Page 120 of The Tape Job
Liam
It’s urgent.
Vicky
If this is to do with my underwear.
Liam
I promise you, it’s not. Seriously.
I stare at the messages for a split second before telling Jen I need to excuse myself. I’ve got no idea what he wants, but playing the urgency card is not a good sign.
The first thing I notice about the conference room is that the blinds are closed. I slip in through the door, finding Liam, Ryan, and Johnny sitting in a huddle towards the window.
“Is everything okay?”
“Kind of. Johnny wants to talk and he didn’t want to have to repeat himself, so you should listen too.”
Closing the door behind me, I walk over to the window and sit in the empty chair next to Liam but Johnny doesn’t even realise I’m there. When he talks, he’s addressing Liam directly.
“I’ve fucked up, Lee and I can’t keep it going. I don’t even remember the last time I slept longer than a few hours. I—” Johnny cries. Like actual tears. Silent sobs. His shoulders are shaking with the effort of attempting to keep it in, but he’s crying. I haven’t seen him cry since… never. Not even when our parents told us they were getting a divorce. He showed zero emotion then.
“What’s going on, Johnny?” I ask, but he doesn’t respond. He takes a gulp of air, and Ryan shoves a bottle of water into his hands.
“What’s going on?” Liam and Ryan both say in union.
“Let’s just say that I totally understand all the stuff between you and Jenna.” He cocks his head to look at Ryan. “And why you stayed.” Ryan stayed because of Jenna, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. Which means—
“Who is it, John?” Ryan asks, leaning in.
“I’ve fucked up, bad,” he says again.
“What? Is she pregnant?” Liam asks.
Johnny shakes his head.
“Married?” Ryan asks.
Again, he shakes his head.
“Are you doing anything illegal?” Liam asks.
Johnny shakes his head, and relief washes over me. “No, but she’s young.”
“How young?” Ryan and Liam say, their voices merged again. I just watch the exchange, afraid to break the flow in case Johnny decides he wants to keep quiet after all.
“Nineteen. Which is young. When you’re pushing close to thirty.”
“Who is she? Do we know her?”
And then Johnny drops his head into his hands. “Bettsy’s sister.”
“Kelly?” I yelp.
“Well, what’s the issue?” Liam asks.
“I made such a fucking big deal about you and Vicky getting back together,” he says to Liam. “And look at me. Doing exactly the same thing, really. I mean, at first it was just a cover story as—it doesn’t matter. But I’m a fucking mess. This whole situation is a mess.”
