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“Why?”
“Uh, because it’s mani/pedi day, and that shit takes time,” Marty said in irritation to her brother’s questioning.
“Oh, of course. How silly of me to not know,” Derrick joked and then panicked a little. “You aren’t taking her out of here, Marty,” he said, sort of asking and sort of telling.
“Are you joking? We wouldn’t even make it out of a car,” Marty said. “Yesterday Rog basically had to bulldoze people out of my way, ‘Where is Taylor, Marty?’ ‘Is she with you in the car?’”
Derrick’s stomach lurched. “Well, you know, this wouldn’t have been so blown up ifsomeonehadn’t posted our business on social media,” he hissed at his sister. He was ready for Marty to retaliate, but instead her face fell.
“I know,” she said. “I totally messed up. I wasn’t thinking about how Taylor would feel about all this, and now she is all freaking locked up here.” Marty shook her head.
This was true to Marty. Fast action and then full of remorse. “It’s okay. It will die down,” Derrick said, pulling his sister in for a hug.
“Yeah,” Marty said, “but not for a while, not with the freaking doorknob of a rock you put on her finger and no wedding date in sight.”
Derrick motioned his head for Marty to follow him to the sitting room and away from his door. He didn’t want to hear anything to make Taylor worry more. “What do you mean?” he asked when they were about twenty feet from the door.
“The speculation, the wondering—the paparazzi hates not to have the inside scoop on anything. If I were you guys, and I wanted to shut them up I would get this thing done,” Marty said matter-of-factly. “I mean, what’s the holdup anyway?”
Good question, Derrick mused. “We just got engaged. I think Taylor—”
“It’s not like she needs to get to know the family or save money for the wedding of her dreams,” Marty reminded Derrick, and then suddenly her eyes become glazed and dreamlike. “I can pick out her dress,” she whispered.
“Look, she just got a company dumped in her lap. This isn’t exactly how she planned everything, so throwing a wedding on top of it is not at the top of her list.”But it should be, Derrick added silently. Without a ring on it, anything she did with the company would be illegal.
Marty pouted her lips and huffed. “True,” she reluctantly agreed. She looked at her brother and smiled. “I’m glad she is back, though.”
“Me too.”
“And I’m glad you’re happy again,” Marty added, knocking Derrick with her shoulder. “She always made you happy. What the hell took you so long to see it?”
Derrick’s phone rang, saving him from any further inquisition. “I have to take this,” he said. “Let Tay sleep, please.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Marty teased, shooting her brother a knowing grin. “‘Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move mountains’,” Marty teased in a British accent. “Have fun with business, bro!”
“Of course,” he muttered, sitting on a couch in the upper sitting area. “Time to be Business Ken doll,” he murmured.
* * *
When Taylor woke alone,she was sad, and then she was mad at herself for being sad.You were alone for years, she reminded herself, isn’t that what you wanted?
Apparently not anymore.
She got up, went to the bathroom, and was immediately pulled forward upon exiting by a very hyper Marty.
“Geez Louise, I thought you were never going to get your butt out of bed,” she announced as she dragged Taylor to the closet.
“What time is it?” Taylor asked, still baffled by Marty’s presence.
“Ten thirty! Derrick told me I had to leave you alone, so I have been sitting outside the door waiting for you to wake up. I have been there for two hours!” Marty started pushing clothes into Taylor’s arms. “Put these on.”
“Uh, what’s going on? Do I have to be somewhere?”
“No,” Marty said in excitement, grabbing Taylor’s hands and smiling, then jumping up and down. “It’s mani/pedi day!” she squealed.
This was way too much for Taylor to take in before she had her coffee. “It’s what?” she asked, confused.
“Today I have the top aestheticians coming to give you and—so you wouldn’t be alone—me manis and pedis!”