Chapter 52

You Great Booby

Essence Talent Agency was only a few blocks from Duda Detectives office, so I walked there. Good thing Uncle Bob wasn’t in, because I was pretty useless once the adrenaline left my system. Just me and my big head. I called around and found out that, yes, my pickup had been towed. I then called the tow yard and found out that Matt’s quote was pretty good—only off by a hundred dollars, in the wrong direction, of course. I found out I could pick up my truck anytime, as long as it was Monday through Friday between eight and six. I found out a lot of information about cars and towing, but it didn’t make me feel any better. So I called Matt and asked if he could meet me for lunch. I’d go get my truck afterward.

“I’m not coming if you’re going to sneak in a thermos of soup again,” he said.

“I won’t. I promise.” I was off the broth kick after last night anyway. “Just come cheer me up, please?”

We met at Tommy Pastrami. Once we got our food, we sat down and I told Matt about my morning.

“Did you talk to Cody?” he asked. “Before you tried to axe his modeling contract?”

“His fake modeling contract.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“I didn’t want to bother him at work.” I cringed, as I should.

“You know, Ivy, you say you understand that Cody’s an adult, but—”

“I was worried about him. Besides, I think he knows something is wrong and just doesn’t want to admit it. He’s been keeping things from me. Why would he do that if he didn’t think there was something wrong?”

“Didn’t he say he wanted to surprise you? Maybe you should have taken him at his word.”

“But...”

“Maybe he wanted to make his big sister proud of him.”

“Are you trying to make me feel bad?”

“I’m trying to help you see that you can’t treat Cody like your baby brother for the rest of both your lives.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Matt’s voice softened. “I think you were doing the right thing. You just did it the wrong way.” Neither of us said anything for a minute. He watched me pick at my small green salad, no dressing. “Do you want some of my pastrami sandwich? It’s huge—too much for me.”

“Nah.” I tried to eat my salad with more enthusiasm. My stomach growled, as if it were mad at the deception.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been eating differently these past few days.” Matt’s voice was careful, the way I suspected he was with his social-work clients.

“Just not feeling well. This cold, you know.”

“You sure that’s all it is?”

“Okay, some of it is that stupid Glinda costume. Candy is so much thinner than I am.”

“Couldn’t they have gotten you another costume?”

“I don’t know.” I was lying. Eden did offer to let out one of Candy’s costumes. “I needed to lose a few pounds anyway.”

“Guess I’ll have to take back those chocolates I bought you for Valentine’s Day.”

“Yeah, that’d probably be best.”

“Wait, I was kidding,” Matt said. “Were you?”

“Yeah,” I lied again. “Of course.”

Matt look at me seriously. “Do you know who you sound like?”

“I know, my voice has dropped half an octave with this stupid cold, and—”

“Ivy. How can you be worried about Candy when you’re doing the exact same—”

“Give me a break.” I sniffed loudly. “I’m sick.”

“Yeah,” said Matt. “Let’s hope it’s just the cold.”

  

We were just leaving the restaurant when my phone chirped. And chirped. And chirped. I didn’t recognize the number, so I stopped on the sidewalk to read the texts. “Oh, they’re from Cody.” I said to Matt. “He must have heard something about my meeting with his agent.” There were three messages:

“This is my new cellphone number!”

“I have a big secret to tell you.”

“Sorry about dinner.”

“Huh,” I said to Matt. “All his texts are nice and happy. He even has a surprise to tell me. Maybe his agent is actually decent and I spoke to his evil twin earlier. He did have a Darth Vader desk.” I texted back: “Can’t wait to hear about your secret. Talk later? And I am sorry about dinner. I was a poop head.” I put my phone back in my pocket, and we resumed our walk back to Uncle Bob’s office.

“Hope the show goes better tonight,” Matt said.

“Not sure it could go worse. Wait, I shouldn’t say that. Oh no, did I just jinx myself?”

“You’ll be fine.” Matt kissed me on the cheek. “Call me tonight after you’re through.”

“Maybe then you could deliver those chocolates in person—along with something else.” I waggled my eyebrows. Matt called that move my sexy Groucho Marx.

“I’m going out of town for the weekend, but we’ll celebrate Monday night—a fancy dinner, a box of chocolates, and that…something else.”

“You’re going out of town on Valentine’s Day weekend?”

“Didn’t you tell me you had to work all weekend? Looking for Candy and playing Glinda and performing at that erotic art show—”

“Exotic,” I said. “I’m the exotic part of the show. And I don’t have a matinee on Sunday. Another show is moving into the theater. And...” I took deep breath. I had to tell him. “I might be moving on with The Wizard.”

Matt stopped walking and looked at me, his gray eyes serious.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you...” I looked at my feet. I was standing on a crack in the sidewalk. “But nothing’s for sure. Yet.”

“You’re talking about...moving on with the show?”

I nodded. “My first national tour.” I felt the corners of my mouth turn up in spite of myself. It would be such a big step, career-wise.

“When?”

“Um, next week.”

“As in a few days? Why didn’t you tell me?” There was a tone in Matt’s voice I hadn’t heard before. Not sure if was anger or hurt.

I felt the smile on my face slip away and my jaw grow tight. “I wanted to tell you, but…” But what? I wasn’t sure.

“How long have you known?”

“Since Monday. But remember, it’s not for sure and—”

“And this tour will last for what, a few weeks?”

“Months.” I knew Matt was looking at me, but I couldn’t raise my eyes to his.

“Okay, really, why didn’t you tell me?” Definitely anger in his voice now. “Because you thought I might stop you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Great. Just great. And all this time I thought you actually knew who I was. Knew that I loved you.”

Did he just say “loved”—past tense? He turned away. “Wait. Matt?”

“I have to go,” he said. And walked away.