winston asked.
“I love Evita,” Allie said. “I would totally call her for advice. I have, actually, for fashion advice, because her whole look is sick. Also her wardrobe. She has vintage couture I would die for. I’ve considered marrying Winston for the sole purpose of positioning myself to get Evita’s clothes when she dies.”
Kal’s entire body itched. He couldn’t take it anymore. The smiling, the meandering conversation, the insane and horrible suspense.
“That was completely tactless, love,” Winston said to Allie.
“Those clothes are mine,” Beatrice said. “You can’t have them.”
“For the love of—What did she say?” Kal was standing, salad fork clutched in his fist. Shit. Why was he standing?
Because you have to do this.
“Sorry,” he said. “It’s just…What did Evita say?”
“She suggested if I want to have a successful relationship, perhaps I should avoid making exactly the same mistakes I’ve made in the past.” Rosemary speared a piece of…Kal couldn’t remember what they were eating. A piece of meat-food. And placed it delicately into her mouth.
“Rosemary—”
Everyone was looking at him.
Fuck it.
“Rosemary, I love you. I’m sorry this is so—whatever this is. With all these people, but they seem like okay people, so I’m just gonna…The short version is, I love you, and I want to be with you. All the time. I never stop wanting to be with you. I never have stopped, from the helicopter all the way to right now. I don’t think I’m going to stop. It’s like Bill said in the garage, there’s not a decision to make, because I already love you. And, you know, we can decide to suffer, or you can decide to surrender to the love, and if we surrender, we get…”
Out of inspiration, Kal glanced to Bill for help. It had all made a lot more sense before he’d opened his mouth.
Bill was chewing, the stem of an unidentified leafy green poking out one corner of his mouth. He tucked it in, finished up his bite, swallowed. Took a drink of water. Suggested, “Salvation.”
“Kind of a churchy word,” Allie said. “Are you churchy?”
