“I won’t.”
Eleanor looks at me, all smiles. “Did you wind up getting offered your ‘dream job’ at Dig a Little Deeper?”
“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe you remembered me telling you about that. Yes, actually, I did. When Reed and I get back from Sardinia, I’ll start full-time as a permanent staff writer.”
Eleanor claps happily. “I knew it! After your last visit, I told all my friends you were going to nab your dream job. I even bought a subscription to Dig a Little Deeper, so I could see why you wanted to work there. I’ve now read every back issue, and, I must say, I’m impressed.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you for doing that, Eleanor.”
She leans forward. “I read your article in the last issue about that horrible football coach. I’m so sorry he hurt you and those other girls. But good for all of you for telling the world what he did.”
I’m astonished. I’ve always thought of Eleanor as living in a sort of bubble here in Scarsdale, cut off from the outside world. It never occurred to me she would have read my Gates article. “Thank you so much for reading it. That means the world to me.”
“Pish. I not only read the article, I also listened to your radio interview on Monday and watched your TV interview on Tuesday. And so did Lee, and all of my friends and nurses. I’m the president of your fan club.” Eleanor pats my hand. “Oh, my, we’re going to have such a glorious visit today. They’re serving chicken pot pies for lunch. Reed’s favorite. And after we eat, I’ll introduce you around to the other members of your fan club. And then, we’ll play Scrabble and cards.”
Reed says, “Don’t forget, Mom, Georgina and I have a flight to catch today. We’re going to make this an extra-long visit, I promise, but it sounds like you’ve got three days’ worth of activities on the itinerary for us.”
Eleanor waves at the air, dismissing Reed’s comment. “Let me tell Lee we’re going to the dining hall, so he doesn’t worry. He always worries about me when he can’t find me, though I don’t know where he thinks I’d go.” Giggling, she prances off gaily to the front of the yoga class.
“What the hell have you done to my mother?” Reed whispers out the side of his mouth, his eyes trained on his mother.
“What do you mean? She’s positively joyful.”
“That’s what I mean. That’s twice in a row now. I figured her preternatural joy last time was a one-off. Never to be repeated. But here she is again, prancing and giggling like a kid at Christmas... two times in a row? That’s some powerful magic you’ve got in your bag of tricks, Ricci. Please, always use your superpowers for good, or we’re all screwed.”
Eleanor returns and happily grabs my arm. “Come on, my beloved darling. We have so much to talk about!”
“I guess I’ll come, too,” Reed says dryly, trailing behind. But when I glance over my shoulder at him, Reed is smiling from ear to ear.
We reach the dining room and get situated with our food, and then proceed to talk for quite some time about the Gates article and the various ripple effects it’s had over the past few days, including the latest bombshell—that Gates was arrested in Los Angeles this morning, after yet another accuser came forward. This one, with a surveillance video of some sort to back her up.
“And not only that,” I say. “From what Leonard’s been hearing, the arrest of Steven Price is imminent, as well.”
“Oh, good,” Eleanor says. “I hope all those men get everything they deserve in this life, and then go to hell after that. Especially that horrible football coach.”
“I have full faith justice will be served,” I say. And it’s the truth. I tell Eleanor what Leonard told me this morning, thanks to information he obtained from a buddy at the DA’s office. Specifically, that the line of women accusing Gates is so long and credible at this point, and the text messages and settlement agreements so damning, Gates is already apparently asking the DA for a deal in exchange for his guilty plea.
“A deal?” Eleanor asks.
“A lighter sentence than the worst-case scenario he could get, if he’s convicted on all counts at trial,” I explain. “But don’t worry. Either way, Leonard said the DA will make sure, no matter what, Gates goes away for a very long time. The whole world sees him for what he is now. Nobody is going to let this man walk away from his crimes.”
“When he goes to prison, I bet all the TV shows will want you to come on. Don’t you think, Reed?”
“Absolutely.”
She returns to me. “I think you should be on TV, all the time, Georgie. Not just about Gates. But as your actual job. You’re a wonderful writer, and Dig a Little Deeper is a fantastic magazine, but you’ve got a face for TV. When we were watching you on Good Morning America, one of my friends said, ‘Georgie should be on TV, every morning!’ And I told her I agree and would tell you so when you finally came to visit me.” She shoots Reed a withering look, nonverbally chastising him for staying away so long, and then returns to me, smiling. “Oh! What if you hosted that show where they ‘catch a predator’? You’d be so good at that!”
I can’t help smiling. She’s so cute. “Definitely something to think about.”
“Has Good Morning America asked you to come work for them yet? If not, I bet they will soon!”
I laugh. “Weirdly enough, not yet. And I’ve been waiting by the phone all day!” I wink.
“Did you like being on TV? It sure looked like it.”
“I did. I loved it. I was super nervous, right before going on. But then, the minute I got out there, and that little red light above the camera turned on, I felt nothing but excitement.”
“I could tell. You didn’t seem nervous at all.” She pats my arm. “It’s settled, then. You’re going to be a huge star on TV.”
I giggle. “Don’t rush me, please. I’m elated about my new job. Writing for Dig a Little Deeper has been my dream for a long time.”
My phone, and Reed’s, both ping simultaneously with incoming texts. I don’t look down, since I’m engaged in a conversation with Eleanor and don’t want to be rude. But Reed looks down. And when he does, he instantly blurts, “Ho! Maddy says she’s uploaded a rough cut of Alessandra’s video to the Dropbox!”
With excitement, I quickly explain to Eleanor the context—the backstory of the music video Reed is excitedly cuing up. And a moment later, the three of us are huddled around Reed’s phone, watching Maddy’s masterpiece.
It’s phenomenal. Better than anything I could have imagined. When it’s over, I look at Reed, and it’s clear he’s every bit as blown away as I am. In fact, I’ll be damned, he’s morphing into Business Reed before my eyes.
“This video is going to launch Alessandra to the moon,” he declares, his dark eyes blazing. “‘Blindsided’ will hit Top Thirty in its first week. Top Ten by its third. I’m calling it now.” Reed’s wheels are visibly turning. His excitement is palpable. “Real talk, Georgie. Do you think your stepsister will be able to handle overnight stardom? I’m talking about the kind of whirlwind success that’s going to make her drop out of school. Will she crumple under the weight of that kind of success, or rise to the occasion?”