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Marie left, closing the door behind her, and after a moment of sulking, Elizabeth came to a decision.He will not ruin this trip for me.She would be civil to him and work with him when necessary, but that was it. She came here to work and to take advantage of this great opportunity that was handed to her. Little did she know, when she’d first learned about this trip, that she’d be using it to help take her mind off Will as well.
Will. His handsome face floated through her mind, and she wondered what he might be doing. Did he leave for California today, as he’d planned? Was he as miserable as she was?Does he miss me?
She shook her head, determined to force him from her mind. Obviously hewasn'tmiserable and hedidn'tmiss her, or he would have called. Or maybe he would have driven to her house, run up the stairs, pulled her into his arms, and told her how sorry he was and how much he loved her and couldn't live without her.
Her thoughts skipped to Georgie, and she wondered how she was doing. Her second interview in Falmouth was this week, and Elizabeth wanted to wish her luck. And she wondered if Matt had visited over the weekend; Georgie had been so excited about it. Elizabeth pulled out her phone and typed out a quick message.
Hi Georgie, Not sure when your interview is this week, but wanted to wish you luck or say that I hope it went well, whichever is appropriate.
She was tempted to ask questions about Will, but she didn't add anything else.
She quickly texted Jane to let her know she’d arrived safely, and when her phone chimed a minute later, she read the message from Georgiana.
Hi Lizzy. I’m happy to hear from you! My interview is tomorrow. I'll be in touch
Elizabeth was relieved, but was distracted by the sound of the front door closing and more voices coming from the living room. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves, and left her room.
* * *
After an hourof walking through the streets of LA, Will decided he'd had enough. He couldn't very well go storming out of the room every time Richard mentioned Elizabeth's name. He'd just have to tell his cousin that any talk concerning her was off-limits.
He strolled back into the lobby of the hotel and headed to the elevators. When he entered the suite, Richard was standing in front of the windows, talking on his phone. He turned when he heard Will enter and ended his call a moment later.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt,” Will said.
“You didn't. We were done.”
“Lauren?”
“Yes. She heard today that she got the job.”
Will nodded. He didn't want to get into another heavy discussion about work or Lauren or anything else. Exhaustion was slowly creeping up on him, and he was famished. It was nearly two o'clock here, but his body was still on Boston time, and his stomach grumbled.
“You hungry?” he asked.
Richard shrugged. “Sure. Let’s go down to the restaurant.”
There was still some tension between them, and Will knew that without further conversation, it would remain.So be it. They could talk later.
The restaurant was practically empty, and once situated at the bar, Will ordered beers for both of them and asked for menus. They decided on a couple of appetizers and planned to go for a real dinner later. Will sat hunched over, both hands fiddling with the bottle in front of him, staring at the label until it blurred in his vision.
“Is this the wonderful company I have to look forward to for the next five days?” Richard asked quietly.
“It’s the wonderful company you have to look forward to for the rest of the day, at least.” Will straightened and took a long swallow of his beer. “It’s been a long week. I just need some sleep.”
Richard spoke slowly. “I'm assuming your lack of sleep has everything to do with Elizabeth…but nothing to do with sex.”
Will looked at him sharply.
“I know you asked me to leave it alone, and I will. Just answer one question.” He paused. “Did you two split up?”
Will was horrified when tears blurred his vision and a knot clogged his throat. To stall, he took another long drink from his beer, then set the empty bottle on the bar, and waved at the bartender to indicate his desire for a second one. Finally, he cleared his throat.
“Yes.”
It was almost like the past six days had only existed within his mind, but with Richard's question, everything became real.
This entire nightmare is real.
