“Well, good for you Joan,” I hugged her. “I’m grateful that you were my assistant and publicist for the little time I had you. You were more than awesome…Does this mean I have to find someone else now? And that we can’t be friends anymore?”
“First of all, I already replaced myself,” she laughed. “Her name’s Heather and she’s my protégé. She’s been briefed on all your likes and dislikes and she’s signed off on the replacement clause on my dissolution of contract. She’ll meet you at the airport when you leave for California next Thursday. Second of all, this means we’ll be even better friends because our careers won’t be intertwined and I won’t want to strangle you every other day. I still expect you to be at my wedding in a couple months.”
“I’m totally there…Um, do you know where Ethan is? Do you think he went back to Boston tonight?”
“I have no idea…”
“Do you think we would’ve worked out Joan?” I tried not to cry. “Do you think we would’ve made it if the situation was different?”
“Probably. He seemed like someone who could deal with your personality, and he made you more likeable,” she laughed.
“I told him I meant what I said about never seeing him again and he actually left! He didn’t even put up a fight! After we watched all those romantic comedies where the guy has to go after the girl until she listens, he still doesn’t get it! He doesn’t really care about me! He didn’t even try to get me to change my mind!”
She sighed. “Why does this conversation sound so familiar? Oh yeah…right…Um look, these things usually have a way of working themselves out, Selena. Don’t stress about it.”
“Don’t stress about it? Don’t stress about it! That’s your advice Joan? I paid you double so you could tell me ‘Don’t stress about it’?”
“Sounds about right,” she shrugged. “What do you want me to say? Give me two hours and I’ll get him here and tie him up so you can tell him how you really feel?”
“Can you do that?”
She hugged me. “Good night Selena. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Our flight is at four so be ready by two. I know it sounds simple, but it’s true…Don’t stress about—”
“Pardon the interruption Joan,” Ethan appeared from out of nowhere, looking unusually disheveled. “Can I talk to Selena in private for a few minutes?”
Joan smiled at me and walked away.
“I don’t know why you came back Ethan,” I sighed. “I said I don’t want you anymore.”
“I’m well aware of what you said, but I need to get something off my chest before you go back to New York.” he reached for my hand, but I smacked it away.
“Fair enough Selena. Would you at least follow me then?”
You know you want to…
I took my time standing up and followed him to the other side of the wedding lake, underneath the branches of a massive pecan tree.
He sat down on a bench and motioned for me to sit next to him, but I sat on the other end.
“That’s not happening,” he reached over and pulled me into his lap.
He didn’t say anything for a long time; he just held me close and sighed. A few swans waded over to our side of the lake, watching us—I was sure they were wondering if he was ever going to speak to me.
“I’ve missed you so much Selena,” he planted kisses along my shoulders. “I’ve been reading the celebrity news section and watching the E channel every day. I’ve been trying to find out where you were for a long time. I—”
“For what?” I tried my best to resist his touch. “Did you want to tell me you’re taking my mom’s house away from her too? Are you in the real estate business now?”
“Not exactly,” he grabbed me by my waist and moved me so I was lying flat against his lap. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you…I watched each and every one of your films, interviews, and TV episodes so I could see your face every day.”
“Well, if I were you I wouldn’t get too attached to—”
“Shut up Selena, I’m talking,” he bent down and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you…”
He ran his fingers through my hair and caressed my face, never taking his eyes off mine.
Keep scowling at him…Pretend that kiss never happened…
“I take it your mother didn’t tell you what I did with Sweet Seasons?”
“I didn’t need her to tell me that you put it out of business, Ethan. That was already pretty clear before I left Fayetteville.”
I knew that wasn’t what he was talking about. I knew that he’d paid all the former employees of Sweet Seasons ten years worth of salary with a hundred thousand dollar bonus, and that he’d given my mother twenty million dollars in exchange for using her recipes and the Sweet Seasons name on a special blend of Autumn Wonder coffee. But I didn’t think that erased what he did. I was still upset with my mom for accepting his money.
“So you do know?” he smiled.
How does he do that?
“Yes…”
“Well, good…Should I assume you signed that million-dollar endorsement deal with Starbucks out of spite?”
Absolutely.