“How many of you are there left?”
“I’m not supposed to say.”
“Not many though?”
“No.”
Pete passed by me, carrying two bowls of broccoli soup and a small stack of buttered toast on a tray. He wiggled his eyebrows at me as he went by, and then began arranging the meal on the coffee table in a cute, orderly fashion. The show
Big Love shot into my brain and for a brief moment I imagined being one of Pete’s wives. It actually seemed better than not being his wife at all. I could picture there being another bowl of soup on the tray. Really, it might not be so bad.
“But you’re pretty sure he’s going to choose you?”
“Yes. Listen, Mom, I gotta go.”
“Well, remember, he might not choose you after all, so all this worrying might be for nothing.”
“Thanks Mom. I’ll call you back as soon as I get a phone.”
“Okie doke. Talk to you soon.”
“Bye.” I handed the phone to Pete. We could hear Krissie chatting in the kitchen and for a moment we just looked at each other.
“So, it seems things are going well for you,” he said.
“Yes, for both of us I guess,” I said. “And so quickly,” I added.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Thank you for letting me use your phone. Please don’t mention where I’m at with all this, and please ask…” I couldn’t say her name. I nodded towards the kitchen.
“Krissie,” he said.
“Yes, that’s right, Krissie. Please ask Krissie to also keep my secret. I’m in a contract and I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“You’ve mentioned that.”
“So I have.” I smiled weakly. Pete just looked at me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I shrugged and went to the door. “See ya,” I said.
“Thanks for stopping by,” he said.
I nodded and let myself out of his apartment. Before I had time to further digest what had just happened, I saw a delivery guy standing by my door. He turned away to leave just as I began walking towards him. “Wait,” I called.
“Do you know the person who lives here?” he asked suspiciously.
“It’s me. I’m Emma Van Elson,” I said.
“In that case, please sign for this,” he said, holding up a thick, padded envelope.
I signed and tore it open. Inside was my phone. I went inside and plugged it into its charger since it was dead, and made myself some tea. Cold rain came down outside, washing away the little bits of dirty slush that had remained. It was April, but felt like late February or early March. I filled the bathtub, trying not to picture Pete and Krissie, mere steps away from me, having soup followed by sex followed by something cooler and crazier than anything I had to offer. As I sank into the hot water, I tried instead to imagine how the Meet-the-Fam date would be. Bellamy would be polite to my parents. They would be cute and embarrassing. It would be fine. I poured some bath oil into the water and yawned. It would be fine.
Chapter 34
“Tomorrow night? Sure,” I said. I was groggy. I’d been taking a nap when my phone rang. It was Christine Leary, calling to work out the details of my Meet-the-Fam date. I sleepily gave her my parents’ phone number, and jotted down other details on the pad of stationary I kept in the drawer beside my bed:
Mom and Dad will arrive at 5 pm.
Limo to deliver them here.