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)
Poor Gigi looks so forlorn, so apologetic and tortured, I can’t help bursting out laughing. “Oh, Geraldine,” I say. “You poor little thing. It’s okay.”
“It is?” she says, wiping a tear.
“Of course, it is. Come clean to my father. He’ll understand.”
“What if he doesn’t? What if he thinks our relationship has been built on lies?”
“It was a tiny lie. A forgivable one. Come clean, and he’ll forgive you. I’m sure he’ll feel flattered to think you recognized him, after all that time had passed.”
“How could I not? When I saw Henry’s photo, I genuinely thought he’s the handsomest man I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Oh, my heart. “Is that why you introduced yourself as Gigi to him, instead of Geraldine?” I ask. “To keep your little lie from unraveling?”
“No, I swear I wasn’t quite that diabolical. Gigi is my lifelong nickname, and I’ve always used it on dating apps and in my hiking club, etcetera. What I said at the gallery today was true: when it comes to dating, I feel like Gigi is much more flirtatious and enticing than Geraldine. Geraldine is someone’s grandma, but Gigi is fun.”
I laugh. “Yes, she is.”
Gigi exhales from the depths of her soul. “I’m so glad we talked about this. This secret has been weighing me down.”
“Tell him tonight, okay?”
She nods solemnly. “I will. I promise.”
“Honesty is always the best policy.”
“Absolutely.”
Ha. I can’t believe I just had the nerve to say that, while I’m sitting here keeping so many secrets of my own.
“Speaking of honesty,” Gigi says, “let’s talk about you and Max, shall we?”
Aw, fuck. Is she a mind-reader?
“What’s going on there?” Gigi prompts, her eyebrow raised.
I look down at my empty wine glass. And then, at the empty wine bottle. “If you truly want honesty from me about this topic, I’ll need to drink another glass of wine. I’ll be right back.” I head into the kitchen and grab a bottle of red off the counter this time, along with an opener, and then return to Gigi on the couch. I open the bottle, pour for both of us and then settle back into my comfy seat.
“Maximillian Vaughn,” I begin on an exhale.
“That’s his name,” Gigi says. “I should know. I gave it to him.”
I take a long sip of red wine. “Geraldine—Gigi—I say this to you as my friend, and not as Max’s mother. I’ve had casual sex with Max a few times. And that’s all there is to The Very Short Story of Max and Marnie.”
Gigi smirks. “Judging by that fresh bite mark on Max’s neck today, and the way he looked straight at you when I brought it up, I’m guessing you two added a page to your very short story recently?”
I blush. “Yes. At our mutual friend’s birthday party today. It was the first time we’d seen each other since we first met at Captain’s a long time ago—the same night you had dinner with my friends and me.”
“I see.” She sips her wine. “You two definitely have chemistry. That’s pretty obvious.”
“Well, we’ve had it in the past. There’s nothing present tense about Max and me.”
“You don’t consider today to be in the present tense?”
“Today was a blip. I’m certain about what I’m looking for in a man. And while I’m sure your handsome son is going to be a perfect partner for someone, someday, he’s not what I’m looking for, at all. I’m sure he’d agree with me on that. Especially now that he’s met Ripley.”
She chuckles. “Wasn’t Max adorable with Ripley today? My heart melted at the way he interacted with her.”
My heart skips a beat at the memory of Max belly laughing at something Ripley said. As much as I’ve always felt lust for Max, I’ve never felt it more acutely than I did in that precise moment. “Yeah, he was very cute with her today—begrudgingly.”
Gigi studies me for a moment as I sip my wine. Finally, she says, “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I wouldn’t reach the conclusion there’s no hope for Max and you, just yet. I know my son, and when he looked at you during dinner, I saw something more than physical attraction there.”
I snort. “No, you didn’t.”
“I know him, Marnie. And I know what I saw. He’s interested in you. As a person.”
I laugh. “Gigi, I’m sorry, but that’s not true. What you saw today was good old-fashioned lust. I’m sorry to be so blunt about that to the randy boy’s mommy, but that’s truly the only thing between Max and me.”
She’s not buying it, clearly. But she guzzles her wine and doesn’t argue with me.
“That’s especially true now that he knows about Ripley,” I insist. “We both know your son isn’t even close to ready to take on a package deal like me.”
“I don’t know about that. I think Max would be a fantastic father figure, even if he doesn’t fully realize it. Ripley obviously likes him. And he couldn’t resist her charms, despite his fervent efforts to do so.”