Roxie groans. “I tried telling her on the way over that it’s okay if they don’t talk to each other every seven minutes, but that got me nowhere.”
Yikes.
“Let me at least put my dishes in the sink first,” I say, doing just that. “And I promise not to take an obnoxiously long shower. Just know if the water pressure is good, you may need to come and drag me out.” And with a smile and a wave, I leave the room.
Somewhere in the distance, I hear Loren talking, and I don’t even pretend like I’m not going to catch a portion of it.
“No, we haven’t told her yet,” I hear her quietly saying. She’s standing in Vanessa’s bedroom, which is directly next to the guest room, so it’s not like I went out of my way to eavesdrop. “I know, I know, and we will, just not yet. Let’s get through today and then we’ll break it to her.”
Now I’m not usually paranoid, but I kind of suspect that they’re talking about me.
What haven’t they told me?
What do they have to break to me?
Oh God…did someone else die?
Okay, reel it in, drama queen. Not everything is about death.
“This is going to kill her,” Loren goes on. “But we’re not going to change anything. It is what it is, and she’ll deal with it.” She paused. “Yes, I’m sure. Livi’s a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. She’ll be fine. She’ll just need to get used to the idea, that’s all.”
What idea?
And I go with the flow?
Since when?
“Okay, babe. I love you and I’ll see you later.” Then she giggles. “No, you hang up! No, you!” More giggling and that’s my cue to grab my crap and take my shower.
Although now I can’t enjoy it because I want to know what exactly my friends aren’t telling me. Also, how am I going to get them to tell me without admitting I heard Loren and Mike’s conversation?
Well, part of their conversation.
In the shower, I ruthlessly shampoo and condition my hair and scrub every inch of my skin until it’s red and tingly. I’m not sure why I’m punishing my body, but here we are. By the time I turn off the water, I’m wondering if I can quietly exit the bathroom and see if I can hear what the girls are saying and if it has anything to do with what Loren was talking about.
“Like I don’t have enough to deal with today?” I mumble as I dry myself off.
I run through every scenario in my mind: someone’s dead or dying. My editor reached out to them to tell them they’re canceling my contract.
Okay, that one’s a stretch.
We’re not going to the beach, but going someplace else and…
Ooh…that one takes hold and would definitely require going with the flow. I mean…I was fine with going to the beach house even without all the amenities, but if the girls wanted to do an upgrade and surprise me, then who am I to ruin it?
Staring at my reflection, I sigh. Makeup free, wet hair, and a myriad of emotions fighting to get out. I’m not at my best and I know it. I’m sad about Matt, overwhelmed with anxiety over the eulogy, psyched to be here with my friends, exhausted from traveling, and disappointed in the state of my career.
I have a feeling it won’t take much for me to break at this point and I have to be careful to keep all of these emotions in check and not explode all over anyone.
Like poor Sebastian.
I swear, if I ever see him again, I will apologize and offer to buy him dinner because he had the misfortune of getting stuck sitting with me as I was essentially spiraling. Personally, I don’t think I would have been that nice or understanding if I was sitting next to someone on a plane who was having as many issues as I was yesterday. That guy was seriously a saint.
“Liv? You almost done in there?” Vanessa asks. “I need to get in the shower too! The girls all showered before they got here, but we all have hair and makeup to do!”
That’s my cue to get my ass in gear. “Sorry! I just need to brush my teeth and then I’ll finish everything else in the guest room!”
Three minutes later, I’ve got my robe on and my arms full of all my stuff as I apologize for taking so long.
