Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
I pour the wine and Gigi and I head into the living room where we settle onto the couch with our goblets and the rest of the bottle.
“I’m excited to get a chance to chat with you,” Gigi says tentatively. She pauses to choose her words. “I’m wondering if maybe you’re a little uncomfortable to discover me dating your father? Is it weird for you?”
“Not at all. I wanted to set you up with him, remember?”
“Yes, I know . . . but I think maybe wanting to do that, in theory, might be something different than actually seeing me with him and realizing we’re really hitting it off.”
She’s a wise and observant woman. Which really shouldn’t surprise me. Geraldine’s empathy and emotional intelligence drew me to her in the first place.
I exhale. “Your Spidey-senses aren’t wrong,” I admit. “I think it’s going to take a little getting used to. But that doesn’t mean I’m not one hundred percent excited for you both. I am. My mother couldn’t have been clearer she wanted my father to find love again, as long as it was with someone who’d be kind to him, Ripley, and me. And there’s no doubt whatsoever you fit that bill, and then some.”
Gigi sighs with relief. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. Your father is an incredible man. His heart is as big as the Grand Canyon.”
“It sure is.”
Gigi twists her mouth. “Did I do something to offend you or your friends at dinner that time? I had such a lovely time that night. I was sorry we lost touch after that.”
“Oh, gosh, no. You did nothing wrong.” I explain the whole thing to her as we drain our glasses of wine. I tell her the timing simply wasn’t good for me to embark on a new friendship, especially with someone who reminded me so much of my mother. And Gigi expresses complete understanding and support. “I should have had the decency to explain all that to you back then,” I concede. “I’m sorry. It never occurred to me you might think you’d done something wrong.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Gigi says. “I’m just glad you’ve been able to get the counseling and support you needed.”
“I have. I feel like a whole new person.” The image of this woman’s son fucking me against a wall today slams into me. With a smirk, I add, “Well, mostly. I’m still a work in progress.”
“Aren’t we all?”
I refill our wine glasses and she thanks me.
“As long as we’re clearing the air,” I say. “I do have one question. You expressed surprise when you saw me at the gallery today—like you didn’t know I’d turn out to be my father’s Marnie. But when we got back home, and I saw all the framed photos around, I realized you’ve been here before, right? So, you must have seen a bunch of photos of me at some point before today and realized you’d already met my father’s daughter.”
Gigi flushes. She looks sheepish. “Yes, that’s true. I knew it from the very beginning, actually.”
I’m flabbergasted. “Then why didn’t you tell him before today you already knew me?”
Gigi runs her hand through her hair, looking flustered. “Oh, God, I’ve been feeling so guilty about this. Like I’ve been keeping a huge, horrible secret.” She exhales. “I didn’t meet your father, completely at random, Marnie, and I didn’t want him to think I was some kind of deranged stalker. I figured you’d mentioned me to your father, way back when and I didn’t want him thinking you and I had somehow ganged up on him—that we’d cleverly engineered our meet-cute at Whole Foods. So, when Henry showed me a photo of you and Ripley on our first date, I panicked and froze and didn’t say anything. And once I’d made that initial mistake, I didn’t know how to admit it later on. Ever since, I’ve been holding it in, and now I feel sick about it.”
I cock my head. “What do you mean you didn’t meet him completely at random?”
Gigi takes a deep breath. “After you told me about your father at dinner, and how wonderful he is, I was curious, so I did a little online digging and found a photo of him. I thought he was incredibly handsome—but that’s no surprise, given that you have half his genes. And I also thought he had extremely kind eyes.” She shrugs. “But then, you and I lost touch, and I never heard from you about setting me up with him, so I forgot all about it and went on with my life. I went on some horrible dates with men I’d met through dating apps. Went on a few more with men I’d met in my hiking club. Also, not great. And then, a few months ago, I happened to see your father standing in line at the deli counter at Whole Foods. I recognized him, instantly.” She smiles. “He was gorgeous—even better looking in person than in his photo. And his aura was so gentle and sweet. So, I stood in line behind him, even though I didn’t need a damned thing from the deli counter, and, luckily, he struck up a conversation with me. After that, I pretended it was pure happenstance I was standing there that day. So, how could I possibly tell him I’d recognized you in the photo he’d showed me on our first date? I was locked into my lies by then, and I’ve been feeling like I’m caught in a web of them, ever since.”