Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(18)

“My profession is something I don’t like to advertise.”

“Why?”

“Because if I tell you, you may not wish to get to know me. Usually, if people get to know me first, then discover my profession, they’re more accepting. They’ve already found out for themselves that I’m a good person, and what I do for a living doesn’t cloud their judgement.”

Okay, I had no idea what he was talking about now. “Are you a journalist?”

He affected a confused look. At least, I imagined he was affecting it to throw me off the scent. “Why ever would you think that?”

“Just a hunch.”

“I’m not a journalist.”

“Sure, you aren’t. Listen, I think you should go now. You’re not going to find any story here.”

Julian opened his mouth to say something when the bell rang, and Bernice walked in to relieve me from my shift. She glanced from Julian to me. “Hello again. Are you back to look for the new Sasha Orlando book for your friend? It’s still two more days before it goes on sale.”

Julian scratched his head. “No, I, uh, was just passing through.” He looked back to me, a conflict on his face. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Ellen. Bernice.”

With that, he left. I played back our conversation in my head, but it only made me more confused than ever.





Chapter Five





Julian





I walked back to my flat, perplexed by my conversation with Elodie’s sister, Ellen. Perhaps it was the fact that they didn’t have a good relationship that made her frosty. But then, she’d acted weirdly suspicious, thinking I was a journalist out to find a story. What was that all about?

Again, something simply wasn’t adding up.

When I’d discovered Elodie had a sister, I was amused and intrigued by the resemblance. They had different coloured hair and eyes, but their facial features were identical.

Ellen reminded me of Elodie insofar as they had the same face, practically the same voice, but that was where the similarities ended. Ellen wore jeans and T-shirts, no makeup, and had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks that were adorable.

I liked to imagine myself as a scholar of women. All of their variations and idiosyncrasies fascinated me, so to discover two sisters who were so different in temperament made me feel like an archaeologist who’d just stumbled upon a rare fossil.

One more thing they had in common: neither sister was interested in me, which was perfectly fine. I’d long since accepted I was not the sort of man women chose to date or settle down with. I was the sort they enjoyed a thrilling, sexually adventurous affair with for a few weeks before moving on, and that was okay. Sure, more and more often these days, I wondered what it would be like to be loved completely and unconditionally by someone, but I would never ask a single woman to accept what I did for a living. It just wouldn’t be fair.

I reminded myself that life was too short to spend it with any one person. With my particular profession, I got to enjoy all the colours, shapes, sizes, and souls that God had seen fit to create.

Rose was packing when I arrived home. Tomorrow was Damon’s last day of filming, so they were off back to the island on Sunday. Since they were the only real family I had, I’d be sad to see them go.

My mother had been admitted into a psychiatric hospital when I was in my late teens and I’d never met my father. Now Mum lived in an assisted living facility. I went to visit her a few times a year, but it was never certain if she’d be happy to see me. Sometimes she’d greet me with a smile, maybe even a hug. Other times she’d be cold and withdrawn, too much inside her own head.

She suffered from an extreme form of bipolar depression. It was one of the many things she passed on to me. However, unlike Mum, I was able to manage my moods with medication and self-care. When her past lover, Elijah, with whom she’d been having a polyamorous relationship including two other women, chose one of the other women over her, Mum suffered a manic break. It was one of the most tumultuous periods of my life, and in the end, I had to make the hard decision to admit Mum into a facility. It was a choice I lived to regret somewhat, because now she didn’t want to leave. She was institutionalised, and the idea of re-entering the outside world terrified her.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Rose asked as I flopped down onto the bed. She knelt on the floor, carefully folding clothes and placing them in her suitcase.

I made a dramatic frown. “I don’t want you to go.”

Her expression softened. “Why don’t you come with us? You could do with a break from the city. Do some meditation. Read a few books. It’ll be good for you.”

I considered it. The idea of getting away from all the hustle and bustle was appealing, but then I thought of my current preoccupation with Elodie and Ellen. I was too intrigued by them to leave right now. There was just something about them that I needed to get to the bottom of.

“It’s not a good time for me to go away.”

“Oh? Does this have to do with a client?” Rose asked, curious.

“No, for once this has nothing to do with a client. You know Elodie?”

Her expression turned knowing. “Ah, right. The sexpot from the coffee shop.”

I smiled at her phrasing. “Well, do you remember Ellen, from the bookshop the other day?”