For Us (The Girl I Loved Duet 2)

“Good call.”

It doesn’t take us long to get there, and it’s a sit-down place, which I don’t think is normal for pizza places here, but something I’m sure my mom looked for so we didn’t have to eat on the street with paper plates. She looks at the menu and orders with the waiter while I dial. Who knows if this is still his phone number, but I have to know. After a few rings, he answers.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Davidson?”

“Yes, speaking.”

I clear my throat. “Mr. Davidson, this is Amber Dwyer.”

“Oh!” There’s recognition. “Hi Amber, how are you?”

“I’m good,” I say, and I mean it. “I know it’s a little strange for me to be calling, but I had a question.”

“Sure,” he says.

“I’m in New York City. I just had my first interview at NYU, and the admissions office had a package from you. I was just curious how I knew where I was applying, because I never asked you for a recommendation. Not that I mind, they really loved it, but I was just curious.”

“Oh,” he says, clearing his throat. “I thought he would have told you.”

Sudden nerves pop up in my stomach. “What?”

“It was Peter. He felt so awful about everything that happened with your show that he begged me to send those to every school you applied to. He gave me a list, and even paid for all the shipping. I was happy to do it, Amber. You deserve this. If it made a difference, then that’s amazing.”

I thought I was confused and swirling before, but this…this is something I can barely think about. “I guess that explains it. And yes, it did make a difference, so thank you.”

“Not a problem! I hope you’re doing well. Drop me a line sometime and tell me what you’re up to when you’re rich and famous.”

I laugh. “Will do, Mr. Davidson. Thanks.”

“Bye, Amber.”

Hanging up the phone, I stare at it for a second. Peter did this. He made him send the packages. Not package.. Packages. Mr. Davidson said he’d sent one to every school I applied to. I applied to fifteen schools because I wanted to cover my bases. I’m sure he’s not saying it, but I know deep in my gut that Peter was the one who got the three ring binders and made the copies and put everything together. Because he never does anything half way.

And he never told me, because he didn’t think I’d want to hear, didn’t mind that I’d never know if he made the difference between acceptance and rejection.

“Amber?” my mom asks. “Did you find out?”

I nearly choke on my words. “It was Peter. Peter asked him to do it. He paid for Mr. Davidson to send a package to every school.” The look on my mom’s face is one of awe, and emotion breaks me open. “I need to go to the bathroom,” I say, standing quickly.

She doesn’t stop me. I find my way into a stall and just sit on top of the seat. It takes a few more seconds for it to hit, but it does. And then I cry, because I don’t know what else to do.

6

Amber

Present

I take a deep breath. Then another one. I can’t seem to catch a full one in my chest, and my heart rate is faster than normal. I need to calm down but I can’t seem to.

Gloria appears at my side with a glass of water. “Are you okay?” she asks. “You seem kind of off this morning.”

“I’m fine,” I lie.

“Okay,” she says, even though she sounds like she doesn’t believe me. “I just got a call. Rebecca was in a car accident and won’t make it in today. She’s fine, but she broke her leg. She says she can be back by the end of the week.”

Rebecca is the stand in for Harley, the actress who plays Genova, our heroine. That’s not great news, but we can make it work. “Harley’s not in today, right?”

Gloria shakes her head. “No, she’s in New York doing press for Cold Day in Heaven, the movie she shot last year.”

Crap. That means I’ll have to find a new stand-in. But we can rearrange the shooting schedule for the day since everything is on the same set. “Okay, tell the crew we’re going to move up the Peter’s solo scene so they should light for that, and we’ll figure out someone who can do it by the time we get to the other one.”

“Got it.”

She heads off to relay orders, and I go back to trying to calm my fraying nerves. Peter’s agent did call me to say that he’d be here, but I’m still terrified of seeing him. The way he walked out of my apartment, he was so angry, and so done. I can’t believe that I ruined this so fast.