Page 40 of Sunny Side Up

“Oh, hey Sun!” Dennis said. It was loud in the background. “I’m at the bodega by your place and I know you said you were feeling sick still, so I wanted to pick up your favorite soup. Are you a noodle soup gal, or are you more into minestrone? Or both. I can drop them off.”

“Doesn’t that feel like a manipulation of the USPS policy?” I teased.

I caught Avery looking at me from the corner of her eye. She returned her gaze to her screen.

“Nahhhh. I already have boxes of tea, tissues, honey, and cold meds. Anything else I’m missing? I texted but you weren’t answering, and I just wanted to make sure you were set.”

It was objectively sweet and thoughtful. I checked my messages and saw photos of the items he had listed, making sure they were the right brands. Dennis was kind like that; he wanted to do the right thing but also wanted to make sure it was to my liking.

Normally, I was charmed by that initiative, but I was in a foul mood after the call with Ted. I just wanted to be left alone.

“Thanks, Dennis,” I said. “These all look perfect. Sorry I didn’t answer, today’s been a nightmare.”

“Want me to come over after work? I can cook dinner for you, we can watch a movie, take your mind off it?”

“You’re so sweet, you know that?”

“You want what?” he asked. It sounded like a group of people were shouting in the background.

I put him on speakerphone and spoke louder: “You’re SWEET. I’m working late, and then will probably just go home and pass out. Let’s hang out when I’m better, okay?”

More chaos in the background. “You got it, Sunny D. I’m gonna drop off the soup in your lobby anyway. COVID-style. No contact, baby!”

I laughed. I needed it. What a guy.

“Thanks, Dennis.”

“Feel better, kid.”

I hung up and rested my head in my hands. It felt like someone was blowing up a balloon behind my nose, eyes, and forehead.

It was official: time to give up, call in sick, and go home.

Then I heard a knock on the door.

“Can I help you?” Avery asked, and I realized that I wasn’t having some antibiotics-induced hallucination. She was seeing him, too.

Zack was here, at my office. My stomach dropped. Was it a full moon today? What the actual fuck?

In all the years we were together, he had never once stepped foot in Le Ballon Rouge’s office. I couldn’t believe he was here now.

He looked handsome, I hate to say it, in his Zack Attack hat and navy-blue crew neck. “Heard you were under the weather, Sun.”

Don’t address me like you know me , I screamed internally.

“Is there some Amber Alert out about my sinus infection or something?” I groaned.

Zack grinned. “Well, you did write about it in your famous newsletter.”

My latest SSU entry was a total grasping for straws: “How to Endure a Sick Day Without Going Crazy.” I’d written it as a throwaway, just to get something live that day. I didn’t think it would send an alert through the universe to bring me soup.

I felt myself starting to panic. Did that mean Zack had actually started reading my posts, not just getting updates from his assistant on the various statistics I shared with the press?

How much had he read? How far back? Because not only had I bared my soul about our divorce and all the things he’d said to me when he was at his worst, but I’d divulged my most vulnerable body reflections.

I’d written ad nauseam about online dating, my one-night stands, the messy dates.

I’d long ago made peace with knowing that my employees read it.

I’d compartmentalized that; Avery was the only one who brought it up, and she was smart enough to keep it PG-13 when she did. But Zack? No no no no.

“I hadn’t realized you were a newly converted Sunny Sider,” I said, trying to keep my voice light and casual.

I’d tried to keep checking new subscriber emails months before, but the count had skyrocketed.

It was an impossible task to keep up with, especially once SONNY took up the majority of my focus.

Zack shook his head. “Alas. No time for extra reading over here; I can barely get through my emails as it is. My new assistant subscribes. She mentioned you were under the weather. Thought I’d bring something to help.

” Somehow, that seemed worse? I felt exposed.

Surely his assistant knew by now, after all the launch coordination, that he and I were recently divorced.

Which also meant that she knew exactly who I was talking about in SSU when I mentioned my “ex.”

The weirdest part of this whole interaction was that he stood there holding a glass bottle of my favorite pressed orange juice from this organic vendor in Chelsea Market. He handed it to me unceremoniously. “I know you think soup is overrated when you’re sick.”

I did. One of my favorite comedians, Jo Firestone, said it best: “Soup sucks! It’s either too hot, or it’s just wet.”

Despite Ted’s and Dennis’s best efforts, neither of them knew me like Zack did.

“I’ve been craving this,” I said. “Thank you.”

“I was in the area.” He smiled. Was he ? I wondered. “How’s everything gearing up for the launch?”

“It’s good, I think,” I said. “Thanks again for connecting me with Lady Luqq. She’s amazing. I owe you.”

“We’re always even, Sunny,” Zack said. “But speaking of owing me: When do you think you’re going to make up your mind about that offer?”

“When my lawyer’s done reviewing it.”

Avery and Zack both raised their eyebrows.

“Okay, Ari Gold. Well, my lawyer drafted it up, and I worked on it with him so I know for a fact it’s impossible to say ‘no’ to. But if you have any questions, any thoughts—I know you read it, Sun—I’m here right now. Let’s talk it out in person.”

“Zack, I can’t right now. I feel like shit. I was just getting ready to head home and crash. Give me a few days to get over whatever this is, and then I’ll focus. I won’t leave you hanging, I promise.”

“All right, Sunny,” he said. “But these kinds of offers don’t come around often. And the people want to hear your voice.”

“Oh, this old thing,” I said, exaggerating my hoarseness, adding in a froggy effect.

He shook his head. I could tell he was getting impatient. He knocked twice on the doorframe and then spoke again: “I’ll leave you to it. I’m not gonna hug you because I can’t get sick.” Then he pointed to Avery. “It’s coming for you next. Watch out.”

“Bye Zack,” I said.

“Tell your lawyer to hurry up,” he replied, then turned around and left.

I turned to Avery and held up the twelve-dollar juice. “Should I get sick more often or something?”

Avery rolled her eyes. She knew all about my ex-husband at this point, and she hated that I’d decided to even entertain his offer, let alone that we’d gone out for drinks. Now that he’d shown up at the office, she was openly unenthused. “Wrong takeaway.”

“But the fancy juice!” I was trying to lighten the mood—one that I had, admittedly, darkened in the first place.

“I don’t trust it. I wouldn’t even drink that if I were you.”

“Look. He sucks, but I have to consider him in a business context here, not as my ex: His reputation would be just as on the line as mine if this flopped. This could be incredible for promoting SONNY. And I promise: Neither of us wants to get back together again. That ship is long gone. Sunk. All the way at the bottom of the ocean.”

Although… I did get a vibe that he missed me, that it wasn’t just a nudge about the podcast. The orange juice felt strangely intimate.

“I don’t know, Sunny. Even that feels like it’s too close to home or something. I just don’t trust that he has your best interest at heart.”

“With all due respect, Avery, you don’t know Zack, and you don’t know what you’re talking about when it comes to my marriage.”

I regretted the words as soon as I’d uttered them. Avery looked at me with wide eyes, mouth agape. “I’m so sorry, Sunny, you’re right. That was—I just care about you. You’re like my big sister. I got defensive.”

“No, Avery, I’m sorry.” I leaned my face into my hands and shook my head. Why did I even come in today? Avery didn’t deserve this. I looked up. “I didn’t mean that. Please ignore the alien who just took over my brain. I’m so grateful for you. I genuinely love you, dude.”

“HR flag,” we both said simultaneously, then laughed. We’d left strictly professional relationship territory weeks ago. She was right: We were like sisters.

“This is all just a lot right now and my headache is making me bitchy and it’s hard to think.”

“I get it,” Avery said, looking down. Sophia had woken up from the melted furry puddle at my feet, stretched, then walked over to Avery, clearly showing her true allegiance after my little outburst.

“Look,” I said, pointing. “Even Sophia is sick of me today.”

Avery laughed, her eyes down on Sophia, her hands busy petting those velveteen ears.

“What do you say we both cash it in early today,” I said. I wasn’t totally sure all was forgiven yet. “You’ve been burning the candle at both ends. Head home, order food with the company card. It’s a business expense because I can’t have you leaving me.”

“I’m not going to leave you , Sunny. You’re stuck with me for life. Sophia, on the other hand…”

Sophia had fallen asleep in a matter of seconds with her head on Avery’s feet.

“She knows who the real ones are,” I said with a nod.

Even though I felt like death, I’d never walked home so quickly before, head down, sunglasses on, phone off.

I couldn’t risk interacting with one more human being that day.

I needed to turn off my phone and process everything: Zack, the podcast deal, whatever the hell had just happened with Ted.

All I needed were my Golden Girls and my neti pot.