Page 64 of After the Red Carpet
As the vision faded, Finn touched her hand. “Ella? You look like you’re a million miles away. What do you say to Italy, baby?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and softly said, “It sounds great.”
A FEW DAYS LATER, FINN WAS GETTINGa glass of water when Marni walked into the kitchen.
“Hey,” he said. She glanced at him but didn’t respond, so he asked, “How’s the philosophy club meeting going?”
“Fine,” she replied in a brisk tone. “Ella asked me to grab another box of crackers for our cheese board.”
“Here, I’ll get it,” he said, retrieving a box from the cabinet and handing it to her.
“Thanks,” Marni grumbled.
“You’ll be at Ella’s birthday party next week, right?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s just what Ella wanted: dinner with our closest friends. My parents are watching the kids,” Finn said. “The tapas restaurant we’re going to is great. I reserved a dimly lit private room with lots of ambiance, and they’re decorating the table with an ornate tablecloth, flowers, boatloads of candles, and these little gold-colored globes I found as take-home gifts. Don’t tell Ella. I wanted to surprise her and make it special the way she always does.”
She snorted loudly, turning to walk away.
“Marni, is everything okay?” he asked. “Have I done something to offend you?”
She swiveled around on her heel and stared daggers at him. “I’ve been trying very hard to bite my tongue. I always knew you were too good to be true. I let my skepticism go and believed you actually loved Ella for who she is and that you made her happy. I was totally on Team Finn. Now you fucking do this. I can’t believe you, after how she’s followed you around the world to film set after film set, supporting your career, taking care of your children, putting her own work aside.” She rolled her eyes. “I should have known all along. You’re just like all the rest.”
He furrowed his brow in confusion. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
“The fellowship. The University of Cambridge. I guess to you it’s nothing in comparison to making millions of dollars for a movie, but for a philosopher, it’s the most prestigious fellowship in the world. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The odds of actually getting it out of the hundreds who apply are unfathomable.”
“Are you saying Ella was invited to the University of Cambridge?”
Marni stood silently for a moment. She huffed and said, “Wow, I guess she didn’t tell you. I just assumed . . .”
“Please just tell me what’s going on,” Finn implored her.
“Ella received a fellowship for the upcoming spring semester. It’s to finish her philosophical treatise on love, which you know she’s been writing for years. It comes with an award, an office, the opportunity to deliver a series of lectures, and lots of other perks. It’s basically the most coveted opportunity for philosophers the world over, not to mention a real chance to complete the most important book of her career.”
He shook his head, trying to process what he was hearing. “That’s amazing. She never said a thing about this to me. Maybe she’s not interested?”
“Finn, this didn’t fall out of the sky. She applied for it more than six months ago.”
“I don’t understand. I . . .”
“She said that she turned it down because you have some film project and that it’s the last chance for you to take location jobs outside of summers since Betty starts school in the fall, and you agreed you’d always keep your family together.”
Finn inhaled deeply and ran a hand through his hair. “I honestly had no idea.”
“I can see that,” Marni said. “Listen, I’m sorry I jumped down your throat. I just assumed . . .”
“It’s fine. Please don’t mention this to Ella.”
Marni nodded.
THE EVENING OF ELLA’S BIRTHDAY DINNER,she emerged from the bathroom wearing a lavender silk dress, her lips shimmering, an iridescent shine on her cheeks, and her wild mane flowing freely. “Wow! You are absolutely stunning,” Finn said, kissing her softly.
She smiled. “I guess happiness does that to a person.”
He took her hand and cupped her cheek. “Are you happy, Ella? Are you truly happy?”
