Page 35 of The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love

I search for something to diffuse the tension and come up empty-handed. So next I search for permission to demand answers but somehow don’t feel I’ve earned the rights a close friend would automatically assume. Besides, something about their matching closed expressions tells me pushing the issue would only divide them and I don’t want to be responsible for causing a further rift.

‘Sorry, hon,’ Carlos eventually says, ‘It’s been a really long day. Talk tomorrow, okay?’

It takes me a few seconds to realise I’m allowing him to walk me back towards the door. ‘Sure. Details tomorrow?’ I manage to get in.

‘You know it.’

What I know is that he doesn’t mean the details of whatever their argument has been about. I also know that my heart is now doing a serious workout as I try and work out if I am over-dramatizing.

Catastrophizing.

I’ve never once felt like Carlos and Oz were on shaky ground.

I can’t have them on shaky ground.

They’re my … friends.

If they hurt, I hurt.

If they’re in trouble, I’m in trouble.

As I walk up to my apartment it comes to me…

Clue: Causing one to lose courage, 9 letters

Answer: Unnerving

Chapter Eleven

THE BIG IDEA

George

Exiting the elevator on my floor, my mind is on an upcoming pitch. I can’t say I usually mind the fact that my mind is mostly taken up with work. I love the buzz of that new, big idea taking form.

But the problem I have right now is that my capacity to come up with something original, clever and witty that encapsulates a brand of dessert pies seems to have been replaced with an endless stonking headache and I can’t settle on the right visuals or emotive language to create a campaign.

For days I’ve been grabbing at ideas.

Stabbing at them, really.

Leaving them so deflated that a defibrillator wouldn’t resuscitate them.

Today’s been an especially long day. Technically I should be pleased that after an incredibly tense meeting, I managed to negotiate an advertising spot across all the major networks for the product, but mostly, I’m exhausted.

However, dwelling on how I’m feeling isn’t going to get the work done faster so I redouble my concentration on the product’s core strengths…

I’m hearing ‘happy’ music overlayed with laughter as people sit around a large table together. The table should be outside, under a gazebo strung with paper lanterns. The epitome of celebration. Yeah … a celebration table. Maybe on a private beach? Eating under the stars on a private beach has to be high up peoples’ Life Goal lists. Which means I should be able to turn eating Perfect Pies from a niche market life goal to everyone’s life goal… The focus should be on the serving platters as they are being passed from person to person and?—

‘George? George?’

Damn – so close. Finally, the right package of images was coming together. The beginnings of something I could build upon.

But no.

Instead, I’m getting accosted by old ladies outside my front door.

‘Hi, Mrs. Lundy,’ I say, slightly surprised the weariness in my voice is so obvious.

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