On his way past me, Tobin stops. “I looked for you after the pre-pitch meeting.”
“Sorry. I was working remotely until the shortlist went out.” Translation: I hid in the dimmest corner of the ph?place a block away, because I needed to eat noodles and think. If Tobin’s name hadn’t been on the list, that would have been the easiest thing. But it was.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were doing the pitch competition?”
Oh, he isnotblaming me for this mess. “Why didn’tyoutellme?”
His mouth goes tight. “I wish I’d known is all I’m saying. We could have figured something out.”
“Yeah, well. What’s done is done. Our deal is off, obviously.”
“What?! No. The deal’s still on.”
“That’s not realistic. This is a good/fast/cheap situation.”
“Awhat?”
“Like when you’re sourcing supplies for an expedition—you can’t have all three of good, fast, and cheap. You competing, me competing, us doing improv together. Pick any two.”
“We can have it all. There’s room in this company for both of us, Liz.”
Tobin would think that. “Look, we both know I’m no genius at public speaking and improv is my chance to get better. You’re supposed to be my practice partner, but it’s to your advantage if I don’t make progress.”
“Why would I want to win unfairly? Do you really think I’m such an asshole?” He crosses his arms, staring at me.
I drop my gaze.
Sigh. “You’re not an asshole, Tobe. And maybe David will win, and we’ll feel silly for making a fuss. But what if it’s one of us? I see a lot of complicated feelings coming from that.”
“But that doesn’t mean the winner takes it all. If you or I drop out, and David wins, we get nothing. But if one of us wins, we can make things happen for whoever didn’t. We can be a team even when we’re competing against each other. This is how both of us get where we’re going.”
I hesitate, because his logic is impeccable and it would be juvenile to stamp my foot and tell him I don’t want him to win for me. I wantmeto win for me, no matter what the math says.
“Lyle and I have worked hard on this. I’m excited, Diz. We can keep our pitches secret. Cones of silence. All we have to do is improv.” His eyes plead with me. “We’ve come so far. We don’t have to let this stop us.”
I feel the badness of this idea like grit between my fingers as I rub them together. But when I’m next to him, all I feel iswant. He’s right; the scenarios have been good for us. Better than I could’ve imagined.
We have a real chance to fix our problems. I don’t care that it’s a small chance; after all, he’s the master of saving all the tiny things.
Still. “There’s no way someone doesn’t get hurt, Tobe.”
Whatever he sees on my face, it makes him smile. “I’ll take that chance, if you will.”
It aches, the careful way he reaches for me, his big, soft eyes tangling me up in blue silk. An arm sliding at my waist, another across my back. A slow lean in, a sigh when his forehead touches mine. It’s a prayer, almost, the way we stand together, my hands light around his shoulders, his hands light on my heart.
Goddammit, Tobin. How does he always do this—set out a net, and coax me to swim right into it?
After not enough time, he steps away. “I’ll see you tomorrow, for our scenario. I’ve got a surprise.”
When I can’t hear his footsteps anymore, I turn to find McHuge watching me. Surely Tobin told him what’s going on in our marriage. But McHuge doesn’t say anything except “We’ll talk after. Help me set up?”
McHuge opens class with, “Welcome, kindred spirits! Reminder to all, three more classes between now and the showcase, the greatest night of your lives.”
We giggle uncomfortably, none of us fooled by McHuge’s hype.
We warm up with an old favorite: animals getting born. It’s almost disappointing when no one watches me. By the end, we’re raucous and full of ourselves.
“Freeze!” Béa roars as Sharon and I skip down the Yellow Brick Road. Sharon leaves the scene, and Béa and I link arms against a category-four hurricane. I’d like to get to know her better, but I hate feeling like I’m galloping up to someone shouting, “HEY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE MY FRIEND?… Oh. No, huh.”
