Liza didn't see the missed call from Charles until that evening. Clare's sister had been serious about the no-phones rule. In retrospect, though, it was better that Liza didn't realize he'd had been trying to get in touch. The day had been complicated enough, and she had taken control of her feelings for the moment.
Josh's drunken confession still burned inside her throughout the ceremony and most of the day. She couldn't stop mentally replaying the moment before he kissed her - his eyes, half-open; his words, slurred but honest; his kiss, right, but wrong. The knowledge that only she and he knew what had happened - another secret for her to keep, except to Maggie, who didn't seem bothered by it - was eating away at her after she'd promised herself she'd stop lying to the people she loved. Meanwhile, Josh and Clare's family and friends laughed and mingled, from the morning ceremony to the afternoon celebration and, eventually, a dinner in the evening for the stragglers.
As evening fell, Liza was in a better place. It could have been because Josh was happy. He'd pulled her aside earlier in the day to thank her for coming and to apologize for the night before. "It means a lot to Clare that you're here," he said, "and to me, too, obviously," he added, looking up at her sheepishly.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it," Liza smiled, eyeing Clare, who was trying to get Josh's attention. "But you should go - I think your wife's looking for you," she said, nodding her head in Clare's direction.
"God, that's weird," he said, shaking his head and putting his hands in his pockets. "When does it feel normal calling someone your wife?"
"You'll get there," Liza laughed. "Go."
It could have been a self-preservation thing. She had to accept what she couldn't change and let go, right? Maybe it was because she was finally closing the door on a relationship that, realistically, had gone long past its prime. Josh would always have a special place in her heart for what he gave her - a chance to reclaim passion that'd long been buried - and she was just as happy for him as they both realized he'd fallen for someone else. Right? That's what she had to work with for now, anyway.
And then there was Charles.
The time zone in Ireland was four hours ahead of New York, so by the time Liza had her phone again, it was too late to call back. She'd send a text instead, and he'd see the message in the morning.
"Hello from Ireland," she wrote. "Sorry I missed your call earlier - crazy day. Everything okay there?" Sent.
Three blinking dots popped up.
Charles had been in bed for a while, but he wasn't sleeping - who could sleep after a day like the one he'd had? When he heard his phone vibrate, he glanced at it and tipped the screen toward himself, squinting. When he realized it was a text from Liza, he sat up, switched on the lamp on his side of the bed and kicked off the covers.
"Hi," he wrote. "Not entirely."
His head was spinning after the humiliating GMA appearance, the way Kelsey and Zane fought like children and embarrassed him, and Pauline's self-congratulatory performance in the car as the video of her TV segment blew up online. He'd been brusque and pushed Liza away after she confronted him about wanting to take her off Marriage Vacation. He felt like he'd hit rock bottom. He'd never forgotten the evening when, over drinks, he and Liza had talked about what he might do if he had to start over.
She was the only person he wanted to talk to, and she was halfway around the world...chasing Josh.
When he'd called her that morning and gotten her voicemail, he was conflicted - half relieved that he wouldn't have to choose his words carefully or say something he'd regret when he felt so unsteady, but half anxious that she didn't answer his call. What was going on in Ireland?
"I saw GMA," she wrote, walking back to her room after the late dinner. "Was surprised to see you up there."
"Not my idea," he replied. "We should catch up in person. When are you back?"
"Sunday evening your time," she wrote, sitting on her bed, pulling off her heels and tossing them in the general direction of her suitcase. "Maybe lunch on Monday?"
"I'd like to clear some things up," he replied. "How about I pick you up from the airport?"
He sounded desperate. "Sure," she wrote. "I'll forward my itinerary."
"Good night," he texted.
"Night," she replied.
He turned off the lamp, but he couldn't sleep.
Liza, exhausted, drifted off.