Mom made a quick exit. What’s up?
“I didn’t get a chance to welcome you back to town at the party last night,” Marnie said, taking a sip of her tea. “It must be very strange to be back in a small town after all the traveling you’ve done.”
It was funny how everyone brought up the contrast. It was different, but Cat could always visit New York City or Paris or wherever else in the world she might want to visit.
“I’m enjoying being home,” Cat replied. “If you don’t count this morning, of course.”
“It’s just so shocking,” Marnie said. “Crazy. I still can’t believe it actually happened. It’s so surreal. Like something out of a movie.”
“Are you covering the story?”
“No,” Marnie said with an emphatic shake of her head. “Someone else is handling that, for which I am grateful. Ithits far too close to home for me. There’s no way I could be objective.”
“It’s good that you don’t have to do that.”
The conversation lagged, and Cat picked up a cookie from the plate on the coffee table.
“So models do eat sugar,” Marnie said with a laugh and smile. “You don’t live on water and celery?”
“There have been times I have, but I don’t make a habit of it.”
“Since you’re not on camera anymore, you can live a little, right? Which brings me to the other reason I’m here. I’d like to do a feature on you for the morning show. Talk about your career, and now your move home. A feel-good people piece. You know what I mean. I’m sure you’ve done tons of interviews. What do you say? We can film it tomorrow, if you like.”
Cat couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do less. She didn’t want the attention. She’d had plenty of that in the past, and frankly, it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. She’d been hoping to slip back into her hometown without much fanfare. Nice and quiet.
She’d had to learn the art of saying no early in her career. Whether she liked it or not, putting up boundaries had been a necessary evil. Otherwise, she would have been walked all over like an entryway rug.
She had a distinct memory of her first roommate - also a model, but more experienced - telling her that no one could walk all over her unless she lay down and let them do it. Those words still rang in her ears fourteen years later.
“I don’t think that’s something I’m looking for right now,” Cat replied, pasting on a bright smile that would hopefully cushion the refusal. “I’m still getting used to being home with my mom. I’m looking for a house and to get settled, not to mention what happened to Tyler. But I thank you for the invite. It’s thoughtful that you wanted to welcome me back like this.”
“I just hope that when you’re ready to talk, you won’t give the story to anyone else.”
Marnie’s posture had gone stiff, her lips pressed together tightly. Clearly, she wasn’t thrilled at being put off.
“That definitely won’t happen,” Cat assured her. “I have no plans to book with anyone else.”
If I have my way, I’ll never give another interview for the rest of my life.
People weren’t exactly knocking down her door to interview her. There was always a fresh, new face to take her place. She didn’t kid herself that she would be missed in the industry. There wasn’t anything wrong with that. It was simply the nature of the beast.
“That’s good,” Marnie said with a relieved smile. “I assure you that it would be a collaborative process. We could highlight your new plans. What are you going to be doing now that you’re back?”
It was an innocent question, but Cat didn’t have a clear answer. Not yet.
“I watched you on television yesterday,” Cat replied, hoping to change the subject. “You were great. You made your guest feel right at home. It was good information.”
Marnie had interviewed a local contractor who discussed home maintenance—what homeowners could do and what they should hire a professional to do.
“He was a great guest,” Marnie agreed. “He’s been on several times. He always has helpful information. Speaking of information, have you heard any news about Tyler since this morning? Is he out of surgery yet? No one has called to let me know anything.”
“I haven’t heard. I assume Josh or Rachel will call when they can. I’m sort of hoping that it’s a case of no news is good news.”
“You’re probably right,” Marnie replied. “This is just all so awful. You must be devastated.”
“I think everyone is after what happened.”
“I’m just saying…you and Tyler looked to be quite close at the party last night.”
