Page 54 of Love's a Script
She smiled at her dad’s long-used motivation that might’ve sounded shallow coming from someone else, but as a mathematician, Conrad Neilson really did see failure as an opportunity to try again.
And with a week separating Mary and the cruise lead announcement, the only residual disappointment she harbored was the one associated with Eden. She’d been prepared to act as though all was well between them, but within a day or two, they’d stopped taking their lunch breaks together. They also no longer escaped to the other’s office between client meetings. It was unclear who’d initiated the shift, and she’d not gotten used to it yet, but she supposed it felt better than pretending all workday.
Mary and her father took their seats at the cluttered breakfast nook with their cake and tea, and after a few bites, she said, “Dad, I need to tell you something.”
“Okay,” he replied, putting his cup down.
“Hattie and I hired a private investigator to look into Aurora.”
“Oh” is all he said.
“The PI didn’t find anything concerning,” she added. “Aurora is who you said she was.”
“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.
“Because I’m sorry that we felt the need to do it.”
She’d also wanted to confess because, with the week she’d had, she hoped it would relieve some of her emotional fatigue.
“It felt like the smart thing,” Mary said. “You’ve always been careful, and suddenly you weren’t. It was so out of character, and honestly, it scared us.”
Her father laughed, his round belly shaking with the effort. “You know, I had my forty-fifth high school reunion last year, and it was the first time in decades that I revisited my grade twelve yearbook quote. ‘Screw your courage to the sticking place.’” His eyes drifted to stare into the middle distance for a moment. “It’s from Macbeth, I believe. It reminded me to demand more from life and occasionally take the path with some resistance. So, when I met Aurora on the Reddit, I decided to go for it.”
“I’m happy you did and that you didn’t listen to us,” she told him. They returned to their plates, but the conversation bounced around in Mary’s head. Even after she’d left her dad’s place, his words lingered. They slowly took hold, germinating a realization.
“When’s the food getting here?” Ruben’s cousin asked from her place lounging on his sofa.
“Check. My phone’s on the coffee table,” he replied, distracted. He sat at the kitchen counter, trying to complete some time-sensitive work on his laptop before they left for trivia night.
“Eight minutes!” Junie said. “And you also have a notification to confirm a date with Larissa P.”
“Ah, shit.” Ruben got up from the stool for his phone. He’d been forgetting to do that all week, preoccupied with work and Mary. Five days had passed since Ruben had seen or spoken to her, but it had given him space to think, to reassess, to reason.
Being around Mary, being with Mary, quietened his otherwise racing mind. Consequently, he’d lost sight of the big picture, but his talk with the biologist had fixed that. Human romantic connection was unpredictable, and Ruben was risking a lot for vague affection and hot chemistry that would prove fleeting.
“I’m excited to learn if you’ve fallen in love or not with everyone else during your feature,” Junie said as Ruben pocketed his phone after confirming his date.
He had been light on the matchmaking details recently, but it was hard to give updates where there were none. “I’ll give you an exclusive spoiler,” he said. “I have not.”
The buzzer to the apartment went off. “That must be the food,” he said. “Can you answer it as I go change?”
He headed to his bedroom and swapped his hoodie and sweats for jeans and a long-sleeve, pub-trivia-themed shirt. He emerged from his room as Junie was speaking to the delivery person at the front door. But his cousin said, “Yeah, he’s right here,” and moved from the doorway to reveal Mary on the other side.
The impact of her presence halted Ruben. She looked so beautiful, like a snow angel, in her long white coat. The flickering lights from the hallway cast a halo all over her.
“Is it a bad time?” Mary asked. “I can come back.”
“No, no,” he said, quickly moving toward her. “It’s a perfect time. Come in.”
Mary’s eyes flitted to Junie, who was watching the interaction intently. “Could we…” Mary gestured to the corridor outside his apartment.
He nodded, following her out and closing his front door behind him.
“How’ve you been?” he asked, suddenly feeling like trash for not sending even a cursory text after she’d spent the night. “I should’ve called or?—”
“No, please. It’s okay. I didn’t expect that,” she said, not quite meeting his eye. “Everything between us from the start has been a little tricky, and…” She took deep breath and gave her head a tiny shake. It was a fortifying gesture, Ruben realized, and he knew then what she was trying to do. She’d come to the same conclusion he had.
“Mary, you don’t have to be so diplomatic,” he told her, wanting to spare her the discomfort of placating him. “I know what you’re going to say, and I’m right there with you.”
