Amita knocked on the door an hour before they were supposed to leave New York. Lou let her in and went back to her suitcase. "I'll just be a minute," she muttered under her breath.
"Everything okay?" Amita knew her boss well and there was definitely tension in the air, and worry written all over her face.
Lou didn't answer right away. She continued to fold clothes and tuck them into her suitcase. "I don't know where Debbie is. We'll have to go without her."
Amita walked over and picked up a sweater to fold. "We can hold the plane," she said, hoping Lou would tell her what the hell was going on.
"No. She knows we're leaving and if she wants to stay, I have to let her."
Amita put the sweater in the suitcase and rested her hand on Lou's arm. "Why don't you tell me what's going on so I can help?"
Lou pulled her arm away and went over to the window, her arms firmly wrapped around her body. "She's with Tammy. She went for coffee with her last night and didn't come home...back...she didn't come back."
Amita shook her head in confusion. "Why are you so calm? And why the hell are you going to leave without her?"
"You don't understand."
"You're right! I don't!"
Seeming a little surprised by Amita's anger, Lou turned around and shot her a glare. "Are you yelling at me?"
"Someone needs to! You don't even know where your girlfriend is? I'd be freaking out right about now! We should call the police! We should put out an APB! It's your GIRLFRIEND, Lou! And this is New York!"
"I'm here."
Amita spun around and found Debbie standing at the door. She barely stopped herself from shouting, where the hell have you been? She turned to Lou, hoping she would yell the words, but she just stood there, staring at Debbie. The tension in the room was so thick, she decided she'd better leave. "Let me know what you want to do."
Amita tried not to make eye contact with Debbie as she brushed past her, but Debbie grabbed her arm. "Just give me a few minutes to shower and we'll go." Amita gave her a terse nod and walked out. Debbie turned her attention back to Lou. "I won't be long."
Lou ignored her, zipping up her bag and setting it on the floor. Debbie went into the bathroom, and when she came back out ten minutes later, Lou was gone.
***
"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Amita said, breaking the silence in the limo.
Lou stared blankly out the window. "It's okay. I think the person you really want to yell at, is Debbie."
"You're right. I'm pissed at her. What the hell was she thinking going off like that? For all we knew, she could've been lying dead in the subway. Or, bleeding out in Central Park, or..."
"Her brother just died." That was what Lou had been telling herself. She's fragile. Her brother just died. Don't make it worse for her.
"I don't know how that relates to her staying out all night with her hot ex-girlfriend, but okay. I guess if you can forgive her, so can I."
That made Lou crack a smile. She was lucky to have such a loyal assistant. "You've been incredible, Amita. The funeral was perfect. The flowers were gorgeous. None of that would've happened without you."
Amita swooned a little bit, tucking her brunette curls behind her ears. "Thank you. I did my best."
"He seemed like a good man, didn't he? I wish..." Lou took a breath. "I wish I could've spent more time with him before he died."
Amita's eyes misted over. "I should give her a hug when she gets here. I was rude earlier."
The door opened and Debbie slid in, moving Lou's purse onto the floor so she could sit as close to her as possible. She kept her big sunglasses on and rested her hand on Lou's thigh. "You're both amazing people," she said, her voice still shaky. "I'll never be able to thank you enough for honoring my brother the way you have. And you should both know that I love you."
Amita's face contorted as she started to cry. She grabbed a tissue and nodded. "We love you too."
That was all Lou needed. Those words and the hand squeezing her leg told her everything she needed to know. She wrapped her arms around Debbie, pulling her closer and kissing her temple. She breathed in the scent of her shampoo, a scent she'd grown to love. "Are you ready to go home?" she gently asked.
Debbie leaned her head against Lou's. "Let's go," she whispered.
***
Lou set a hot cup of tea in front of Debbie and gave Linus a bottle of water. She sat in between them at the kitchen table.
"I'm sorry we have to do this so soon," Linus said, eyeing both of them with concern.
Debbie wrapped her hands around the cup of tea. "It's okay. Thank you, for being at my brother's funeral, Lin. It meant a lot to me that you were there, helping with everything."
New York was kind of a blur for Debbie. She'd felt like a zombie, just going through the motions of living while trying to do right by the dead. But through it all, she knew who had been there for her, and Linus was on that list.
"Your brother would be...was...is...very proud of you, I'm sure. You're a strong woman, Debbie. Every brother should be so lucky to have a sibling show such strength, love and respect at their funeral."
"I had no one when my mother died." Debbie's eyes flicked between the two of them. They seemed surprised by her declaration. She took a sip of tea to soothe her dry throat. "My brother was too broken to be there for me. It took about a year before he could look at me and not see my mother. We looked a lot alike." She took another sip of tea, determined to say this. "So, I know what it feels like to grieve alone. And now, I know what if feels like to be surrounded by people who could take my burden and let me break down and cry for days on end. That's the only reason I was able to stand up and speak about my brother." She took Lou's hand. "Because I knew once I was done, I could break down again and be weak and grieve. It means everything when you have that."
Lou wrapped both of her hands around Debbie's. "You grieve for as long as you need to. Linud and I will handle things."
Debbie wiped her tears away. "No. I'm a part of this. Please don't shut me out."
Lou turned to Linus and nodded. "Go ahead."
"Right now, everything is just rumor and a few paparazzi photos. We need to legitimize your relationship, and the faster we do that, the faster we can move on to the break-up, and Lou, you can start dating for real, which has always been the goal, correct?"
Lou glanced at Debbie. She didn't say it out loud, but she gave Linus an almost imperceptible nod.
Linus eyed them both over his reading glasses. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"No," Debbie quickly said. She took another sip of her tea. "How do we legitimize our relationship?"
"There's always Twitter and Instagram, but nothing says you're a couple like walking a red carpet together. There are several charity events coming up in the next few weeks that would be good options. Of course, you'll get questions from reporters, so we'll have to work on your talking points. Beyond that, it's just a question of how far you want to take it. You could go on the late-night shows, do one-on-one interviews, that kind of thing. But honestly, if you're going to break up within a few months, I wouldn't take it too far. You might come off as shallow or experimental, Lou."
"At the same time, getting on the late-night shows would be great for Debbie's career," Lou replied.
Linus nodded. "They're all begging for both or either of you."
Lou turned to Debbie . "We could keep it low key. Keep our answers vague. Not say out loud that we're in love. I mean, you know, we wouldn't have to gush about each other. As fellow actors, of course. Just not...you know."
"I could tell them how scared you were to shoot the love scenes," Debbie said, her voice small and sincere. "They'd laugh." Linus giggled. "See?" Debbie motioned with her head at Linus .
Lou bit her lip, trying not to smile. "I wasn't scared."
Debbie huffed. "Right. And I didn't bite your pussy." Realizing what she'd just said and who she just said it in front of, Debbie's mouth fell open. "Oh god. Sorry, Lin. It was nothing. I just bit her panties a little... on the set... in front of everyone."
Linus put up his hand. "Don't worry about it. It's actually good to hear that sarcasm again. We missed it."
Lou couldn't help but smile. It was the first time in over a week that Debbie had sounded like herself. "I guess we need to get our story straight. How we met. How you got cast on the show. How it happened."
Debbie tilted her head. "How what happened?"
"You know. How we fell in..."
"Fake love?" Debbie finished it for her. "Yeah. We need to make up a moment. The moment we fell in fake love."
They all eyed one another and then Linus stood up. "Let me know what event you'd like to attend first." He pulled a piece of paper out of his briefcase. "Here's a list."
Lou took the list and walked Linus to the door. "Walk me to my car?" he suggested.
***
Linus stood by his car, smiling at Lou. "What?" she asked.
"I'm getting a vibe."
Lou folded her arms. "Oh yeah? What kind of vibe?"
"You love her."
Lou glanced back at the house. The door was open, but they were far enough away that they couldn't be heard. "It's not like that. We care about each other. And I want the best for her. For her career. We have to do this right, Lin."
"Uh huh." Linus bounced on his feet. "She loves you too. You know that, right?"
Lou's gaze dropped to her feet. "I'm not so sure about that. She spent the night with Tammy before we left New York."
"She WHAT? Why didn't you tell me? Did anyone see them? Photograph them? I have to talk to her."
Lou grabbed Linus's arm. She was going to tell him he couldn't interrogate Debbie, but she wanted the truth as much as he did. And maybe Debbie would be more forthright with him. She let go and followed him back into the house.
Debbie put the tea kettle on the stove and turned the burner on. Linus stood on the other side of the island. "Tell me about your night with Tammy."
Debbie jumped at the sound of Linus's voice, not realizing he'd come back in the house. She eyed him and then looked at Lou. "We went for coffee."
"For nine hours?" Lou softened her tone. "I mean, you were gone for a long time."
Linus kept his eyes on Debbie, waiting for an answer. "I need to know where you went. If photos were taken. If you kissed in public. What time you left wherever you were."
Debbie looked at Lou again and then lowered her gaze. "Do I really have to tell you everything? We weren't followed or photographed."
Linus turned to Lou. She took a step forward. "Please just tell us, Debbie. It's important that we don't have any surprises."
Debbie sighed. "We were just going to have coffee. That was it. But then, she took me somewhere else." Debbie turned away from them. Lou put her hand up, gesturing for Linus to be patient. They waited and eventually, Debbie turned back around. "She proposed. In the middle of Times Square, Tammy asked me to marry her."
Lou mouth fell open. "She...what?"
"Who saw?" Linus asked. He leaned on the counter with both hands. "Why am I even asking? Times Square? Everyone saw."
Debbie covered her face with her hands. "It wasn't like that. Tammy isn't the type to get on one knee. No one was paying any attention to us. I swear." She took a breath. "You know how Times Square is - literally packed with tourists."
Lou ran her fingers through her hair. "I should've stopped you. In the hallway, I should've stopped you. Why didn't I stop you?"
"Just so we're clear," Linus said. "You didn't actually accept her proposal, right? She isn't going to post a photo of your ring-clad hand on Instagram."
Debbie shook her head.
"And then where did you go?"
"Lin." Lou gave him a look, hoping he wouldn't be so harsh.
Debbie looked at the ceiling, trying to hold back the tears. "I um...went to my brother's apartment and wrote him a letter."
"Oh." Lou took Linus by the arm. "I think we're good, here."
It was a stunning story and neither of them knew what to say as they walked back out to Linus's car. They stood there for a moment and then Linus said, "On the day of her brother's funeral? Unbelievable. Who does this woman think she is?"
Lou was kicking herself for not intervening somehow. She'd done everything she could to help Debbie deal with her grief and everything that goes with a loved one dying. But she couldn't protect her from Tammy. It wasn't her place, she'd thought at the time. She wasn't Debbie's real girlfriend. She couldn't take her by the arm and insist that she not go out into the night with her ex.
That hadn't stopped her from pacing the floor all night like a real girlfriend would. She'd been worried sick and maybe a little bit jealous - the image of Tammy taking Debbie by the elbow like she owned her playing over and over in her head. Also, her mother's words. Gillian would be so disappointed if she knew what had happened - that Lou hadn't done the right thing the second time she'd had the chance to.
Linus didn't want to push, but he had to know one thing. "Have you watched the new episodes?"
Lou shook her head. She'd seen a few of the scenes, but watching full episodes of her show wasn't something she enjoyed doing. She was too big a critic, noticing every little thing that she and her co-stars could've done better.
"You should watch them, Lou. You'd see how good the two of you are together."
"Now you're a fan? I thought you didn't like Debbie ."
"I never said I didn't like her. I said she'd give you a run for your money. And she has. In the best possible way. Even your mother can't get over the difference in you."
"My mother is a rabid soap fan. That's the only reason..."
"You're wrong. Your mother couldn't stop talking about you, not Debbie."
Lou's gaze dropped to the ground. "She knows. My mom knows it's a fake relationship."
"I know. She told me. She also told me how proud she is of the way you handled the funeral. The way you took care of Debbie. The way you stepped up and did what needed to be done. She even shed a few tears when she talked about the day she met Debbie and how she did the same for you, standing up for you, defending you. She said it was so nice to see you with someone who seemed to have nothing but your best interests at heart."
Linus took a step closer, resting his hands on Lou's shoulders. "Don't write her off just because keeping her in your life wasn't part of the original plan. I know you, Lou. You make a plan and then you stick to it, no matter what. But don't forget - you trusted Debbie with your life when you broke your arm, and she didn't let you down. And if you'd just watch the episodes, you'd see that she's singlehandedly breathed new life into your show. Do you have any idea how many new Twitter followers you have?"
"I haven't looked lately."
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to tweet a photo of the two of you sometime in the near future."
Lou nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for everything, Lin."
Linus had to smile. "So far, so good. Even with the setbacks, you're almost where you want to be. We'll talk soon."
***
Lou went back inside, but Debbie was gone. She found her out back, sitting in a sunny spot, sipping on another cup of tea. Lou pulled up a chair and sat down, facing her.
Debbue kept her eyes on her cup. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't see the point."
"I hope you know you can trust me, Debz. With anything."
Debbie gave her a nod. "I know. I was just so embarrassed she'd pull a stunt like that. I mean, Times Square? It's like she doesn't know me at all."
"I'm so sorry."
"My brother just died. And she took me to the most public place in the city, packed with tourists." Debbie shook her head in disgust. "And what's the goddamned rush, anyway?"
"She certainly let me know where I stand," Lou said. "In no uncertain terms."
"What did she say to you?"
"Well, she intimated that you'd both had your little flings, but that she owned you. It sounds like she plans to take back that ownership." Lou paused as Debbie's expression evolved into a look of disgust. "Debz, she called you her fiancée."
Debbie wanted to scream. She wanted to scream at Tammy, but also at Lou for not having the guts to say something in the hotel hallway that night. Just two words - Don't go.
If Lou knew Tammy's intentions and didn't even flinch when they left together that night, that meant something, didn't it? It meant that everything Debbie had been feeling was one-sided. They were friends and co-workers. Nothing more.
Lou reached out and put her hand on Debbie's knee. "I got them to postpone production until Monday. That gives us two more days. What would you like to do? Do you need space? Or, a long drive in the Maserati? We could drive up the coast. Whatever you need right now, we'll make it happen."
"What do you need?" Debbie knew the answer. Lou needed them to break up so she could get on with her life.
"I need to know you're going to be okay. And anything I can do to help..."
Debbie stood up. "Pick a charity event for next weekend. I'll be fine to go."
Lou also stood up. "We don't have to do it so soon."
Don't we?" Debbie looked her in the eye. "Linus said the sooner we do it, the sooner we can break up." She handed Lou her empty cup. "Just do it, Lou." She headed for the guesthouse and slammed the door shut.