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.