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Chapter 28
Griffin, Bruce, and Carol sat riveted, listening to Ivy’s tale of the breakup. Nick’s lie was the missing scene that no one knew existed. The waitress at Eddie O’Brien’s was also riveted, but she really just wanted Ivy to finish her order.
“I always thought he dumped me for someone else. There is no ‘someone else.’ And to say he dumped me because he loved me? Ha! The nerve of him.” Ivy started mimicking Nick. “You’re not very good at making decisions, Ivy, so I made one for you. For us.” She finally took note of the waitress standing there. “I’m sorry. What did you ask me?”
“If you want french fries.”
“Enough fries for me. Cancel the whatever that goes with fries. I’m going back to LA in a few days. I’ve got to look good. I’ll take the sushi.”
“We don’t have sushi. We have diablo fish tacos. They’re really spicy.”
“I’ll have the diablo fish tacos. And a fat-washed mezcal,” Ivy added. The waitress had no idea what she was talking about.
“She’s from LA. Just give her a Prison City Pale Ale,” Carol said. The waitress was glad to go.
They all looked at Ivy and said at the same time: “A fat-washed mezcal?”
“What? I ordered one when Drew took me to the Soho House, or maybe it was the Chateau.”
Carol leaned in. “That is your problem right there, Ivy. Your ass is in Upstate New York, but you’re seeing it through your la-la land glasses. You’re not in sushi-and-sake land. You’re in beer-and-burger land.”
Ivy looked at Bruce and Griffin, who were already plotting an escape. She had sat down five minutes ago and ruined the gathering. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Everything that comes out of my mouth these days isme me me. I am so selfish. You must be sick of me.”
“You meanme me me,” Griffin joked. They all laughed. Including Ivy. It felt good to laugh. “We should be celebrating, Ivy. You got your first movie made. You didn’t just get something out of it, everyone else did too.”
“I got a book advance,” Carol said. “Thanks to you. And Griffin.”
“I got to tell my side of my story. Thanks to you,” Griffin said. He looked over at Bruce. It was his turn. “What did you get, Bruce?”
“I don’t know yet. The night is young,” he said coyly. Griffin blushed. Carol went for her notepad. The beer arrived.
Ivy held it up and toasted.
“To my family, my film family, and to my friends. And most importantly tome me me!” Ivy said, smiling.
They allme me me’d back. She smiled. Laughed. “I’m busting out of this love triangle and making a straight line back to LA.” She then devoured the diablo fish tacos. She didn’t know that whatever was in them would lead to one of the strangest nights of her life but they did.
Back at home, Carol was saying good night to Ivy. “I know you always loved math. But you really covered it up with a love triangle and yourstraight lineback to LA. You learned a lot from Amari. You’re a good little actress. You fooled everyone at dinner, except yourself.”
“I was tired of ruining people’s good time. I wanted to laugh and stop thinking about everything,” Ivy admitted.
“And now?” Carol wondered.
“I’m thinking about it more. I got a love triangle dinging in my head,” she said.
“Nice pivot. Geometric metaphor to a musical one.” Carol laughed.
“What am I going to do, Carol? Tomorrow is the last day of the shoot. And I’m still not allowed back.”
“Why do you have this urge to be on the set anyway? Isn’t your job all done?”
“Yes, it is, but I like watching it all come to life.” Ivy looked sad. “Tomorrow, Nick dies.”
“You mean Rick,” Carol corrected.
“Rick, yeah. Nick’s already dead to me. I can’t believe I let him ruin this. He ruined Christmas for me. He’s all I think about as soon as they start playing Christmas music on the radio. After he dumped me in LA, I put all my anger into this Christmas script. It was cheaper than therapy. I thought about how people go from the happiest time of the year to the worst time of the year. Do you remember the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? It’s not a happy song.”
“Sure it is.”
