Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
On this thought, I gave her the go-ahead to publish. I spent a few minutes cherry-picking stills and clips I’d use for the stream I was going to film. I then wrote the copy. After that, I moved to the elaborate makeup station I’d set up against the wall to the side of my desk and did my makeup.
All set, I went to the storage closet. A quarter of the space housed office supplies. The rest of it was shelves of shoes, accessories, and two rolling clothing rails. I had a vast selection these days, and I hadn’t bought them all off TheRealReal or in bargain basement sales where I’d had to have tears mended and makeup smudges dry cleaned off them. A handful of designers now sent me fabulous items, and they were brand new.
I sorted through it all and picked an outfit.
I put it on, headed out, and Zoey and I filmed the Elsa’s Exchange about the Blazing the Trail gala.
She took off when we were done. I edited the piece, posted it, went through some emails, bought some photos, got a jump start on work for the next week, changed back to my street clothes, and headed out.
All of this took just over four hours.
Automatically, I looked for the woman who gave me the creeps when I left the building, and I was relieved to see she wasn’t there.
On the way home, I stopped at my bodega to grab some staples, just in case we needed snacks, then hit the liquor store so I’d have a better selection of wine and beer to choose from than I could find at the bodega.
I lugged all this home, not for the first time grateful for a working elevator, and had put it away when another text came in.
This from Fliss, and it had the photo I’d posted on the Elsa’s Exchange socials.
Hale had my phone, and he’d lifted it high so you could see part of his long arm. He was looking amazing, smiling directly at it, appearing genuinely happy, while I was tucked to his chest, giving my phone my signature blowing of a kiss.
I like this one a lot better, Fliss said.
Seriously.
I did too.
I sent three heart emojis then texted, Full story tomorrow night.
Can’t wait! Carole replied.
I got down to business stripping my bed and then taking a load of laundry down to our newly secured laundry room in the basement that also had new machines. A miracle happened when I found a machine empty on a Sunday. I put the load in and headed back upstairs.
While dusting, I got another text, this one from my dad.
Looks like you had fun last night. And you looked beautiful. I’m very proud of you.
My heart was still warming when, also from Dad, another text came in.
Can you spare your old man some time this week?
Sure, Dad, I replied. I have plans Monday night, but any other night, you name it.
Tuesday?
I got a bad feeling from that. It smacked of him wanting to see me with some urgency.
I have time now, I lied. You want me to call?
No. Tuesday is good. And I didn’t want to ask, because you hadn’t mentioned him, but it was good to see you with Hale.
Another indication that I was seriously neglecting important parts of my life. I’d done the requisite family time during Chanukah (Dad) and Christmas (Mom), a double deal we’d had all or lives which had seemed fun as a kid, but was too much as an adult, specifically since all of the children were brought up in the Jewish faith.
Not that I wanted to dis Mom. I could do Christmas dinner and buy her a present.
But I was Jewish.
Now it was March, and I’d been mostly MIA for two months.
He’s in town this week, I told dad, a lame, and true, yet untrue excuse as to why Hale had disappeared since the dinner.
Then again, Hale being my boyfriend in the first place was a big fat lie that, at the time, I didn’t think would be a thing with my family (I could just tell them we broke up). But now, it might be.
Then we’ll push our dinner to next week so you two have time together, Dad offered.
No, I want to see you.
I’d invite you to bring Hale, but I want some time together, just my girl and me.
That didn’t make me feel any better about all of this.
Tell me when and where and I’ll be there.
I’ll have a think about somewhere special and let you know. Love you, Elsa.
Love you too, Dad.
When that exchange was over, I fretted about it, but I didn’t have time to descend into it. I had to run down and switch out my clothes.
And for the next hour I finished dusting, mopped the kitchen floor, wiped down the counters, tidied everything away, vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, put clean sheets on the bed and finished one load of laundry, half finished a second, and started a third.