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“I’m not worried about the company. I’m worried aboutyou,” Frankie said, leaning forward slightly. “I don’t want you to get caught up in this mess and have that affect your life forever.”
Ginny knew that Frankie cared about her, but actually hearing the words was a totally different thing. Resolving this with Gavin was important, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure how they could do that without more yelling andalmostkissing.
“I knew you loved me,” Ginny teased instead, blowing Frankie a kiss. “But I can guarantee you that everything will be fine.”
Say ‘it will be fine’ one more time and maybe it’ll come true.
Frankie looked at her a moment, like she was trying to read her mind, then nodded and got to her feet. “Great. I’m heading up for the Goldsmith wedding, but if you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“I can’t wait to see the pictures!” Ginny came around her desk and wrapped Frankie in a hug, then walked her out to the elevators where the rest of the Goldsmith wedding crew were waiting. Once she sent them off, Ginny went back to her office and dropped into her chair with a heavy groan. She spun it around to stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows that stretched across one wall of her office. It was her favorite thing about this space—natural light and great views.
Except, her thoughts weren’t on the great views or how this light would be perfect for her @GinLife photoshoots, it was firmly fixed on the green eyed, messy haired man that she was working with. Frankie saying she was worried about Ginny working with Gavin made her realize that she did need to do something about all of…this. Being in the presence of his family again confirmed that if they didn’t talk about theirshit, things would always be so difficult between them.
But talking to Gavin wasn’t as easy as it seemed. He was stubborn and difficult and even though things were copacetic when it came to the event, everything else felt a little strained. Ginny didn’t even know where they would start—his admission of love, her lack of knowledge about how he felt, their fling, the heartbreak—because talking about any of it would hurt them both in some way or the other.
Ginny still remembered when Gavin said that he liked her, she’d been coasting on a happy buzz that came from cheap vodka and weed. Nobody ever saidI like you, it was always ‘come on, baby, let’s fuck’ or ‘I can’t wait to slip between those thick thighs and taste heaven’. Ginny was absolutely fine with lame pick-up lines, but Gavin’s open and honest expression when he said those three words had rocked her. Then he’d kissed her confidently and hungrily, not giving a shit about anything or anyone else around them. Ginny had kissed him back, because she liked how he took his time tasting and licking her. And then she’d said the five words that might have changed everything for him:I like you too, Little Rhodes.
And she did like him. Gavin, like the rest of his brothers, was handsome, charming and had more manners than people his age. He was also in that phase of his life where he got shy around people and blushed a lot. How could she not like him? Except, to herlikedidn’t mean anything other than she thought they were great and their company was welcome in her life. Clearly to Gavin that had meant something else.
Turning back to her desk, Ginny loaded up Party Central and did her best to focus on the work at hand. She had less than three weeks to whip this event into shape and if she wanted it to be a success, Ginny needed to stop thinking about her mess with Gavin. Bronte had texted her a bunch of hand drawn information cards and they’d set up a time for Ginny to swing by the shelter to take pictures of the animals they were putting up for auction. She plugged all of that into the software and then switched to her Indian wedding to-do list.
“Double check the venues, speak to the designer about bride’s multiple outfit changes, set up a meeting with Daisy for flowers.” Ginny said each thing out loud as she typed and reorganized the list. As excited as she was to plan this wedding, it wasn’t even at the top of her life in terms of priorities. The adoption drive was taking up all of her brain cells, but she still wanted to get stuff done when she could.
Her phone buzzed from the other end of her table and Ginny jumped slightly before leaning over to reach for the device. She hit ‘submit’ on the wedding list and then looked at her phone screen. Three texts from her mother and one from Gavin.
Mom
Stella says that I might need therapy.
I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with me. Therapy is for those who are troubled.
Do you think I need therapy?
Classic Elsa Thomas. She was trying to pit the siblings against each other and she’d tried it before, but it never worked. Ginnydidagree with Stella that their mother needed therapy. In fact, she probably should have gone to therapy as soon as the marriage started to fall apart, but she refused. Her mother was born to people who were in a generation that believed therapy was for those who were ‘crazy’ and ‘insane’. ‘Regular people’ didn’t attend therapy, because their struggles weren’t meant for public consumption. No matter how much Stella told their mother that it would be good for her or howallfour of her kids went to therapy, Elsa refused.
Ginny had been hesitant about therapy in the beginning too. Not because of the reasons her mother had, but because she didn’t know if she wanted to talk to a stranger about her problems. Then she’d met Anastasia and after three sessions, Ginny understood the value and saw the benefits. Granted, she hadn’t been to therapy in a while, because she was busy and didn’t have the headspace to rehash all her trauma. But Ginny believed that therapy totally changed your life.
Elsa wouldn’t see it that way, though.
Ginny
I think everyone needs therapy at some point in their lives.
Why don’t you go to one session and see how it feels?
Mom
You want me to pay someone to listen to my problems and tell me what I already know?
Ginny
What do you know?
Mom
That the divorce and your father leaving me broke my heart.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, Ginny closed her eyes. This was how her mother would always see it—as her heart being broken. Which wasn’t false, but there was so much more to the end of that marriage than that, Elsa would never acknowledge the rest of it.
