We stared at each other for a second before bursting out laughing.
“I thought that title was reserved for you,” I said.
“Okay, yeah. It was. But I swear I’m a changed woman now.”
We both laughed.
Her arm laced through mine, and she patted my hand as we turned back to the ceiling.
“You are going to get through this,” she said when we finally settled down. “With or without him, we’re going to make this work.”
“Thanks,” I whispered. I squeezed her hand as more tears poured down my cheeks.
“You’re my sister, Rebecca,” she said seriously. “We take care of each other. Now get some sleep. We’ll figure it out in the morning.”
“Over ice cream?”
“Over ice cream.”
Chapter 17
The next morning actually came much quicker than I was prepared for. I slept soundly on Barry’s side of the bed, safe in the knowledge that whatever the next day brought, we would face it together. But when the door creaked open a little after eight, my stomach tangled in knots.
This time, Barry looked a bit nervous as he stuck his head inside. “Hey, sorry to wake you girls up, but…Marcus is at the door. He seems pretty upset.”
Amanda’s eyes glowed fiercely as she kicked off the covers and pushed back her knotted hair. “Barry, honey, do us a favor. Kick his ass and send him on his way.”
Barry’s eyes widened a bit, but he stood up straighter. “Are you serious? He’s a big guy.”
“You can take him on, baby.”
Amanda looked at me speculatively, leaving it up to me. I sincerely debated for a moment but then decided that one way or another, I needed to talk to him. I still had Billings’ car, after all. At the very least, that would have to be returned.
“I should talk to him,” I murmured, pulling myself out of bed. Amanda followed like an angry shadow, yanking a bathrobe over her cupcake pajamas.
We wandered noiselessly down the hall, but the second I saw Marcus standing behind the glass-paned door, nervously tapping his fingers against his pants as he waited, I stopped abruptly in my tracks. An image of his skeptical, accusatory face flashed through my head, and I took a step back, shaking my head.
“I can’t,” I mumbled to Amanda. “I can’t talk to him.”
She nodded quickly and backed us up to the couch, gesturing to Barry who opened the door with a rather sheepish look on his face. “Uh, sorry, man. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Marcus’s face paled, and he tried to look inside over Barry’s shoulder. “Rebecca,” he called blindly. “Bex, I’m sorry. I was an idiot—I didn’t mean it. Please talk to me.”
Amanda shook her head sharply, and Barry turned and translated. “And tell him not to call her Bex,” she added under her breath.
“Marcus, I think you should just go.” Barry shifted anxiously from foot to foot. “Whatever you did, they’re pretty upset in there. Kicked me out of bed.”
Marcus ignored this and took a step forward. “Becca, please! Just let me apologize.”
Barry held his ground, this time, requiring no translation. “I’m trying to be nice here, man, but if she doesn’t want to talk to you, you’re not coming inside.” He straightened up a little, and for the first time, I realized there were lean muscles under those professor-y shirts he was always wearing. “You might want to take a step back.”
For a second, Marcus looked like he was considering clocking Barry upside the head, but he took a step back and raised his hands. “Okay, okay. Can you just tell her—or if you’re listening Rebecca, please just know—that I scheduled a meeting with the stockholders, and I’m recommending that we abandon the Takahari deal.”
Amanda and I looked at each other in alarm, as Barry glanced back inside uneasily.
“It’s not worth anything if it means I lose you,” Marcus continued. Several neighbors had begun to gather, but he ignored them as he continued to pour out his heart. “And for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have taken the Champagne either.” His face fell hopelessly as he took another step back. “And I know you didn’t get pregnant on purpose.”
When there was nothing but silence from the house, he finally turned on his heel and walked dejectedly back to his car.