Page 93 of Such a Good Couple
Oh fuck, she thought.Is this about the play?Surely he could only know what Fionn knew. Though maybe he’d given it a bit more thought than Fionn. That wouldn’t be that hard. Fionn was happy she was in a better mood and doing something of her own. It was clear he was excited for her, though he hadn’t actually asked that many questions about the nuts and bolts of the show. He was understandably preoccupied.Fires in Vermontwas coming out the following month and the whispers about theOscar nominations were everywhere. Though it would be more than three months until they were announced.
‘What is it I’m doing, Brody?’ she asked.
‘Ordering over $2,000 worth of food on DoorDash in the last week since you’ve been in New York.’
‘What!’ Maggie was stunned. It couldn’t have been that much. Could it?
She panicked and made the split-second decision to go on the offensive.
‘DoorDash is expensive, Brody. That’s not that much food. Also, we have the fucking money.’ She rolled her eyes but in her stomach fear roiled. Oh God. This was way too much reality. Did he suspect something?
‘Look, Maggie, I don’t care who you’re holed up with eating takeout all hours of the day and night – yes, I can see the times of the transactions, honey – while your husband’s on the other side of the country. But all it takes is one of these delivery guys to go to thePostand then all eyes are on Finn’s marriage.’
Maggie felt light-headed. Brody was usually so polished, his tone shocked her. Of course, she could see why he was being so zealous – his livelihood was completely entwined with Fionn’s. Every star was like a separate little economy unto themselves with so many people relying on them for work. Thank God he had the wrong idea but also, shit, she could absolutely seewhyhe’d gotten a hold of it. ‘Brody, absolutely nothing untoward is happening.’ She cast around for a reason that wasn’tI’m bingeing multiple times a day.
‘I’ve been having meetings in the apartment. The producers … working late …’ She waved her hand vaguely. ‘And some friends from home came over.’
Brody didn’t look overly convinced. ‘Hmmmm. If you say so. But Maggie, I’ve been in the business a while and believe me,’ heleaned right into her ear and she tensed, ‘you don’t wanna be a Hollywood NobodyEx-Wife – it ain’t pretty.’
Maggie was unsettled. She wasn’t worried about Brody telling Fionn about the DoorDash thing; he clearly wanted it to go away. It was more the brush with exposure. As she made her way around the pre-show reception on Fionn’s arm, her racing thoughts continued to pull her out of the moment.I need to be more careful. Maybe I need to get a separate credit card? Or use cash.
Fionn excitedly told everyone they chatted to about Maggie’s project and it was gratifying to hear the pride in his voice and to bask in their interest. Still, she felt off-kilter even though she hadn’t even finished her first drink and had been on water since. Her head was foggy and a couple of times the room seemed to shift strangely.
At the end of the film, when they all stood to applaud, Maggie’s head was pounding and her legs suddenly nearly went from under her. She recovered quickly enough and managed to get herself to the bathroom without anyone noticing.
In the privacy of the stall she coaxed herself.Deep breaths, deep breaths.She realised it’d been hours and hours since she’d eaten that morning and she had gotten rid of it nearly as fast as she’d swallowed it. She wished she was back in the apartment. Her stomach was hurting and her heart knocked in her chest.I’m just having a panic attack, she told herself.I just need air and something to eat.She tried to stand slowly and drifted sideways but managed to keep herself upright.
Outside, she told Fionn she wasn’t well and within twenty minutes was back at home kneeling on the kitchen floor eating slice after slice of Wonder Bread – a brand she hated. She just needed to shake the dizziness and she’d be fine. She resolved to keep this bread down.
CHAPTER 22
‘Aaaaah! Annie! You’re getting a littlebump!’ Ellie, Annie’s sister, practically leapt on Annie at the door of their mother’s cottage.
‘I’ve noticed,’ Annie said dryly from her youngest sister’s armpit.
‘Don’t crush her!’ Shiv, their mother, thundered as she came through from the kitchen. She then proceeded to unpeel her daughter and leap onto Annie herself.
‘Are you Rachel?’ Ellie was shouting down the narrow hallway from behind Shiv.
‘No, she’s a woman I found on the way here.’ Annie laughed.
‘Jesus, you’re a ride,’ Ellie told Rachel, pulling her on through. ‘Annie, you’re not bisexualing again, are you?’
‘Not how it works, Ellie,’ Annie said airily. ‘Once a bisexual, always a bisexual.’
‘Yeah but don’t ye go dormant like a volcano when ye’re playing straight?’
‘Shut up, thank you.’ Annie started trying to shunt them all towards the kitchen.
Rachel grinned. ‘I’m a … friend.’
In the kitchen, the windows were steamed from the kettle boiling, and brown bread was cooling on the worn wooden table. Through the fogged window, Annie could see her dad picking his way up the slightly overgrown path.
A moment later and Annie was once again being crushed in ahug. When she was released, she introduced Rachel.
‘This is Liam,’ she indicated as he took Rachel’s hand and made a gallant little bow. ‘Garden-shed dweller and charismatic whittler,’ supplied Annie.
‘Are you two shattered?’ Shiv was pouring out tea for everyone. ‘Bloody road from Cork’s still in shite since that flooding at the beginning of the month.’
