Page 95 of The Reality of Us
“I don’t know,” he said truthfully, holding his hands up when everyone paused. “But I’m going to figure it out.”
A champagne cork popped. “Right, well, while you figure that out, we’ll let you in on our plan.”
Owen knew what he wanted. Or, more accurately, who he wanted. And once he figured out how to get Alice back, he wasn’t ever going to let her go.
He just had to hope she still wanted him, too.
Dougie pressed a mug of rosé into Alice’s hand and checked his phone when it pinged. “Mum and Dad are almost here.”
Wait, what?
“You can’t avoid them forever, Al,” he said. “They’re really worried this time.”
Thinking about how proud her parents had been only weeks ago had Alice blinking back fresh tears. She hadn’t heard back from their friend who was interested in investing. Probably never would.
The apartment door opened and closed, and the low murmur of conversation snuck down the hallway. The kind you’d expect at a hospital after the death of a dearly loved friend or family member.
Her chest squeezed when she heard Rico say, “Remember, this isn’t Alice’s fault, okay? It was a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, Alice.” The softness in her mother’s voice immediately knocked her off-kilter. Alice pulled the throw blanket around her shoulders even tighter, like it could stop her from falling apart in front of her family.
Dougie scooted to the side, making room on the couch for Marguerite.
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll fix this together,” her mother said.
When Alice stole a glance at her father, he coughed and unbuttoned his charcoal suit jacket, shaking his head when Rico offered him a drink.
“If the kettle’s still warm, I’ll have a tea, please, Rico.” Marguerite nodded at the mug Alice was holding in a death grip. Which was filled with wine because all the glasses were in the dishwasher because she was a shitty house guest. Marguerite picked it up and sniffed. Alice braced herself for the jab. Here it comes.
“Actually, wine would be better. Whatever Alice’s having is fine.”
Alice slid her eyes towards Dougie, who shrugged back at her.
“Alright. Now we’ve all had some time to get over the shock of what’s happened, what’s your plan?” Her father sat stiffly in the cream armchair to the right of the couch.
Huh. That was strange. They’d never asked her if she had a plan before. Normally, they’d taken over and she’d let them.
Alice blew her nose loudly, shoving the crumpled tissue into the bulging pocket of another pair of borrowed tracksuit pants. Neither of her parents commented. Dougie and Rico must’ve really read them the riot act. “I don’t know.” Fear of making another mistake had left her paralysed for days.
Her parents shared a loaded look, and Alice’s heart sank when her father’s lips clamped together.
“Because the video of you was distributed without your consent, there are some legal avenues we can pursue. Some things are ready to be deployed—” Marguerite raised her hands when Alice’s mouth dropped open. This was so typical. They weren’t really offering to help. It was just an act. “We’re concerned, darling.”
“But it’s still your call,” Dougie interjected.
“But how are things ready to be deployed? I asked you not to do anything!” Alice glared at her brother.
“And I haven’t, but Owen reached out to see if you’d like him to pass on the paperwork he’d already prepared for your divorce. He won’t give it to me unless you sign a letter saying I’m your new lawyer, though.”
Owen’s name was like a spear through her chest. Her head and her heart had been at war ever since she’d told him they couldn’t be together. She was desperate to know how he was … if his knee was okay and if he was miserable too. She gulped down a mouthful of wine and swallowed without tasting it.
The room swam in front of her. “Why didn’t anyone tell me they’d spoken to Owen?” she asked.
“Uhhh, remember how you’ve been leaving the room whenever we mention him?” Dougie muttered.
Alice pulled the blanket even tighter around her body. If they were going to talk about Owen, her heart needed all the protection it could get. She paused before she opened her mouth, waiting until she was sure she could speak. “Did he say anything else?”
“He told us to stop going behind your back and wait until you’d decided if you wanted to sue Phoenix for defamation, which, okay, I had sort of started loosely putting a case together for. When I asked him what he thought of that, he said you were capable of making your own decisions.”
