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)
What just happened? Is she a real-life Sybil? Did one of Marnie’s many personalities fuck me like her life depended on it, and then another one took over a few minutes later and didn’t know what the other had done? That’s how it goes in movies, but is that even a real thing?
My phone rings, yanking me out of my stupor, and my mother’s smiling face lights up my screen again.
“What?” I bark.
“Jeez,” Mom says.
She’s right to feel taken aback by my tone. She’s not to blame for this latest twist in The Marnie Saga. Surely, it was nothing but a coincidence Marnie turned sheet-white at the exact moment Mom called. “Sorry,” I say on an exhale. “Yes, Mother?”
“I forgot to give you the new code for my front door. I didn’t want to text it in case your phone gets stolen or hacked. I saw that on 60 Minutes.” She gives me the door code and tells me where I can find the box of business cards. She asks, “Do you have the address for the gallery?” She’s been invited to display one of her paintings this afternoon as part of a local artists showcase and she’s beyond thrilled about it.
“Yeah, I’ve got it,” I murmur. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Auggie’s coming, too. He’s going to take a break from studying and pop down for a bit.”
“Great.”
“Henry’s thinking about calling his daughter and inviting her down, last-minute. Now that you and Auggie can both come, he thought this might be a perfect opportunity to introduce our families. Would that be okay with you?”
I exhale. “Yeah, whatever. I’m not going to be able to stay long, though. I’ll bring the box of cards, show my support and meet your boyfriend’s family, but then I’ve got to get home and get some work done.”
“However long you can stay, I’ll be grateful for it. Thank you, honey. I’m really excited.”
It's hard for me to give a shit about any of this right now. But I know it’s important to Mom, so I say, “Yeah, I’m excited, too.”
Grayson’s amplified voice suddenly wafts from the backyard. “Hey, everyone,” he says. “Thanks so much for coming today.”
A collective cheer erupts from behind the backyard fence to my left. Voices shout, “Happy birthday, Grayson!” and “We love you, Grayson!”
“Gotta go, Mom,” I say. “I think they’re about to do the cake at my buddy’s birthday party. I’ll sing the song and say my goodbyes, and then head over to your place to get the cards.”
“Thank you so much, love,” Mom says. “I can’t wait to introduce you to Henry.”
I say a final goodbye to Mom and force myself to head back into Grayson’s party, even though it’s the last place I want to go. After experiencing Marnie’s mental flagellation, yet again, I don’t want to be around people. Especially not Grayson. No shade to him—I’m so fucking happy for the guy—but now that I’ve been given sadistic whiplash twice by Little Miss Changes Her Mind on a Dime, I’m not in the mood to witness his uncomplicated happiness with Selena. Frankly, I don’t want to see any smiling, happy people right now; not even someone as awesome and deserving as Grayson.
9
MARNIE
I slow down to compare the address on the building outside my car window against the one in Dad’s text, and when they’re one and the same, I drive around the block and luckily find a convenient place to park. Parking in downtown Seattle is normally a hassle, but I guess Sunday afternoons aren’t as crowded since all nearby offices are closed.
As I was driving home from Grayson’s birthday party—after leaving Max looking bewildered on Selena’s front porch—I received a call from Dad, extending a last-minute invitation. He said his new girlfriend, Gigi, is an amateur artist—a painter—who’d been invited to display one of her works in a local artists showcase this afternoon at a downtown gallery.
“Sorry for the late notice,” Dad said during the call. “We’re at the gallery now with Ripley, and I only just found out Gigi’s sons are both coming down to support her. I was thinking this would be the perfect opportunity for me to introduce you to Gigi while getting our families together.”
After spying the face of my old yoga friend, Geraldine, on Max’s phone and discovering she’s his mother, I wasn’t in the mood to meet Dad’s new crush this afternoon. If Geraldine is Max’s mother, then that means she’s got to be Alexander’s ex-wife, too. Shudder.
On the other hand, Dad’s been playing his new romance close to the vest, so I’m not sure when I’ll get another chance to meet her, my foul mood be damned. And so, despite my horror and embarrassment at finding out I’ve not only fucked Alexander’s son, but my old friend Geraldine’s, too, I told Dad I’d be delighted to come to his new girlfriend’s art show. At the very least, I’d like to see how she interacts with Ripley, so I’ll know for sure that my daughter is in good hands if ever Dad invites Gigi to babysit with him again.