Part 25 (1/2)

”There's orange juice in the fridge. I'll get it.”

She stood up, a bit unsteadily, walked out of the room, and returned a few minutes later with a carton of orange juice. She leaned over and poured some into my gla.s.s, splas.h.i.+ng some on the table as she did so.

”Oh, I'm sorry, let me clean that up.” She wiped the table clumsily with her hand. It was a bit sad to watch.

I stood up. ”Let me get a napkin.” I was nearly out the door when I heard her say something.

”You're a nice person, Waverly.” It came out as a whisper.

a a a An hour later, I was still nursing that one drink. The last thing I wanted to do was get drunk around Wendy Davenport, even if she was drunk. If loose lips sink s.h.i.+ps, I certainly didn't need any vodka prying mine open.

”You really missed your train because of me?” she said.

I nodded.

Her shoulders slumped. ”I'm sorry, Waverly. I thought I'd told you I planned to have you on the show today. I really...thought I had.” She stared behind me at the wall, or maybe at nothing. It was hard to tell.

”It's OK, we all make mistakes.” G.o.d knows I'd made enough of them myself. I wasn't angry anymore, especially after seeing her this way. Now I just felt sorry for her.

”So you're not getting to Boston until two?”

I nodded. ”Looks like it. It's OK, though. Jake is picking me up at the bus station.”

She kept staring at the wall behind me. ”I'm sorry for being so hard on you, Waverly.”

I didn't say anything.

”I'm sorry for making fun of you on the set today. I...I don't know why I did that. And when I first met you on the Today show, I was really a pill then too. I'm sorry for that as well.”

Again, I didn't speak. She wasn't looking at me, but I got the sense that she wanted to keep talking, so I quietly started tearing up a napkin.

”I get like that sometimes. I'm just...mean. I don't intend to be. I really don't.” She took another sip of her drink and stared at it. ”Living a lie, it's not easy.”

I looked up from the pile of napkin bits.

Living a lie?

I didn't know what to say, so I kept silent.

After a few moments, she finally looked up at me. Her eyes were gla.s.sy. ”Trying to be something you're not, have you ever done that?”

I thought back to my days in sports PR, when I'd faked my way through meetings, trying to care, wanting to care, pretending like I cared.

”Yes, I guess.”

”Did it make you a little...crazy?” she whispered.

It hadn't, but I didn't think that's what she needed to hear, so I nodded. ”A little.”

”What did you do about it?”

”I quit.”

”You quit?”

”Yeah, I quit. My job. It wasn't a fit for me anymore, so I quit.”

She shook her head. ”I can't do that.”

Is she talking about her marriage?

”So, um, why are you here this late anyway?” Paige was away visiting her parents in Maryland for Christmas, so shouldn't Wendy be with Gary and her kids?

She didn't appear to hear my question. Or if she did, she ignored it. ”It's like my whole career...the show...it's all...it's all based on a lie.” She took another gulp of her drink.

One thing I did know was that no matter how crazy Wendy could be-and at times, her elevator clearly wasn't going to the top floor-she was definitely good at her job. Very good.

I| shook my head. ”That's not true, Wendy. You're great at what you do. People love your show. They love you.”

She didn't appear to hear me. She finished off her drink and set the gla.s.s on the table. ”My marriage...it's fake,” she whispered.

I caught my breath. Oh my G.o.d. She does know.

Suddenly, despite all the horrible things she'd said to me since we'd met, I felt overwhelmed by compa.s.sion for her. I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. ”I'm sorry, Wendy.”

She smiled but pulled her hand back. ”Thanks, but you can't help me with this.”

I nodded, unsure what to say.

After a few moments, she spoke again. But she didn't make eye contact.

”d.a.m.n her,” she whispered.

I wanted to make her feel better, but I didn't know how. My mind scrambled for something to say.

Unfortunately, a Waverly moment was the result.

”She's a nice person,” I blurted.

Wendy looked up at me. ”What?”

I bit my lip. d.a.m.n it.

”What are you talking about?”

Oh my G.o.d.

She doesn't know?

Then why did she just say that? And why did I just say that? What is wrong with me?