Eliza Starts a Rumor(54)
“How would it look? You are suddenly concerned with how things look? How do you think it looked when you humiliated me in public?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, Mandy.”
Again with the “Mandy”—she became enraged. “You degraded me every chance you had, Carson. I can’t believe how long I put up with it.” The elation she felt from being with Dean had quickly turned to regret—regret for living in limbo for years and years with no regard for her own happiness. She could blame it all on Carson, but she knew that she was also responsible. It was her own life.
“Oh well, I can believe it. You put up with it until I became part of the industry reckoning, and then you conveniently jumped on the bandwagon. What a surprise.”
Amanda took another deep breath and got her shit together. “Carson. I’m mortified that it took other women calling you out for me to leave you, but the important thing is, I did. The girls can at least be proud of one of their parents.”
She knew it was a low blow. A kick to the Achilles, she thought, but she didn’t care. A thousand insults wouldn’t tip those scales in her favor. He had been demeaning her with words and chipping away at her soul for years. He was silent, and she felt satisfied.
“Send the guitar to my father’s address. I will ask Pippa if she wants you to come to her show, and I will let your assistant know the details if she does.”
He started to answer her, but she hung up. She was shaking from the call. She could not imagine dealing with him in person, but she knew she would have to find a way. Her guess was that as angry as Pippa was, she would want him there. He was her dad. Amanda vowed not to sway her decision and was already regretting having lost her cool. She promised to herself she’d never let him rile her again. Instead, she’d do and say only that which would advance her cause.
CHAPTER 31
Alison & Jack and Alison & Jackie
Nothing brings out the charm of a small town quite like a country fair. The trees seemed to be competing against each other for Best in Show as much as the overall-clad creations that lined Main Street for the annual scarecrow contest. And the creativity on display was astonishing. Alison’s favorite scarecrows were the ones dressed as the band KISS, complete with signature painted pumpkin heads. Main Street was closed to traffic and covered in hay for horse-drawn buggy rides. A petting zoo and a prettiest pig competition were set up at one end of the road, and a farmers market selling locally sourced everything stood at the other.
She met Jack at the cider stand, as he had assured her that a hot cup of cider was the best introduction to the Hudson Valley Fair. It was infinitely more charming than meeting someone on the corner of Fifty-Third and Third. He was already holding a cup for her when they arrived. He kissed her on the cheek and said, “Good morning.”
As she took it from him she was struck by the ease of their connection—the weirdest combination of familiar and exciting. She flinched at the unfamiliar taste of hot apple cider, but it was even more delicious than promised.
“It’s yummy,” she said, taking in the warmth in his eyes.
“I knew you would like it.” He smiled.
She watched him take a sip. Her mind drifted to the possibility of kissing him. She reeled herself back in.
As they walked through the fair, Alison marveled at every turn, pointing things out to Zach as if he were old enough to understand. She could imagine him one day petting the animals and proudly carrying a little gourd. The longer she stayed in Hudson Valley, the farther away Manhattan felt. In her heart, she knew that she could snap right back into a modified version of her old life, but for now she was happy to sit back and enjoy the smell of wood-smoked air, apple cider, and fallen leaves. She had to admit her seasonal pumpkin spice latte in the city had nothing on the real deal.
And then there was this good-looking guy standing next to her. He seemed to have both appeared out of nowhere and been in her life forever. She couldn’t remember ever making such an instantaneous connection with someone. When he reached out his hand to help her onto the horse-and-buggy ride, she actually took it, even though it was completely out of character for her to acquiesce to such old-fashioned chivalry. In fact, she usually made a point to do the opposite of what was offered. But here she was, with a gracious smile and open arms. She chalked it up to a side effect of having a baby, of loving so unconditionally. As the horse trotted through the fair, Jack seemed anxious, his eyes darting left and right like he was watching a match at Wimbledon. It was not the romantic excursion that Alison was expecting. She needed to know why.
“Are you looking for someone?”
He answered sheepishly, “Sorry. I’m looking for my daughter. This is the first year we didn’t come together. Well, technically at least. The past few times she ‘let’ me drive her and her friends. I kind of skulked behind them. They only talked to me when they needed more money or wanted me to win them something at the arcade.”
He spotted Jana and hid his face while pointing in her general vicinity.
“There she is. In the pink sweater.”
Alison could see a group of young teenage girls and a few guys walking in a pack, laughing and, she imagined, trying to navigate their fleeting youth. She remembered the uneasy feeling of being fourteen. For her it was compounded by being a good foot taller than most of the boys her age. Jackie looked through his fingers and commented, “It seems like there are a few boys with them—I count three.”