Page 56 of Plot Twist
“Being an actor is a gift. Millions of people want the kind of career you could have. Do you think if you worked a nine-to-five job like your sister that you’d be happy? Everything your father and I have worked for is so that you and Reece and Poppy will be taken care of. That doesn’t mean you get to just retire at thirty-six. And if you’re having a problem staying sober then you need to tell me so we can get you the help—”
“I’ve been working since I was eight,” Dash interrupted her. “You had me going to film commercials instead of going to school. Did you ever stop to think that I might just want some time to figure out what my life should be?”
But as his mother’s eyes dug a hole through him, he knew that being vulnerable in front of her wouldn’t achieve anything positive.
Dash stood from the table, even though his mother’s jaw was so tight he could almost hear her teeth grinding. She did not like scenes, or anything that could make their family look bad, so he knew she wouldn’t try to follow him. Especially not at the Beverly Hills Hotel, which was always a place where celebrities—and some of her clients—could be. She would sit and pay the bill, and if anyone asked, she’d say Dash had to go to an audition. She’d make up her own reality, the way she always did.
“This lunch is over,” he said. “Unless you have any notes on the speech.”
His mother refolded the napkin in her lap, as if calming herself, before answering. “Lose the bit about your father being afraid of sharks. That’s not the image I’ve created for him. Unlike you, your father’s career isn’t done.”
The part of the speech that was most personal to Dash, and revealed something he admired about his father was, of course, the one thing his mom wanted to remove from it entirely. Still, he wasn’t going to fight. He didn’t care if she watered it down to something more palatable. He wasn’t doing this for himself. He’d do it because he had no other choice.
“And, Dash?” She dabbed the napkin at the corners of her mouth, barely looking at him. “I need you to promise that nothing will go wrong at this event.”
Of course his mother would say that to him—always assuming he’d be the cause of some kind of trouble. Dash wanted to leave, though, so he nodded as a kind of answer.
He was practically vibrating with anger as he turned and walked toward the doors that would take him out of the restaurant and back to the safety of his car. He didn’t want his mother’s words to affect him:Unlike you, your father’s career isn’t done. But his eyes burned as he lowered a pair of sunglasses onto his face to hide any potential tears spilling out as he handed his valet ticket to an attendant.
He knew he was the most disappointing of the Montrose children. Even without his mom explicitly saying so, he’d understood his place in the pecking order at every dinner and family function. Still, her words caused his chest to tighten as he got into the car.
Before pulling away to drive home, he took out his phone. There was only one thing that would potentially interfere with the speech for his dad.
He typed a new message to @craftycindy.Can we talk?
23
SOPHIE
Sophie had never been good at puzzles. She didn’t have strategies—like, corner pieces first—to finish them. But still, she’d taken out her notecards and done her best to piece together all the information she’d received.
Across her kitchen table was a makeshift puzzle of neon-green cards for Carla, neon-pink for Ned, and neon-blue for Jewel. She’d written down all the reasons the relationships hadn’t worked out, along with what her obvious issues were (the wordtrustwas circled on several of the notecards). But maybe because she didn’t have all the pieces, she just wasn’t seeing how they fit into a solution.
The last and final piece of her ex-periment was Kyle—an ex she truly did not want to see based solely on the fact that he was an absolute nightmare person. He’d catcalled a woman (terrible enough)whileon a date with Sophie, for example.
Sophie would need to see Kyle before she could draw any final conclusions. So she scooped the cards up and tucked them into her desk drawer. Then she opened a text and typed in Kyle’s name, which is when she saw what she’d saved him as:Unfunny Kyle. She cringed at the accuracy because he was the least funny comedian she’d ever met.
Sophie:Hey, it’s Sophie. Would you be open to catching up soon?
She didn’t have to wait long for a response.
Unfunny Kyle:Sophie who?
She glared at the text. It was possible he had multiple Sophies in his life, she was just a little dubious that he didn’t have her name saved.
Sophie:Lyon
Unfunny Kyle:Roar ??
She put her face in her hands and instantly regretted texting him. Maybe she could just forget she’d messaged him at all.
Almost as quickly, another winner of a text came through.
Unfunny Kyle:Sure thing, little miss lion, get ready to purrr.
Sophie didn’t have long to wallow in the unfortunate wake of texting Kyle, though, as there was a knock at the door. She checked the time, and it was already past seven, which meant Carla had arrived for their date night.
When Sophie opened the door, the sun had set, which should’ve cooled the air, but outside still felt warm and stagnant. Carla stood in her hospital scrubs with a headband holding her hair back from her face. Sophie felt an intense rush of déjà vu at the familiar sight. There had been so many nights where Carla would come to her place after a long day of surgeries and making rounds, and Sophie would massage her shoulders while Carla picked a show for them to watch. They’d had the kind of effortless domesticity that Sophie had always wanted and that she hoped to find again. Maybe that could be with Carla.
