“Des, I appreciate you coming out here. It was a classy move. But you chose Brandon. And I’m with Cecily now. What’s done is done.”
“Things look a whole lot different in the light of day.”
“Different how?”
“For starters, I’ve asked Brandon to find himself a new place to live, not to mention a new running mate. Someone more cut out to be a politician’s wife than I am.”
“What did Brandon say?”
“That he didn’t understand.”
“I don’t think I do, either.”
“The love isn’t there,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “He’s not my man.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because he didn’t try to save me. If he was my man then wild horses couldn’t have kept him away.”
“Hold on a second. So the guy didn’t go charging in there like the cavalry. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. It just says to me that he isn’t completely crazy.”
“What, you’re taking his side?”
“No, but I do think you’re employing movie logic instead of real life logic. Which surprises me, quite frankly.”
“You’ve rubbed off on me. What can I say? Except hold on because I’m just getting warmed up. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking very seriously about transferring out of Dorset to a different town. Somewhere I could start over fresh without all of the emotional baggage. I’ve gotten so tired of everyone owning my private business. But this Sour Cherry experience has changed my mind. I’m finally beginning to understand those people. Or as much as anyone can who isn’t actually one of them. I’m doing good work there. I can make a difference. So I’m staying.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it.”
“Are you really?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No reason,” she said quickly, her eyes darting away from his. “How’s everything going with your new TV venture?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“You don’t sound real pumped.”
“No, I am. And the network is real excited. We just have some creative differences to iron out.”
“Creative differences? Exactly what does that mean?”
“It means I want to be creative and they want something different.”
She nodded her head. “And it’s their network so you have to toe the line. Sure, I get you.”
“Actually, it’s not like that. Nobody has said the word No to me. It’s more like we’re speaking a different language. Whenever I talk about the stories I want to do everybody’s eyes start to glaze over. It reminds me of when I had this idea a while back for an epic Hollywood novel. Sort of a What Makes Sammy Run? meets The Godfather meets The Big Lebowski.”
“You never told me that.”
“I never wrote it.”
“Why not, Mitch?”
“Because every time I told people about it their eyes would glaze over.” Mitch paced his way out to the terrace and back again. “Can I tell you something crazy?”
She looked up at him and said, “You can tell me anything.”
“I don’t care about being rich and famous. This isn’t me. Before you knocked on my door I was seriously thinking about chucking this whole deal and going with Lacy’s new e-zine instead. Cecily wants me to. She thinks this whole move is a big mistake.”
“Are you planning to mention her a lot?”
“I haven’t set an exact number yet. I’ll keep you posted. My point is I’d be able to write whatever I want. Spend time on Big Sister again. Walk on the beach. Putter in my garden. Play my music and … Did I just say something funny?”
“Why, no. Not at all.”
“Being back there the other night made me realize how much I miss the place. I was happy there. Of course, it would mean a lot less money coming in.”
“On the plus side, you could let your eyebrows grow back.”
“There is nothing wrong with my eyebrows.”
“Whatever you say, Armando.”
“I’d have to ask Bella to find another place.”
“She can bunk with me again. Although she’ll need to establish her own address soon.”
“Why is that?”
“You’re going to love this—she’s talking about running for Congress against Brandon. Where on earth would she get a fool notion like that?”
“I can’t imagine. You said you were just getting warmed up. Is there anything else that you flew out here to tell me?”
“Ask you. And I have no right ask it. Not after everything I put you through. But I need to know the answer.”
“To what?”
“You once told me that elephants and Jewish men never forget.”
“Yeah, that sounds like me.”
She swallowed hard and said, “Do you forgive?”
He gazed at her, getting lost in her eyes for a long moment. “It’s too late, Des. What we had together in Dorset, that was something magical. But we can never get it back. It’s gone for good. You’re wasting your time here. I’m sorry.”
“So am I,” she said, her voice heavy with regret. “But, hey, thanks for an honest answer.”
His bedside phone rang, startling them both. It was the concierge again. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Berger, but there seems to be some confusion. There’s another young lady down here who claims to be Miss Naughton.”
“It’s true, she is. They’re sisters. Very long story. Would you … Oh, hell, I’ll be right down.” Mitch hung up, grabbed a Mets T-shirt from the dresser and dashed into the bathroom. Shucked his robe. Put on the shirt and the jeans that were hanging from the back of the door. Found his Pumas on the bedroom floor. Stepped into them and started out the door.
“Mitch, where are you going?” Des called after him.
“Downstairs to break up with Cecily. Des, I just tried lying to you and I can’t. I won’t. The truth is that I’m very good at forgiving. Forgiving is one of the things I do best. And I’m still so in love with you that I haven’t been able to breathe since you walked in this room. I’ll love you until the day I die. Hell, I’ll love you even after they’ve put me in the pine box and covered me over with dirt and grass and-and …” He came up for air, his hand gripping the door handle. “You’ll still be here when I get back, won’t you?”
“I guess Disneyland can wait. Mind if I call room service?”
“Not at all. What are you in the mood for?”
“The lumberjack special—with extra pancakes. I’m absolutely starving all of the sudden. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been so hungry in my whole life.”
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Other Books By This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue: (One Week Later)
The Sour Cherry Surprise Page 21