Page 7 of Rearranged

Chapter 3

Much to my disappointment, the saltshaker hadn’t turned back time. Stuck in the here and now, the three of us finished the pint of ice cream and discussed a bunch of appropriate responses for me to reply to Marco.

I’d argued for simply getting a new phone and avoiding all contact, but I was overruled. It really wasn’t realistic, since Marco and I had commitments together, and he had to have my number.

Then I’d argued for pretending the whole thing hadn’t happened. I’d explain to Marco that he’d had some sort of psychotic break, and the two women sitting next to me would back me up completely.

Also overruled.

In the end, I’d settled on texting him one word.

ok.

To which he’d immediately responded:

great. i’ll stop by in the morning before my day job.

I’d panicked a quantifiable amount after that.

With patience and supreme nurturing, Poppy and Annabel had calmed me down, assuring me I would be capable of getting through a one-on-one meeting with Marco in my living room in the morning. That we weren’t going to have crazy cheetah sex on my comfy couch, using a multicolored throw pillow as a hip positioner, the moment he walked through the door.

That, as two mature adults, we could agree that something like the closet incident would never happen again. To further facilitate this agreement, in the future when we had to see each other, we would meet in a coffee shop or some otherwise crowded location.

It all sounded very sane and ordered. Just the way I liked it.

However, I’d just gotten out of the shower, and I was feeling a little wobbly kneed. It was eight a.m., and Marco would be here soon. I felt myself entering into full-on washer-spin-cycle Panic Attack territory. If left to my own devices, I would eventually make my way into hyperventilation territory.

My phone chimed from its spot on my vanity. It was Poppy’s tone. I picked it up for fortification.

you can do this. no panicking! he’ll be in and out quickly.

Three dots popped up immediately, followed by:

bad choice of words. what i meant to say is you will solve this, and all will be fine. promise! hit me when you’re done.

I set the phone down without answering. I had nothing to share with her yet. If I told her I was about to lock myself in my bedroom, pull the covers over my head, and try to reimagine my life as a geologist in Alaska, she would race over. I didn’t want that. Poppy running was an incredible thing to see, but not today. I knew she was at the ready to spring into action, and I appreciated it. It was enough.

Dressing quickly, I finished drying my hair, which was always a bit of an ordeal since it was thick. I’d decided on a casual work outfit—jeans and a button-up shirt. So what if my cerulean-blue top with the plunging vee made my long red hair pop and sparkle?

I wasn’t trying to be sultry. This was a comfortable shirt.

Crap, maybe I should change?

No, he’s almost here! He’s allowed to see what he’s missing!

That felt extremely counterproductive and childish, but I was going to let my inner heartbreak have its way. In fact, every time I saw him in the future, I might dress to the nines. Why not? It was probably time to schedule a haircut, too. I’d neglected doing that for a long time because it was expensive. My hair was long, and a little boring, but some fresh layers might bounce it up nicely. It was also time to visit that secondhand-couture handbag shop I loved. Why not?

Get your head in the game! He’ll be here soon.

The reason for this meeting wasn’t to try to make him jealous. It was about righting the wrongs that’d happened last night and making sure they didn’t happen again. And to look my absolute best while doing it.

For the love of everything human, shut this line of thinking down and get it together already!

I didn’t have time to shut anything down, because my intercom buzzed.

It was reckoning time, and I hadn’t even had a chance to have a cup of coffee yet, which was probably for the better. Adding more jitters on top of all the other jitters wasn’t advisable.

My intercom buzzed again, and I green-lit Marco up without using the speaker.