Page 14 of Is This for Real?
“We’ll get Theresa to babysit. Wow. Rory. So, I want all the details. How did it happen?”
Uh-oh.Rory and I never did finish discussing details of how we started dating as we were walking around The Met. I amsonot prepared to withstand Olivia’s third-degree examination. She’s a corporate lawyer. Rory and I need to map out our “fake” relationship like plotting out the arc in a book.
“Hold on,” I say, “someone is texting.”
I sit on a bench under a tree and text Rory:Jamie told Olivia and now she wants DETAILS.
Olivia is waiting. A family with two little curly-haired girls who look like mini versions of Olivia and me pass by the dog run. They are probably heading to the playgrounds by the Hudson River. The smaller one runs to catch up to her older sister, but the older sister doesn’t see her.
“It just happened,” I say to Olivia. We need to keep to what we told Jamie, anyway. “He was over here, comforting me about an agent rejection, and I don’t know, suddenly there was like electricity zipping back and forth, and I kissed him.” Luckily, I do write romantic comedy, so zipping electricity is standard fare.And maybe it even exists. I felt it today with Rory.But I’m sure only I felt it. Clearly, I need to bolster my immunity. Watching him with Callie at the café could have been a booster shot.
Rory:Would you give her all the details if it was real?
No, although I would have told her.
“And it’s just so new and magical that I don’t want to spoil it by talking about it,” I say. “I can’t quite believe it’s happening, either.”
Olivia sighs happily. Unlike me, she’s a true romantic. She was always singing “One day my prince will come” when we were kids, whereas I had little interest in boys and was usually writing or playing in my dollhouse. And because I had no boy dolls, most of my dollhouse dolls were single. The mom was divorced. I have now bought all the Topper boy dolls I didn’t have as a child. And some male and female action doll figures. Now all my female dolls have partners or potential partners.
Rory:Or you could just tell her we were just fake dating for book research.
Wait, are we done already?A sinking feeling fills my chest. I need to concentrate on what Olivia is saying.
“You guys should come for brunch next weekend,” she says. “I’m so happy for you. I really thought you were just going to be a single aunty. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, it’s great for me and the kids. Oooh, this means that there might be cousins. Amber has been asking for a little sister or brother, but I’m done. Now I can tell her she might get a little cousin.”
“Hold on there. We just started dating. I’m not bringing Rory over for brunch if you’re going to talk about our having babies. You’ll scare him off.”
“I won’t. But Rory will be a great dad. Anyway, you should date for a long time before you have kids. Establish a solid foundation. Have lots of sex. Travel.” My niece, Amber, says something in the background. Olivia tells her she’s on the phone. Amber keeps talking. My sister shushes her again. “It’s like they have no idea what a phone call is. So how come you’re not together now? John and I couldn’t be separated when we first started dating.”
Good question. I shift uncomfortably on the metal bench. “He had plans, and I have work to do. I need to finish some Etsy miniature orders, and I haven’t eked out my thousand words for today. And I’m taking care of Benson and Gilda, so I need to be with them. He might come over after, but it just seemed easier if we separated for the night and actually got some sleep.”That should satisfy her.I need to get off the phone so I can address Rory’s last comment. “Rory just texted. I have to go.”
“Give him my best.” Olivia hangs up.
I want to keep dating Rory.I wrap my arms around myself, rubbing my elbows.
Me:I thought you needed a fake date for your work engagements.
Rory:Yes. Still do. Definitely. But I don’t want you to have to lie to your sister. We can still be fake dating for my work.
I let out a huge breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. But now I have lied to Olivia. And I definitely don’t want Jamie to find out I lied to him. I bite my nail. I hunch over. This is a mess.
I whistle to the dogs. It’s time to go home. They come over, tails wagging. I clip on their leashes and we walk home along 72ndStreet.
I call Rory. He tells me to hold on while he walks a few feet away from their table.
“Damage is already done. I kept to the Jamie storyline. Olivia can’t keep a secret,” I say.
“She might have been able to keep this secret.”
“I doubt it. And if she told Jamie, maybe he’d completely cut me off, like Lex,” I say.
The silence at the other end of the phone feels accusatory.
“So, you’re still interested in Jamie?” he asks.
“No, but he seemed really mad at Lex. I’m trying to stay friends. Obviously.”
“Don’t you think your sister and Theresa will be able to tell that we’re not really together?”
