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“Jared …” I said. “How did you know?”
“I talked to your mom. I called her up. I was worried. We were worried.”
Alex was worried about me?
“Okay,” I said.
“Great. We’re just going downtown. If you want to, Andy can take you home, or somewhere else, or whatever. I just need fifteen minutes, Lena. Please?”
I sighed.
“Fifteen minutes,” I said, looking at my watch.
“Youknow,”saidJared,“after you left, I had to give up that deal. I couldn’t do that to Alex.”
“After the way he spoke to you,” I said cautiously, “I think you were well within your rights to stick with it.”
“That’s what I thought. But then I had a better idea. A great idea, as a matter of fact. Why not open the hotel anyway? With someone else’s money? After all, I got Allen Mank to invest. I could get someone else, right?”
“You and your crazy schemes,” I said. “I thought Mank was only investing to hurt Alex.”
“I know. And he was probably hoping we’d fold not long after. But then I had a better idea. Why not invest in someone who really believes in me? Who’s always believed in me?”
We rounded the corner, onto a plaza swimming with people. The lights were all on. Los Angeles never sleeps, but through the crowds, I could see an enormous hotel front, with a sign above its rotating doors in elegant, handwritten neon lettering:
THE ALSON HOTEL
“Oh my god,” I said.
“It’s been open a week,” said Jared. “Looks fantastic, doesn’t it?”
“Jared, it looks amazing,” I said.
“Look, Lena. I just want you to know …”, said Jared.
“What?”
“I’m happy for you. I mean, I wasn’t when I found out. And I wish I’d known. But I was happy to hear about you know ...”
“You guys made up?” I said.
“I guess we did,” he said. “There’s something I’ve gotta ask you, though.”
The car had pulled up on the sidewalk by the beautiful hotel.
“What is it?” I said.
“Do you still … love him?”
I looked down. I didn’t want to think about it. But I couldn’t lie. There’d been enough lies, enough half-truths.
“Yes,” I said. “I still love him.”
Jared opened the door.
“Come on,” he said, taking my hand. “I have something to show you.”
We got out.
