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Hey. Hope all is well. Miss you and can’t wait to see you.
Linney held her breath, waiting for a reply. Nothing. She looked at her watch. Had she got the time difference wrong? If MJ was right, Mac should still be at the pub. Suddenly her phone buzzed.
Ha ing a pint witg the boys. Miss you. Miss you i bed with me. come jome soon. Thr things I want to do witj ypu …
Linney’s heart sank. She did not want to deal with this. A tear rolled down her cheek as she typed.
Be safe, ok? See you in tomorrow.
* * *
“I’m back!” Linney called as she opened the door to her flat, breathing heavily after dragging her luggage up the stairs. Mac had promised to be there, but he wasn’t. Charitably, Linney guessed that Gemma had him out on an assignment. Still, she wished he had left a note. She unpacked and took a long hot shower, rinsing the travel day away. Starting the laundry, she sat down to sort through the mail. It was probably for the best he wasn’t there, she justified to herself. Gave her a chance to acclimatize.
Her phone dinged later that afternoon.
Going to the pub with the gang. Come!
Linney was still tired, but if she wanted to see Mac, she supposed she’d have to go to him. She sent a heart emoji back and pulled on her coat. When she arrived at the familiar watering hole, she waved to colleagues and gave Mac a quick kiss. “Just one drink, okay?” she murmured. He nodded, and she pulled out her phone to show the wedding pictures to the group.
Conversation soon turned to the latest stories of the day, and who was working on what. MJ was working late, Linney learned, which explained why she wasn’t there. Linney nursed her beer, stifling several yawns behind her hand, while Mac had a second, a third, and ordered a fourth, his stories getting wilder and louder with each one. He loved being the centre of attention.
When it was clear he wasn’t ready to leave, Linney finally gave up. She needed some sleep, and so she tugged at his jacket. “I’m going home, okay? Don’t be too long.”
“Spoilsport,” he sneered. “You just got here. Can’t you stay and wait?”
“Seriously, Mac. I’m tired and jetlagged.”
“Fine,” he huffed, snapping at her. “Go home. You left me for a week already for some stupid wedding. What’s another day? I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Linney wiped a tear away as she walked the short distance to the tube station. What she would have given to be able to text Derek for advice. But her best friend was on his honeymoon.
9
Linney hoisted the gold statue over her head, as the crowd clapped enthusiastically at the annual TV awards gala banquet. She’d worn her hair up, to show off the keyhole detail of the back of her dress and now, with the spotlight on her, she was glad she had. Linney had been cautiously optimistic this year, but nothing was ever certain. She was so overwhelmed when her name was called that her knees knocked together as she stood up, and her voice wavered when she accepted her first solo award. She thanked Mac for his support and Gemma and the rest of the crew at TCN for their ongoing confidence in her. Nobody clapped louder for her than MJ did.
She held up the hem of her garnet floor-length gown—another purchase MJ had helped her make—muttering, “Don’t trip, don’t trip,” to herself under her breath as she carefully made her way down the stairs from the stage and back to their table, where MJ stood up and gave her a huge hug.
“Congratulations,” Mac said, kissing her sloppily when she slid into her seat beside him. Linney tensed. Mac was drunk. She knew conversations stopped in the newsroom when she walked by these days and she’d heard the whispers that his work was suffering. Gemma was giving him less air time too. Linney had meant to confront him in the fall, after she came back from Silver Lake, but the time never seemed right. Even though the evidence was right in front of her, she was frightened to have confirmation. So it was easier to stay silent and soldier on.
Mac was up for a production award, despite his issues, and Linney expected now that they’d go home to celebrate a pair of trophies. She laced her fingers with his and they both tensed in expectation when his category was called and he fidgeted nervously with his bow tie. To Linney’s surprise, the award went to a competitor.
“You were robbed,” she said quietly. “He didn’t deserve that.” Others at the table murmured agreement as the winner made his way to the stage, but Linney felt it was forced, as if they were just being polite.
Mac took the bottle of wine from the centre of the table morosely and filled his glass again. His hands were unsteady, and the wine spilled on the tablecloth. Linney leaped to mop it up.
“Next year, Mac,” Gemma told him tersely over the applause. “Stay the course.” She and Mac had worked together for decades, and Linney wondered if Gemma’s words held deeper meaning than they seemed to on the surface.
Mac sulked for the rest of the ceremony, draining the last of the wine from the bottle. As soon as the formalities were over, he headed to the bar, weaving his way among the tables to get there. Heady from her win, Linney was oblivious and joined MJ and others on the dance floor to celebrate. Mac watched, with a sneer on his face and a whiskey in his hand.
“She’s good, Mac,” said Gemma, as she joined him at the bar. She wasn’t ready to let this go. “She’s good. Don’t hold her back.”
“Whatd’ya mean?” he slurred.
“She’s ready to fly. Do not make it hard for her to go.”
“Gemma.”
“And I think it’s time you switched to water tonight.” A dark cloud passed over Mac’s face, but Gemma put a hand on his arm and then slipped away, as Linney joined him at the bar and asked the bartender for a soft drink. A few strands of hair had slipped from her updo and her cheeks were pink with exertion. Her eyes danced, but all Mac could see was her with an award and his hands empty. Gemma’s words rang in his ears. But Gemma wasn’t there. Linney was.
