Honey on Your Mind Part 22

Before I even sat down, however, my phone rang. It was Scotty, asking me to cover a free concert in Prospect Park that had just been announced for that evening. I glanced at my watch to check the time. If I was going to make it, I'd need to leave my apartment in twenty minutes.

So much for my break from reality.

The following week was more hectic than I'd thought possible. Because so many of us were going to be gone around Christmas, we all had to prepare a lot of material ahead of time. Wendy was doing two shows a day in front of a live studio audience, and as a result, my team was shooting at least one if not two features each day. A couple of times, I actually had to change clothes to make it look like a separate day. I found this absurd, given that it was winter and in every outdoor segment I was wearing a huge black coat that covered most of what I had on underneath. But that was the protocol at Love, Wendy, so I kept my mouth shut. Although we had a long list of features to shoot, I still hadn't come up with a good idea for the New Year's Eve show.

Late Wednesday afternoon, I squeezed in an hour between shoots to meet Paige for coffee. She wanted to catch up on work stuff before she took off to visit her parents for the holidays. We'd only texted, so I still had no idea what had happened during her weekend with Gary. As I pushed open the door to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a wave of dread swept over me. I wonder what he told her?

I spotted her sitting at a table when I walked in.

"Hey, Waverly, it's great to see you." She stood up and gave me a hug. Her blonde hair looked a little lighter than usual, and I wondered if she'd highlighted it for her trip to Vermont.

"It's, um, it's good to see you too." I was at a loss for words, a rare experience. Does she know? Does she know I know?

She pointed to the counter. "I just ordered a hot chocolate. Want one?"

"Sure, sounds good." I took off my coat and sat down at the table. Oh lordy, this is awkward.

A minute later, she handed me a hot chocolate and took a seat. "So how was your weekend with my cousin? I hope she didn't get herself arrested."

I laughed. "Thankfully, no, although she did drag me to a club in the Meatpacking District."

"You did not."

"I did. Do you know how old that made me feel?"

"I haven't been to a club in years. I can't imagine dealing with that scene now. Too many prep.u.b.escents in s.l.u.tty clothes for my taste."

I pointed at her. "Exactly! It was a total scene. The stars of the scene were prep.u.b.escents in s.l.u.tty clothes, and I was an extra who never should have been hired in the first place. I kept waiting for the director to show up and kick me out."

She laughed. "Please, I'm sure you added a much-needed touch of cla.s.s to the establishment."

I took a sip of my hot chocolate. "You are way too nice. But we had a great weekend. McKenna, the third Musketeer, so to speak, surprised me and came out with Andie."

"She's the one who just had the baby, right?"

I nodded. "She rallied to fly all the way across the country for a girls' weekend."

"Sounds like the three of you are tight."

"Yeah, they're pretty much the sisters I never had."

She stared at the paper cup in her hand for a moment, and I was sure she was about to say something about Gary.

I held my breath.

What am I going to say back to her?

But then she appeared to change her mind-and the subject.

"So hey, I know you're swamped with taping, but I wanted to debrief you on the rollout plans for the orders at Jordan Brooke and Bella's Boutique. Those two accounts alone are going to keep us really busy, so I've found a couple students from FIT to do a work-study next semester."

I raised my eyebrows. "FIT? As in the Fas.h.i.+on Inst.i.tute of Technology?"

She nodded.

"You got students from FIT who want to do a work study for Waverly's Honey Shop?"

She nodded again. "Why not? They're smart, eager, and willing to work for super cheap to get some experience in the business."

"I guess I a.s.sociate FIT and *the business' with runway models and couture, not girly tees and tote bags."

She smiled. "Don't sell yourself short, Waverly. Once Jordan Brooke and Bella's Boutique start carrying your stuff, a lot of people are going to be jumping on the Honey bandwagon."

"You really think so?"

She nodded. "You're a trendsetter, my dear."

I laughed to myself as I thought of the chocolate stains on my pajamas. Trendsetter. Ha.

Paige filled me in on her plans for bringing down our production costs and streamlining the ordering system. As she neared the bottom of her checklist, I glanced at a clock on the wall. I'd have to leave soon to get ready for my next taping.

You have to say something, Waverly.

I knew I had to ask her about her weekend with Gary. If a friend goes away with a guy for the weekend for the first time, you have to ask about it.

When she was done with her list, I forced the words out.

"So how did it...go with Gary?"

For a second I thought I saw a look of distress in her eyes, but then it was gone, and she smiled.

"It was good. We had a really nice time."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing too exciting, really. We window-shopped, took long walks, went to dinner, your standard bed-and-breakfast weekend."

"That sounds fun."

"It was." She smiled again, but I could tell something was off. She looked back at her notebook, as though she didn't want to make eye contact with me.

Does she know he's married? Does she know I know he's married? And that I work for his wife?

My mind raced, searching for what to say next. I thought of Kristina's advice to stay out of it, of Jake's advice to stay out of it. Of my own desire to stay out of it.

Stay out of it, Waverly!

I knew it wasn't my business. I knew I should just let it go.

But I couldn't.

Not entirely. Not yet.

I watched her body language for a clue. Maybe she wanted to open up but needed a nudge to unlock the door. Maybe I could give her a key?

"So, um, do you want to talk about it?" I asked softly.

She looked up from her notepad. "What?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"

I studied the look on her face. If she knows he's married, she must know I know too. Does she know? The thoughts were running around in circles inside my head, clamoring to get out.

One finally burst free.

"He must have told you I know," I blurted.

"Know what?" She took a sip of her hot chocolate and made eye contact for a second, then glanced away.

"Paige..." I paused because I didn't know what to say. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut, but I'd shown my hand.

She knew.

And she knew that I knew.

We sat there in awkward silence for a moment, and then she finally spoke.

"I don't really want to talk about it, OK? I care about him and he cares about me, so let's just leave it at that."

She knows. Oh, my G.o.d. She totally knows.

"So you're going to keep seeing him?"

She ignored me. "Listen, I don't want to talk about it, OK? And I have to go now anyway. I'll be in touch after the holidays. We're going to have to hit the ground running when I get back." She gathered her things and stood up.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Thanks, but no."

"Are you sure?"

"Life doesn't always go the way we planned, Waverly."

I looked up at her. Why are you acting so weird? Don't you know I care about you?

There were suddenly so many things I wanted to say, but I just sat there, silently stunned.

She gave me a quick hug before turning to leave. "I need to run now. Happy holidays. Have fun with Jake's family."

"OK, thanks." My mouth hung half open.

She was nearly out the door when she stopped and turned to face me. "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached into her purse and pulled out a set of keys. "Here's your set. On January first, Waverly's Honey Shop starts a whole new chapter."

Before I could even respond, she was off again. She blended into the busy sidewalk outside, and I stood there, staring at the keys in my hand, thinking of the key I'd tried to give her.

Life doesn't always go the way we planned.

I thought of the way Gary had grabbed my arm at the holiday party. He wanted me to stay out of it, and now Paige was telling me to mind my own business as well.

Paige. Sweet, smart, kind Paige, who deserved to be with someone who deserved her.

Someone who wasn't already married.

I rubbed my fingers over the keys and wished they could unlock the hold he clearly had over her.

The week continued at its frenetic pace, and by Friday, I could barely keep my eyes open. And I wasn't the only one. Early that morning, before yet another double taping in front of a live studio audience, we had our last staff meeting before everyone scattered for the holidays. The strain from the workload showed on everyone's faces, but none more so than Wendy's. Small bags were visible under her eyes, which looked a little bloodshot, and for the first time I could see tiny crow's feet at the corners.

Scotty clapped his hands to start the meeting. "OK, people, I know it's Christmas Eve, and I know everyone has been working double time to keep us covered over the holidays. I want you to know how much I appreciate all your hard work. Especially you, Wendy. Staying cheery for hours on end in front of the bright lights of a studio audience isn't easy, but you've done a remarkable job of holding it together."

Wendy nodded and chewed at her fingernails.

She looks awful, I thought. Did she find out about Paige?

"One more show, and then everyone is free for a few days. Do you have it in you?" He looked like a cheerleader up there. He should get a job at Southwest Airlines, I thought. Those people are always freakishly happy, no matter how crowded their flights are.

Wendy smiled and nodded. "I have it in me. Just let me stop by makeup, and I'll make the audience fall in love with me."

I looked at her. You're totally right. Bizarre as she may be behind the scenes, Wendy was the consummate professional before an audience. She was full of charisma, and her fans adored her.

"Waverly, you're on this afternoon's show, right?" Scotty said.

I looked up at him. "Excuse me?"

"You're doing a studio appearance on the show today, right?"

"Huh?" I definitely didn't remember that.

"On the two o'clock taping. Wendy said we'd scheduled you to talk about Honey on Your Mind, sort of a holiday-themed wrap-up?"

I looked at Wendy. "Did we schedule that?" I knew I certainly hadn't. If I had, I wouldn't have booked a four o'clock train to Boston. My suitcase was all packed and ready so that I could leave for Penn Station right from the office.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Waverly, we did."

I opened my mouth but didn't speak. Huh? Although I had zero recollection of scheduling anything with her, with everyone in the room staring at me, I caved. "Um, I'm sorry; I must have forgotten to make a note of it."

Scotty gave me a look that made it clear he didn't know what to believe but didn't have time to get into it. "OK then, Waverly, looks like you'll be joining Wendy in makeup."