“Lauren, I’m an idiot. I thought I had enough…” I freeze when she spins around to face me, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Ivy, it’s okay. Eric explained everything.” It’s like she’s caressing his name with her lips. It makes me want to hurl. What is she, into him or something? He’s way too good for her. Run, boy, run.
“He did?” Playing dumb might work to my advantage, especially since Lauren always likes to think she’s the smartest person in the room.
“I’m actually quite pleased by this turn of events. No question you bungled the situation but Eric saved it from becoming a total fiasco. He’s knows how to prevent things from spiraling out of control and I admire him for it. You’re a wretched case and he took pity on you. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.” She’s lost in her own reverie. She’s still hurtling insults at me but it’s like she’s forgotten I’m standing there. I’m overcome with queasiness. What if she starts dating Eric? What if that phone call leads to other things…things I don’t even want to imagine? He’s such a sweet guy. I can’t stomach the idea of her sinking her claws into him.
“Here’s his disk.” I hand it over, keeping things strictly business. I don’t want to hear anything more about whatever feelings she may have for Eric.
“Ah, yes. There’s something else I need to discuss with you.” She crosses her legs while pinning me with her gaze. What new task is she about to throw at me now? Despite myself, I begin to tremble. “Eric agreed to sponsor the ad for the film festival since he said you told him you were unable to collect payment for it. It appears he’s quite the film buff and he wants to support the theater as much as he can. He heard they’re having some financial difficulties, and he wanted to step in and help them out.”
I can’t believe Eric was even listening to half the things I rambled on about when he drove me back to my stranded car. I’m impressed that he took the initiative to come to the theater’s rescue. I wonder what kind of movies he likes. Is he into independent films like the ones they’re bound to show at the festival? It makes me all tingly inside to know that we might have more in common than I thought. He’s older, way out of my league, and not to mention totally hot. He carried me like I weighed nothing more than a feather. He must be strong from all of the manual labor he does around the garden center. I could so fall for a man who works with his hands. I bet they’re skilled in other areas as well.
“Ivy, did you hear a word I said?” Lauren’s whiny voice cuts into my daydreams, making me look like an idiot. I better pull it together before her good mood fades. It’d be great if I could keep Eric on speed dial for when she reverts back to her bitchiness. Since her horniness for him is the only attribute making her appear semi-human.
“I’m assigning two stories to you for the next lifestyles edition. You’ll do a little blurb on the line-up for the film festival. Supposedly there’s some UCLA student working up there for the summer who can assist you with all of the details.” She’s talking about Will—my Will. He thought sweet-talking me would get his boss out of paying for the theater’s ad. Wait until he hears he got it for free. He’ll be practically ripping my clothes off the next time he sees me. Yeah, Eric was nice to me and all, but he’s not Will. Just like I’m not Cassidy. Sure, things got a little intense at the garden center, but it was like he was rescuing his kid sister from the neighborhood dog. He was just being a gentleman. He wasn’t trying to sweep me off my feet or anything, right? Whatever. I can’t think about that now. All of my concentration needs to be focused on Will. I have a job to do.
“And the second story, I’ll be overseeing personally.” Lauren inches forward in anticipation. Her eyes brightening like she’s a huntress on the prowl. I have a bad feeling about where this is going. “It’s a profile piece on Eric. You know he’s a very private man, especially after the press besieged him during his ex’s battle with cancer.”
“Cassidy isn’t his ex. He was going to marry her.” Lauren can believe whatever she likes, but Eric was deeply in love with Cassidy. He probably still is. I won’t tolerate Lauren sullying the memory of his late fiancée especially since he can’t be here to defend her himself. It’s the least I can do after the hospitality he showed me this afternoon. God, the nerve of this woman.
“Whatever,” Lauren responds, making a dismissive gesture with her hand like she could care less about how much Cassidy meant to Eric. She’s going in for the kill and nothing’s going to stand in her way, least of all my objections to her insensitivity. “The public has been waiting a long time for a follow-up to Eric’s story, and he hasn’t spoken to a reporter since she died. But I could tell that he opened up to you today. For some inexplicable reason, he trusts you. He doesn’t view you as a threat and you’re going to pounce all over that. You hear me?”
My insides are in knots just contemplating what she’s asking me to do. She wants to manipulate Eric’s good nature to her advantage. She wants the exclusive interview and she wants him—and she’s going to use me to get the whole shebang. This isn’t what I signed up for. This isn’t about being a journalist. It’s about getting a petty bitch what she wants, no matter the cost.
I simply nod, unsure of what to do. Should I stand up to her and tell her no? She’s going to go ballistic if I do. I’m her one connection to the guy she’s been after for quite a while. She’s never going to let me out of this no matter how much I beg and plead. She may very well terminate the internship if I refuse to cooperate with her little scheme. If I plan on finishing my college career at the main campus, I don’t stand a chance if I don’t complete these work experience credits this summer. I’m stuck in an impossible dilemma and I hate it.
“You’re going to research Eric to the nth degree. Comb his Facebook page. See if he has a Twitter account. Follow up on every Google lead. I want to know what makes him tick, what makes him the man he is.” She’s off on a tangent I don’t want to follow. She’s basically turning me into her own little personal matchmaker. I’m to uncover his likes and dislikes and spoon-feed them to her. This has nothing to do with the story and she knows it. Yet she has the audacity to think I’m not onto her. I know what she’s trying to pull. I’m not stupid. I mean, I’m a girl too. We do insane things when it comes to guys. I’m no exception, but she’s crossing a line by having me stalk the object of her obsession.
“That’s it. Now get to work.” She claps her hands, shooing me out the door as she pulls up Eric’s Facebook page on her computer. Furiously scribbling on the notepad in front of her, she doesn’t even notice when I stick my tongue out at her bent head.
Shielding myself against the internal fury building inside of me, I bump into Ryan coming out of the break room with two Dr. Peppers in hand. That image is the only thing that can make me smile after the disturbing episode with his deranged stepsister. It’s so good to see him. I’m glad he’s still here.
“Nice shoes,” he teases, pointing at my feet. “Care to step outside so I can have a smoke?”
He’s well aware that I’m not a fan of his nicotine habit, but just this once I’ll overlook it. I need to get out of here or I’m going to suffocate on the hostility floating through the air as Lauren via speaker phone starts issuing a tirade upon the graphic designer for using the wrong headline on page five. Her good mood sure lasted long, didn’t it?
“Ry, let’s get the hell out of here. Lead the way.” I tuck my arm under his as he hands me one of the soda cans. It’s been our tradition ever since we were young. When one of us is having a bad day, the other supplies the Dr. Pepper. It’s one of the unwritten rules of our friendship.
We were next-door neighbors until Ryan’s parents split when his father got caught having an affair with Lauren’s mother. He ended up leaving his wife to marry her. So Ryan moved into a tiny apartment with his mom and his dad legally adopted Lauren. But before all of that drama occurred, Ryan would yell under my bedroom window and I’d come outside to play. We’d ride our bikes, go swimmi
ng, or explore one of the numerous paths through the woods either catching tadpoles or picking blueberries. But we’d always have a can of Dr. Pepper with us. It’s one of the things that’s carried over from our childhood.
After tromping down the stairs, we’re out the door, and I can finally breathe. The atmosphere in there is so oppressive. Can Ryan feel it too? He seems all right to me. Maybe he’s used to the way his stepsister behaves. I just wish he had given me more of a warning before I signed up for this miserable gig.
He lights up and takes a drag before he’s ready to talk. Thankfully, he blows the smoke away from me and not in my face to taunt me, which he’s known to do. He must really be feeling bad about having gotten me into this situation.
“So how’s your first day going?” He seems wary of my answer, like he doesn’t want to hear the truth. Let me throw him a curveball instead.
“I saw Will.” I tread carefully as he squints before shaking his head.
“No shit?” It’s more of a rhetorical question but I can tell he’s upset that the guy I’ve been fixated on forever somehow wormed his way back into my life. Ryan knows what Will’s put me through in the past. I can’t blame him for his lack of enthusiasm for his reappearance on the scene.
“You thought I was gonna complain about your stepsister, didn’t you?” I punch him in the shoulder and he staggers back theatrically.
Taking a sip of Dr. Pepper, he runs a hand through his blond hair before studying me with his baby blue eyes. “Nah, I know she’s tough. She goes through interns like most people change socks. Not many can put up with her, but I know you can handle it for three months. You’re no cry baby.”
I notice that he let the subject of Will fall by the wayside. Is he jealous? I can’t tell. He’s always been overprotective of me even though I’m the older one. But for some reason, he’s always viewed Will as a threat to my happiness. If I told him to back off, he wouldn’t. He’d want to rip Will’s face off and eat it for breakfast. That’s how much he can’t stand the guy. I don’t want to provoke him but he has to know what’s going on.
“Yeah, I can suck it up for the summer, but I think I’d have to shoot myself if I had to stay here. Besides, she just assigned me a story to do on Will.” I wedge my clog against the doorframe, waiting for him to explode.
“What the f—?” He advances on me and I hold up my hands in surrender.
“I know. It’s messed up, right? But it’s cool. I can handle myself around him.” I take a long swig to keep from looking at him.
“Sure you can.” Just by the sarcasm dripping from his voice, I know he’s glaring at me. Friends don’t lie to each other. What am I hoping to prove anyway? Ryan knows me better than I know myself sometimes.
“Listen, it goes with the job. He’ll be back in California come August. Gone and forgotten, once and for all. I just have to get through this interview with him. I promise I won’t torment myself with knowing he has my number but never calls.” I shouldn’t have shared that last bit of information but I couldn’t resist.
“You’re a damn fool, Ivy. You know that, right? If you want to put yourself through some new level of psychological torture with that asshole, that’s your business. But I don’t have to listen to it.” He stomps out his cigarette and starts walking backward through the parking lot.
“Where the hell are you going?” I begin to panic. I don’t want our conversation to end like this.
“Home. I’m done for the day.” His back is to me now and I see his shoulders slump in defeat. Is he really that disappointed in me? Why does he care so much about what happens with Will? It’s not like I’m going to get my happily ever after where he abandons the Hollywood high life and settles down with me. I’m not that naïve, but I wouldn’t mind a make-out session or two in the back of his car before he vanishes from my life again. I’ve been waiting a long time to recapture what it was like having him as my first kiss. Sure, it was a game of spin the bottle at Johnny Hoover’s thirteenth birthday party, but it was still magical to me.
“Call me later!” I practically beg as Ryan drives up next to me.
“Won’t you be having phone sex with Will?” He rolls his eyes as he leans out of his Jeep.
“You know I only come for you.” I bat my lashes provocatively and he scowls. He has to learn if he’s going to give it, he has to take it.
Someone is tapping on the window above us. I look up and see Lauren ordering me back inside. She must be livid having caught me with Ryan but I’m not going to deny my friend for anyone. He’s too important to me to throw away over some stupid job. Lauren can kiss my ass.
“Ivy, just be careful.” His engine is idling like he doesn’t want to let me go, like I’m traveling to some dark place where he can’t follow.
“I will, Ry. I promise I won’t do anything dumb.” I give him a lopsided grin and blow him a kiss.
He pretends to grab it and place it next to his heart. “Bye, Ivy.”
“Bye, Ry.” For a second, I experience a devastating sensation of loss as he pulls away. Silly, I know. I’ll see him soon. But something about our friendship seems different, changed somehow. Like a part of it has splintered and it’s never coming back.
Chapter Four
Eric
I’m loading a dump truck full of mulch for a landscaping job when my cell phone rings. It’s hot day and I wipe the sweat off my brow while removing one of my work gloves. It’s hard labor, no question, but it helps me stay grounded when it feels like the world is spinning out of control.
“Jack, give me a minute, would you? I have to answer this.” Without waiting for a reply, I jump out of the back of the truck and take the call. “Hello?”
“Eric? Hi, it’s Ivy from the Gazette. How are you?” Something about hearing her voice immediately lifts my spirits. I can’t explain why. It just does.
“Ivy, hey. What’s going on? Did I get you off the hook?” I walk away from Jack, who’s resting his chin on his shovel, listening to every word. I can tell he’s curious about who’s drawing out the flirty inflection I unconsciously slipped into. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date. I think it would be front page news if it ever happened. I guess I can’t blame people for taking an interest, especially when they think my life is one tragic love story. Little do they know, those days are over. Any type of romantic vibe I possessed was buried with Cassidy.
“Not really, I’m afraid.” Ivy sounds nervous. This can’t be good. I thought I worked everything out with Lauren so she’d stay off Ivy’s case. Looks like I need to brush up on my methods of persuasion.
“Why? What’s wrong?” My tone turns a bit gruff, and she hesitates before hitting me with the details. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that I’m used to talking to the guys on the job. I’m not around many women on a daily basis. I need to remember to soften my approach.
“Lauren wants me to do a profile piece on you in the Gazette. And just to warn you, she’s not going to take no for an answer. I already tried to dissuade her but she’s determined. I know you’re a private person who wants to stay out of the limelight and I respect that. I do. Maybe we can shift the focus to another area of your life or something.” She’s grasping at straws. I don’t talk to the press. Not anymore, and not after what happened with Cassidy. I can tell Ivy doesn’t wish to intrude. Lauren’s the one putting her up to this. I don’t want to cause Ivy any problems, but I don’t think I can comply with her request. It would open the floodgates to every newspaper and TV station in the area, and I just can’t go through that again.
“Ivy, listen…” Before I can politely decline, she cuts me off.
“Eric, Lauren isn’t going to let this go. At least if I’m involved, I can serve as a sort of buffer between you and the things you don’t want to talk about. I’ll protect your best interest at all costs. I give you my word.” Her sincerity is heartfelt and coming from a good place. She thinks she can protect me. That’s sweet. Besides, I have to consider that if I don
’t do the interview I might not ever get to talk to Ivy again, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I enjoy her company. Maybe I can sacrifice a little of my privacy for a chance to get to know her better. She’s worth the risk.
“I’ll tell you what. If we stick strictly to promoting the garden center, I’ll consider it. You run that by her and see what she says. No mention of Cassidy or my personal life or anything like that and you’ve got a deal.” I highly doubt Lauren’s going to go for my setting the parameters for her exclusive on the grieving bachelor, but I’m not backing down on my stance. She can take it or leave it.
“Okay, I’ll relay your message. I think it’s more than fair, by the way. You’re a pretty cool guy for even considering it.” Her enthusiasm is infectious. Plus she paid me a compliment, so maybe there’s something there after all. I can’t let her slip away from me now.
“And Ivy, regardless of what Lauren says, you’re welcome to visit me and Shep at the garden center anytime you’d like, okay? I have plenty of replacement shoes on hand.” I hope she’s not repulsed by my invitation like I’m some creepy older guy trying to hit on her or something. She may even have a boyfriend for all I know. That thought depresses me so I try not to dwell on it.
“I might be in need of a job if she flies off the rails like a loose cannon. Are you hiring up there?” I can feel the glow of her smile through the phone and my mind is set at ease. She likes me well enough to want to work for me. That’s a plus.
“You’ll always have a place here if you need it.” That sounded a little too familiar. I better end this call before I really start to freak her out. “Ivy, I have to run but let me know what she says.”
“Will do, Eric. Talk to you soon.” Her words come out rushed like she’s flustered or something. Is that a good sign?
“Bye, Ivy.” I hang up and feel both deflated and exhilarated at the same time. I want to see her again. If this doesn’t work out, I’m going to have to think up an excuse to cross paths with her.
Take Me Now Page 3