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Onscreen, a PowerPoint came up. It was titled:
How We Are Going to Make This Work
“You made me a PowerPoint?” Hannah asked, sounding perplexed but touched.
“You asked for a plan. It won’t be up to your standards but allow me to present it.”
He straightened the lapels of his leather jacket and began. “I thought our love was epic, and that’s why it was important—that it spanned years and continents, that no one had a love like ours.”
“Are you quoting Logan Echolls at me?” Now she sounded incredulous.
“Yes.” He nodded. “Bloodshed, lives ruined, it seemed fitting. I thought that being fated for each other made us special and meant we should be together. But then I looked at my parents, and Miriam and Noelle, and Elijah and Jason—the most in love, happy people I know, the loves that I would hold up as storied for the ages.”
He took a deep breath, grounded himself. “I realized they’re not special because they were fated for each other. They just work hard at being partners. Our story…it isn’t special. We’re just two schmucks in love. You asked me why we should be together, if not because of fate, and I want to answer you. Because I do think we should be together. Not because we’re two perfectly matched melodramatic assholes who love to wallow in our own misery—”
“Although you are!” Noelle called out, throwing a piece of popcorn at him.
“Although we are, yes, thank you, Northwood.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Look, I could give so many reasons that would make sense. We share a home, we share a past, we have an exciting vision for a shared future. Those things are precious, but if we weren’t right for each other, they wouldn’t move the needle. I asked myself, am I trying to win my wife back because breakups hurt and I just wanted to make the hurt stop? And the answer is, yes, it sucked, and hurt worse than anything I’ve ever gone through, but that’s not why I thought we should reconcile.”
“Are you going somewhere with this, Blue?” Hannah folded her arms. “Because right now I’m actually less convinced we should be together.”
“Yes. Thank you. I was doing a dramatic lead-up, but I might have gone on too long. Good note.” He took another deep breath, holding her hands. “You and me together, Nan, we’re fire and gasoline, and I want to spend my life lit up. You are an evil genius, and I am your getaway driver, and apart, neither of us plays those roles that were made for us. We’re like puzzle boxes that unlock each other’s best—or worst, but most interesting—selves. We’re both obsessed with being the most competent person at our jobs, and we both need partners who value that in each other. Even though we’ve heard, or been there for, each other’s every story, we keep surprising each other and always will. We’re happier and more creative and have more fun together than with anyone else on earth. We see each other, in our entirety. I think.”
“I think so too,” Hannah whispered.
“You have to talk into the mic!” Elijah yelled.
Hannah rolled her eyes but leaned over into the microphone. “I think so too.”
“Okay. Glad we’re on the same page. So, we’re in love. We’re good for each other. We make each other happy. We want to be together. But, as you’ve pointed out, we want very different things from our lives. Here’s where the plan comes in.”
He flipped to the next slide on the PowerPoint.
1. I cannot own Carrigan’s.
“I love you, and Miriam, and even Noelle, in spite of either of us. I love the work you’re doing, and I’m proud of you, and I’m excited to be a part of making it a success. I’m working on forgiving Cass. But, babe, no matter how I turn it over inside of me, I can’t own shares in this business. It makes my skin itch. It makes me want to scream and throw things. It’s like a rock stuck in my shoe.”
When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “What I’d like to do, and I’ve already talked to my parents about this, is sign over my shares to them, and they can…sell them to you and retire or give them to Grant or whatever you all decide. Without me. I’m sorry, but I have to do this to move forward.”
Hannah blew out a breath. He watched her. This was the part he’d worried most about, and if she wasn’t on board, he wasn’t sure how the rest of the presentation would go.
“I get it,” she finally said. “If you can’t move forward with the shares, we’ll figure out what to do with them.”
He almost crumpled in relief.
“Okay. Next slide.” He clicked again.
2. Immediate issues: Filming options.
“Food Network wants me to film a full season, in Manhattan. I have several options. I can get a place halfway in between for the duration of the show so I can commute both there and here. I can take the train in on the weekends. I can ask them to film at Carrigan’s if you want.”
This time, Hannah answered immediately. “I do not want them to film at Carrigan’s—that seems incredibly disruptive—but I’m on board with looking over the other options and deciding what makes the most sense. You’re only filming for a few weeks, right? That seems surmountable.”
“Correct. And that leads us to slide three.” He changed the screens.
3. Long-term issues.
“Now, the network has a lot of ideas about traveling shows. They have some vision of me as the discount-rack, off-brand Anthony Bourdain.”
