Page 68 of Never Forever
Roy nodded, looking out over the water. The sun’s last ditch effort behind us turned the whole sky red.
“I know how that goes. I used to hate Vanessa too,” Roy said. I stared at him blankly. Maybe the long run and two beers on an empty stomach were a bad idea. “Of course, she made sure I hated her,” he clarified.
“What did she do?”
“Let me believe the worst about her.”
The breeze ran goosebumps up and down my arms. “Why?”
He turned and looked at me. “For stupid reasons. I know this though, we wasted a lot of time.”
I licked my lips and wondered what the fuck had gotten into Roy. We had an agreement. We didn’t have heart to hearts. We talked about the weather and the ocean and the Patriots’ shit defense.
“Carrie and I…it’s not like that.”
“No, you guys taking non-stop shots at each other any time you’re within ten feet feels real healthy,” Roy laughed. Now I really wished he hadn’t come over. “And,” he added, “It’s not fooling anyone.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Only that Carrie seems to go to a lot of trouble to get under your skin. You ask me, she brought this whole movie business here for that very reason.”
“You’re full of shit, Barnes,” I muttered, and took the final pull of my beer.
“Maybe, but I know what I know,” he said, standing. The sun was down now, and there was a bit of chill in the air.
“Well, whatever you know doesn’t matter,” I said with a heavy sigh. “She’s leaving as soon as the movie raps up.”
Roy grunted, but I decided my translation must be off because it sounded suspiciously like:
We’ll see.
15
The Next Day
Carrie
Iwas late to get out to the island the next day. The morning reshoots went long and then we had a production meeting.
Also, I was still raw from my run in with Matt last night.
Charged up. Angry. Aroused. Wistful.
I had to dig it all back up. Our break-up. I had to play back every awful, painful thing he’d said to me. I burned back into my brain the way he looked at me.
Like I was nothing.
Like he was sorry for me.
No one felt sorry for Carrie Piedmont.
No one. Except me sometimes.
I dressed for the fifteen-minute ferry ride like it was an audition. White high-waisted short-shorts with big buttons up the side. They had a real classy sailor porn star look. A gauzy red shirt, with a camisole beneath it. A pair of cherry red wedge sandals that made my legs look lethal.
And giant sunglasses to hide the dark circles under my eyes from not sleeping.
I texted my sister to tell her I was on my way and she sent a picture of Gran in a straw fedora sitting in the sun. Asleep.