Remember When 2 (28 page)

   Twenty minutes. It took Sandy twenty, whole, excruciating minutes before she called me back.

   When she did, I answered on the first ring. “Hello?”

   Her voice was drained, but firm. “Miss Warren,”
So we’re back to Miss Warren, are we?
“I’ve just spoken with Mr. Wiley, and I’m sorry, but he has specifically requested that I do
not
give you his phone number.”

   “I didn’t know, Sandy! I just got it today, I swear!”

   “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, all I know is that Mr. Wiley has made it very clear that he doesn’t wish to speak to you. I’m only delivering his message.”

   “Did he tell you? Did he tell you that he’s in love with me? Please, Sandy. I need to talk to him!”

   Sandy’s voice sounded distraught, but her words were rather cold. “I think you’ve already told him enough.”

   I blurted, “Sandy! Wait!” but she had hung up. I immediately called her back, but the call just rang and rang and rang. So did the next three.

   I realized it was fruitless, trying to get her to disobey her boss’s wishes. Trip was the one signing her paychecks, not me. And I couldn’t even imagine what his side of the story must’ve sounded like to Sandy’s ears. Probably had a few choice adjectives to describe me as well. I guessed the extended amount of time it took for her to call me back was Trip relaying every detail of how he’d laid his heart out, practically begged me to take him back… and I’d rejected him.

   But still. How could I give up now?

   If I could just talk to him, tell him my side of things, everything would be okay. Hell, everything would be
fantastic
.

   I had to see him. I checked my bank account and my credit cards. I had enough to get to California.

   I picked up the phone to book a flight, but had a moment of hesitation. I mean, was I just supposed to decide to start a whole new life on a whim? Because, how would that work anyway? He lived on the completely opposite end of the country. My life was here.

   Although… It’s not like I had a job to keep me here any longer. And as far as my apartment, I’d been on a month-to-month lease after that very first year. I could just give my notice and collect the deposit. Between that and the severance from Howell, I could live off the money until I could straighten things out with Trip. And hell. I’d even have a job lined up when I got there. Maybe I could take that publishing deal and write that book. I could do that anywhere, right?

   Lisa did it.
You find the man you know you’re supposed to be with, you do whatever you have to do in order to be with him.

   I could do it.

   I could give up my apartment in the city that I loved. I could move away from New York, from New Jersey, live in a strange new place three thousand miles away from my family, from my friends, my home. I could face my fears and head off into an unfamiliar new world, a mysterious new life.

   I could do it for Trip.

   And from that point on, doing it was the only thing I allowed myself to focus on. I didn’t worry about how irrational a plan it was, didn’t analyze the choice I was making, didn’t think about taking such a chance on the unknown for once.

   For the first time in my life, I simply threw caution to the wind and just went on gut instinct. Went with my heart. My heart that Trip owned.

   He loved me. I knew that now. And after we straightened everything out, I’d spend every single day from then on out never letting him forget that I was deeply, totally, permanently, and unconditionally in love with him right back.

   Because we both deserved it.

Chapter 28

DEEPLY

   I spent that Thursday—my twenty-seventh birthday—packing up the rest of my apartment. My lease agreement required thirty days’ notice before vacating, but I’d made the decision to just eat it on that final month’s rent. Once I got my two-month deposit back, I’d be coming out ahead anyway.

   The soonest I could schedule the movers was Friday morning, and I’d spent the entire week in a frantic blur, tying up all the necessary loose ends. Three days to prepare myself for a brand new life. Just a few short days to cancel my phone, the cable, the Con-Ed. Say my goodbyes. Pack every bit of crap that I owned. My living room was stacked with boxes, the plan to store most of my furniture and stuff in my father’s garage until I could send for all of it once I was settled in California.

   Dad had been on board with my cockamamie scheme, barely containing a smile when I told him the reason behind my abrupt move. Sylvia and he had exchanged a knowing glance once I mentioned the word “Trip”, which just confirmed for me that I was making the right decision.

   And Lisa… well, Lisa just completely flipped out.

   “You’re in love with him!”

   I didn’t even try to dispute it. “Yeah, Lis. I am. Undeniably.”

   She’d thrown her arms around me in a gargantuan hug, squeezing the very air from my lungs. By the time she released me, we were both crying. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! How cool is this going to be? The four of us, back together again! I can’t believe you’re moving all the way out there just when I came home though, you rotten skank. But whatever. Trip is rich. You guys can fly back and forth every weekend if you want to.”

   I just let her babble. It’s what she always did best.

   “And you’d better come back for this baby!”

   “Of course, Lis. I wouldn’t miss it. We’ll be back for the baby, Jack’s wedding, lots of things.”

   She gave me a long, hard look at that, the tears brimming in her eyes, the love just oozing from her goofy, sappy face. “I am just so proud of you. You know that, right?”

   I did. Lisa was always my biggest cheerleader, but I was just proud of
myself
for finally giving her something truly worthwhile to cheer
about
.

   I only had a few things left that needed boxing, so I took a dinner break with a slice of pizza on the one unoccupied sliver of futon and flicked through the channels on my TV, trying to find something to watch. There hadn’t been anything good on the tube ever since
90210
went off the air. I did miss me some Dylan McKay.

   But yeesh. Who cared about Dylan when I had
Trip
waiting for me?

   Even if he didn’t know it yet.

   In the few days since The Lunchbox, I’d tried contacting him repeatedly. Sandy’s line had been disconnected within hours after I’d last spoken to her, but it was the only number I had, so I just kept dialing it, pointlessly. Trip didn’t have a mobile and I didn’t have his home number. I even tried calling information in Los Angeles, just to have the operator laugh in my ear and hang up. The number I had for his mother must have been changed at some point over the years, and the new one was presently unlisted. I could have gone to the house, but I figured doing so would only get me a door slammed in my face. I mean, if Trip’s
publicist
wouldn’t even take my calls, I had to imagine his own
mother
’s loyalties would lie squarely in his camp, too.

   But I knew I would find him. I’d have to.

   I scoured magazine articles for hints of where he lived, searched the internet for bread crumbs. I’d been able to find out his most frequented hangouts, and I knew he’d make it to the
Beverly Hills TRU
eventually. It was where I planned on staying so I could stake the place out. In the meantime, I had Rajani hounding his agent, attempting to arrange some sort of meeting place under the guise of doing an interview. All I’d have to do is show up in her place. Problem solved.

   God, I was practically a stalker.

   But I wasn’t a danger to anything about Trip except his bachelorhood. He was going to have to learn to live without that, because I planned on marrying the hell out of that guy.

   Once I could finally find him.

   But when I did, all I’d have to do is explain about the misunderstanding—
Concierge Cat, you stupid whore—
and everything would work out fine.

   The lunchbox was the last thing I’d placed in my suitcase. Aside from packing up my entire apartment, I was tasked with having to pack for a “vacation” as well. My flight was booked for the following afternoon, and I was cutting it close, hoping to make it to Newark airport in time after the moving trucks departed.

   I was exhausted. The past few days had been a whirlwind of activity and emotional upheaval. Once I found Trip, explained myself, and then promptly jumped his bones, I was planning to sleep. For days.

   I stopped channel-surfing, finally caving to check the TV Guide, and saw that
Talk Soup
was about to start. That dude with the grey stripe in his hair always cracked me up, and the clips of
Jerry Springer
were not to be missed. I flipped the station to
E!

  
Only
Talk Soup
wasn’t on that night.

   A special
Live from the Red Carpet
for the premiere of
Swayed
was.

   I was practically giddy. How’s
that
for fate? I took a huge, greasy bite of my pizza and settled in to watch.

   Arianna What’s-her-face stood outside of Grauman’s Theatre, amidst a sea of rowdy fans cordoned behind some velvet ropes and said, “Well, rumor has it that
Swayed
is set for a record-breaking opening weekend, and if this crowd’s enthusiasm is any indicator, I’d say the buzz was correct!”

   The crowd played into her prompting and started whooping and cheering appropriately.  

   The cars pulled up to the curb one-by-one, and the director and some other cast members all took turns filing out of their limos, each stopping for a few minutes to speak with the show’s hostess.

   After five interviews with the same, stupid questions, I was sweating, completely anxiety-ridden, waiting for Trip’s turn. I could never do what he was forced to do on a daily basis. I could never calmly answer questions for some invasive camera while a microphone was being thrust in my face. I thought about the very first day I had ever seen him, standing so confidently at the front of my English class, managing to charm the pants off every last one of us in that room. I calmed down a bit when I realized lack of confidence really hadn’t ever been an issue for him.

   Arianna put on her best
Star Search
smile and said, “All these lucky people get to go inside and catch a private viewing of
Swayed
. Wouldn’t you all love to be in that theater?” The crowd answered with hoots and hollers, making her laugh and add, “Oh, I’m sure I know why you’re all
really
cheering,” Arianna teased. “It might have something to do with a certain actor…” The crowd started in again, but then she put a hand to her headset and added, “And oh, here he is now, folks… the star of
Swayed
, Mr.
Trip Wiley
!”

   The crowd’s pitch turned positively fevered, going completely nuts as they waved over the velvet ropes, just screaming his name. It was a little scary, seeing the manic energy of so many
fans
. I guessed the people out there were already hip to his existence, more so than the rest of the world. But clearly, that was about to change. I’d
seen
his newest movie. I knew what was going to happen to his status.

   The camera cut to a shot of a stretch limousine, and I felt my pulse speed up. Finally, I was going to see Trip in a tux! He emerged from the car looking beautiful, of course, and my heart swelled at the thought that this man was going to be all mine very, very soon. He gave a wave as the crowd got even louder, drowning out whatever Arianna was trying to say. He stood there for a quick moment, basking in the sound of the mob’s cheers.

   And then I saw him turn back toward the limo and hold out his hand.

   For Jenna Barnes.

   She materialized from out of the car and promptly draped herself over his good arm. To say I was astonished would be a gross understatement.

   I watched as they sauntered gorgeously up the red carpet, smiling ear-to-ear, and met up with Arianna at the entrance to the theater. Even with the microphone, she had to speak loudly in order to be heard over the thunderous noise.

   “Trip Wiley! Good evening, sir. How are you feeling tonight?”

   Trip was dazzling. His shiny white grin reflected the strobe of camera flashes as he returned, “I feel good, Arianna. Anxious to get in there and finally see this film, I’ll tell ya.”

  
You already saw it, Trip. With me.

   I still couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing, but my eyes managed to slide toward the cast peeking out from under the cuff of his tuxedo.

   It was stark white.