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“It’s Monday,” said Lilac, her throat dry and scratchy. “I have to get ready for work.” She opened her eyes and started moving, but Aunt Frankie slid in beside her on the bed and put an arm around hershoulder.
“You’re sick,” she said. “I already spoke with Tara last night and she passed on the message to her husband. They already know you’re not coming intoday.”
Husband.Why had that asshole even bothered to make those vows to somewoman?
“I have to go in,” said Lilac, swaying slightly. “I just started last week…” Her throat grew tight then and Frankie grabbed a half-drunk bottle of water from Lilac’s nightstand and passed it to her. Lilac took it from her and sipped, not sure she could stomachmore.
Frankie stared at her in silence for a bit and then took the bottle from her, screwing the cap back on. “It’s already done,” she said. “You already have a sick day. Earl’s an understanding man, Tara tells me. You’ll rest up today and head back stronger than evertomorrow.”
Understanding, my ass.Lilac sat there, thinking. She didn’twantto go back in. She didn’t want to see him again. But she didn’t want him to think he’d scared her off,either.
The truth was, she hadn’t decided what to do next—to give up and explain to everyonewhyor give up and simply have them all just laugh and think of her as a flighty failure or… to keeptrying.
The job was hard, but if not for Earl, she wouldn’t have any complaints. True, it was nothing like being a “camper” at the park, but it was still gratifying to play a small part in the behind-the-scenesmagic.
And if she left, Earl would win and probably do it all over again to another woman. She wasn’t the first, he’d said—and she wouldn’t be thelast.
Not unless he learned that hisMad Menattitudes didn’t fly in this day and age and that he was delusional if he thought he was bringing any Jon Hamm charm to thetable.
Aunt Frankie put a hand on her shoulder. “I told Tara it was food poisoning or maybe a light flu.” She laid the back of her hand on Lilac’s forehead then, as if to make sure her lie wasn’t actually true. “Why did you drink so much when you just had foodpoisoning?”
Shrugging, Lilac stared at her knees. Her aunt had changed Lilac’s clothes apparently, but she was still dressed like aslob.
“Lilac, you can talk to me,” said Frankie. “If you don’t want me to tell your parents or grandparents, I won’t, but if you keep it all to yourself, I just might have to ask them what todo.”
“Don’t,” said Lilac without even thinking. “Please don’t.” Her mom and daddy hadn’t really checked in with her since she’d seen them last. They would still be in the Caribbean, lounging beachside. She’d seen some of her mom’s pictures and her mom had “liked” a few of Lilac’s, had wished her good luck… But they hadn’t really talked. “I don’t usually get drunk likethat.”
“Is it the stress of work?” asked Frankie. “You know, if it’s too much for you, it’s not too lateto—”
“Yes, it is,” said Lilac. “It’s too late to undo this. But that’s notit.”
“Well,” said Frankie, taking in an audible breath, “if you wanted to unwind, you could have just asked me. I’m almost never behind with fulfilling orders. I could have gone with you to someplace better thanthat, could have been your designateddriver.”
“I went there to be alone,” said Lilac, sighing. She reached a hand out. “It’s not you, it’s just… I needed to bealone.”
“I get it,” said Frankie. “Believe me, I get that feeling. But next time, please don’t mix your alone time with your drinking time, okay? Unless you just want to have a few drinks here and let me know to give you some peace. I won’t even bother you. I can use the time tomeditate.”
Lilac smiled and threw her arms around her aunt. “Thank you for understanding,” she said. “But I don’t want that to happen again. I went too far…” As if to prove the point, she was hit with a blast of nausea again and Frankie handed her the garbage can. Lilac cradled it for a while but luckily didn’t throw upagain.
Again?She really wasn’t sure that she had, but it sure felt likeit.
“Well, I think it might be nice for you to go out with people your own age,” said Frankie. “If you ask me, your parents and grandparents never made sure you got enough of that growing up, always dragging you from one cocktail party to thenext.”
Lilac chuckled despite herself. A lot of people had mistakenly thought of her as grownup, a “mini adult.” But real adults didn’t obsess over a cartoontapir.
“Nolan’s a nice guy,” said Frankie, and Lilac’s stomach fluttered at the mention of his name. “If he were a decade older and I were a decade younger…” Something twinkled in her eye. “Hell, I wouldn’t mind the difference as is if he didn’t, but I noticed his gaze pointed in a different direction.” Shewinked.
Lilac bit her tongue to prevent herself from revealing to Frankie that her pointed interest in Lilac’s love life made her more similar to her family than she might have wanted to believe. That was part of the reason why Lilac had never really had much ofone.
“I can’t date anyone right now,” said Lilac, shaking her head. “I’m too… What?” she asked when she saw Frankie about to burst intolaughter.
“You certainly wanted to date him last night. Or I believe your exact words were, ‘I want to fuck Silly Sandgrouse.’ You kept shouting that in the park as Nolan and I walked you to mycar.”
The blood in Lilac’s body ran cold. “What?”
“Nolan called me last night. Or I guess, Gavin called me first and explained the situation, then I called Nolan on yourphone—”
“Whatsituation?”Oh, my god, what the hell did Ido?
