Chapter 15
Hayley was pacing back and forth in her room. It was quite late at night but she couldn't settle down. She felt like a bundle of nervous energy that couldn't be dissipated. She stared at the bed. How could she go to sleep? That was where she normally slept beside Nate. Everything in the room had some memory attached to Nate. She needed to think about something else. Work..no..that reminded her of Mitchell. Her mother? She had been acting quite strangely. Her brothers…yes that was a safe topic these days
This evening had been nice. She hadn't been able to hang out with her brothers in such a long time, and it felt so good. It felt like home. She had really gotten to know Penny, and it was so nice seeing Leonard. Something was off about Michael though. He looked so drained and stressed out. She knew a part of it was because of her situation, but there was something that he wasn't telling her. Something was bothering him and he wasn't telling her because he didn't want to stress her out. What was it? She hoped that he wasn't stressing about the situation with Emily.
She could hear Penny closing the bathroom door and heading down the hall. "Penny?" she called out.
Penny peaked her head into her bedroom. "Hey Hayley? Are you ok?" she asked.
Hayley patted the bed and nodded for Penny to come in. Penny came into the room and sat on her bed. She was wearing her pyjama's and a light silk robe over it.
"I'm not keeping you up am I?" Hayley asked.
"Not at all. I think I'm still on LA time or something. I am totally awake. Leonard on the other hand is snoring away like a chainsaw. What's up? Are you ok?"
Hayley sighed. "I'm ok. It's nice being home and weird at the same time. I'm just not ready to think about Nate, and then when I look around this room, all I see is Nate. I just need to focus on something else. At least for the time being."
"That's fair" Penny said empathetically. She scanned the beautifully decorated bedroom and saw all the photographs of the couple. "Well, maybe to start, it would help if you weren't staring at Nate's face right now. So how about we just put some of these photos aside for tonight. Let's make this bedroom a bit of a neutral zone. Actually a Hayley zone."
"A Hayley zone?" she laughed. "What is that?"
Penny quickly walked around the room and grabbed the framed photos of Hayley and Nate and put them in her closet. She picked up the tv remote and read through the guide. She put on an old episode of Project Runway. She then took her phone out of her robe and opened Spotify and chose a 90's hip hop stream.
A big smile broke out on Hayley's face. She smiled at the television. "How'd you know?"
"Well, I have a keen eye for fashion, and everything you've worn has been amazing. I had a feeling you might like this show." Penny smiled at Hayley. "Does your room feel a bit better?"
Hayley sat down on the bed next to her. "Penny you are really awesome. Thank-you. Yes, it's made all the difference. It does feel like a Hayley zone now." She gave a thoughtful look to Penny. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything" Penny quickly responded.
"Did Michael mention that something was bothering him? He's seems really off. Like he's keeping something from us."
Penny shook her head. "He hasn't said anything to us. I mean, I don't know Michael that well yet. I know he must be tired from the past few days, and everything that happened with you. Maybe that's just it? Plus he just cancelled his wedding. That has to be stressful."
Hayley bit her lip and stared off into space. "You're right…but I just have a feeling it's something more. If anything, he seems a bit relieved to not be going through with this wedding."
"Well I know he's been making a lot of calls cancelling stuff. It's probably just getting to him. Leonard and I could talk to him in the morning, and see what's going on."
"Sure…but I'm not sure if he'll open up. I just can't put my finger on it. It's just a gut feeling. I'm worried about him." Hayley's phone started buzzing on her bedside table. She walked over and picked it up. It was from her friend Rachelle.
Rachelle: Did your brother really get fired from Harvard? Is the stuff they said true?
Hayley frowned. What was she talking about? She quickly texted back.
Hayley: I've been disconnected from the grid for the past few days. What are you talking about?
Rachelle: Brace yourself. It's posted everywhere. It's pretty obvious to everyone it's Michael. I'll send you the links.
Instantaneously her phone started buzzing with incoming texts from Rachelle. Hayley quickly opened the link, and scanned the "blind" gossip articles. Her face started to flush with anger, as she angrily tapped through the links.
Penny looked at her concerned. "Hey what's going on? Is Nate bothering you? Cause if he is, I have a few choice words for him, and I'm not afraid to say them."
"It's Emily. Dammit. It's her. I know it's her. She's trying to ruin Michael's life." Hayley sputtered.
"What are you talking about?"
"Look at this." She tossed Penny her phone.
Penny quickly read the article and her eyes went wide. "Whoah….that's crazy. I mean it doesn't say it's Michael. They can't fire him based on a gossip article can they?"
"No they can't. But who knows how far Emily took this. She impersonated a doctor to screw with me. I'm sure she would have no problem setting something up at Harvard if it was to her benefit. I'm sure Harvard is investigating." Hayley crossed her arms. "She's not going to get away with this."
Penny looked at Hayley curiously. "Umm…are we sure that this rumour isn't true? I mean, Michael seems like he might –"
"-No." Hayley interrupted. "Michael may be a player, but he would never risk his job like that. Never. I don't know what he did with his extracurricular hours, but I know it would be with no one related to the University. He wouldn't risk it. I know him, and he would never do that. He worked so hard to get to that position. This has Emily written all over it."
"Ugh..she's just awful. I hate what she did to you, and I hate how she was trying to manipulate me into hating you and mistrusting Leonard. Now this thing with Michael. She can't just get away with everything. God, she pisses me off so badly. I'm surprised Michael isn't doing anything about it."
"Well….this is the first I've heard about it. I knew Michael was acting a bit off. I think he's feeling guilty about everything, so he's letting the cards fall where they may. I don't think he should though. They both had the opportunity to walk away, but she's hell bent on causing trouble for him."
"What do you think we should do? I want her to pay, but I can see this getting really nasty and out of hand really quick."
Hayley started pacing the room. "Well, maybe we should take a page from Emily's book. Bascially she tried to find the things that were most important to us, and attacked there."
"What's important to Emily? I know she's a judge, so her career is pretty important to her."
"No…no… not work." Hayley kept pacing the room. She snapped her fingers. "This wedding. This wedding made it clear to me. She wants the spotlight. To be talked about. To be that "it" girl. She was going crazy about the fact that a New York Times journalist came to the party. She wants that fame so badly. Did you notice on all those gossip posts, how positive she was written. Gorgeous fiancé. Pillar of the community?" Hayley started laughing as she shook her head.
Penny looked at her seriously. "What do you have in mind?"
"Well if Emily wants to be famous, then let's make her famous. Let's make her the most talked about person in the New York Social scene."
Penny laughed. "I know I should be discouraging you, but this is too good. I want her to pay. Boy do I want her to pay."
"I need to think. It's got to be something good. Something that sends a clear message. " Her phone started to buzz again on the bed. She picked it up and saw Mitchell's name flash across the screen with a text message. Her heart momentarily jumped when she saw his name. She quickly put her phone face down on her dresser. She needed to focus. One thing at a time.
She turned to Penny. She had been so supportive and kind. It was unfair that her vacation was getting completely ruined with this whole mess. Perhaps she could kill two birds with one stone. "I'm still pretty worried about Michael. He mentioned that he had to go down to the American Museum of Natural History tomorrow to cancel his booking. Do you and Leonard mind going with him? I think he could use the support of his brother and you. Besides, you need to go see some of the sites of New York. I don't want you to spend your entire vacation sitting here. That museum is amazing! It'll make me feel better if I knew you got to have some fun on your trip here."
Penny smiled at Hayley. "Don't feel bad. I came to New York to meet Leonard's family, and that is what I am doing. I'm enjoying getting to know you all better. This whole thing brought us closer together. I feel bad about leaving you home alone. And what about the whole Emily thing?"
"Don't feel bad. I'm ok. I think it would be good for me to spend some time with my kids. I've missed them. That's my plan for tomorrow. I'll be ok. As for Emily…I need to think. I don't want to act rashly and this blow into a worse situation for my brother."
"Well ok then, I wouldn't mind going into the city and exploring the sites." Penny yawned and looked at the clock. "Wow, I can't believe its 1 am."
"You get some rest. I'm sure Leonard is going to think of a million places he'll want to show you tomorrow."
"Ok, I'll head to bed." She went over and gave Hayley a hug. She smiled at her. "I feel like I have another sister now."
Hayley smiled back warmly. "I feel like I finally have a sister. Thanks Penny...for everything."
Penny smiled and left the room. Hayley stared at her turned over phone lying on the table. Mitchell. She had been dying to hear from him, and at the same time she was dreading it. What was he going to say? She took a big breath and opened the text.
Mitchell: Is this a good time to call? I'd really like to speak with you.
Hayley's arms shook as she stared at the phone. Was she ready to speak with Mitchell? She almost preferred to leave him to be a bit of a question mark in her head. She couldn't keep living this way. She hit reply and quickly texted.
Hayley: Now is ok.
She was fearing the call and desiring the call so badly at the same time. Suddenly the phone started vibrating.
"Hello" Hayley answered softly.
"Hi Hayley. How are you?" His rich deep voice made her sigh.
"Umm…I'm doing ok. Thanks" she stuttered nervously. An awkward silence fell between them. Normally they spoke so easily, and now it felt so laboured. She could hear Mitchell take a deep breath.
"Hayley I'm so sorry. I'm incredibly sorry for believing that story about you. You're one of my closest friends, I should have known what she said was ridiculous. The way she spoke…she was just so convincing. I should have known better. I'm really sorry Hayley. Can you ever forgive me?"
Hayley smiled softly. "Of course I forgive you. There is nothing to forgive Mitchell. It was all Emily. She used to be an amazing lawyer, very skilled at the art of persuasion. It's easy to believe what she says" Hayley sighed. "She's a real piece of work. That's for sure."
"How did you brother get mixed up with someone like that? So vindictive? It's so weird that she'd try to pick on our work friendship of all things. I guess she knows how important your work is to you."
Hayley gulped. "Yeah…that must be it."
"The more I think about it, the angrier I get at myself." Mitchell said. "Her whole premise is so ridiculous. A romantic obsession? Between us? How wild is that?"
Hayley gave out a nervous laugh. "It's a bit crazy –"
"I know I can say with confidence, I have never once thought of you that way. And I'm sure that you haven't thought of me that way either. I mean…" Mitchell laughed. "Us in love with each other? I can't even picture that."
Hayley's eyes filled with tears. "Crazy indeed…" she choked out.
"I know!" Mitchell exclaimed. "You're like one of the guys to me. Always have been. But to get onto more important things. Are you feeling ok? Michael said you were unwell?"
Hayley took a big breath. "I'm ok. I just let myself get a little run down is all. I'll be fine."
"Well I want you to rest and get better. Take it easy, you push yourself too hard all the time. Don't worry about work. I'll figure out this grant issue. I'm sure we can get an extension somehow. They are reasonable people."
"Thanks Mitchell. I appreciate that."
"Well you just rest. I'm so glad to be speaking with you again Hale. I really missed you. I better go though, it's quite late. Sweet Dreams."
"Sweet Dreams" she replied in a barely audible whisper.
She hit end on her phone and walked over to her mirror and stared at herself. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face was pale and her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail. She slowly stroked the reflection of her face in the mirror.
"Well Hale…he thought the idea us of being in love was ridiculous. I always knew he felt that way. I always knew. I always knew…." She looked at her red tinged eyes, but there were no more tears to be had. She shivered. "Why does it hurt so bad to hear it out loud?"
She knew why. It made it real.
"Thanks for coming with me, it's nice to have the company." Michael said as he, Leonard and Penny entered the museum.
Leonard patted Michael on the back. "No problem buddy. We're here for you. Do you remember when we used to come here as kids. I loved coming here so much."
"Me too. This was always one of my favourite places. Actually, I was the one that wanted to have our rehearsal dinner here, not Emily. When she found out how sought after a place it was to have events, she changed her mind. This event was planned exclusively by me. I guess it was the one event where it was all the things I liked. I don't know why they are giving me such a hard time about cancelling though. I know I'm not getting my deposit back, but they insisted that I come in. I have a feeling I'm going to get an earful." Michael groaned.
"Just think Michael, in a week, this will all be a distant memory. You can put this whole wedding and Emily behind you." Leonard encouraged.
Penny was looking around taking in the expanse of the large museum. "This place is huge. I don't know where to begin." Penny exclaimed.
"Oh, don't you worry. I know the best parts of this museum. I'll provide you with an expert guided tour. But how about we walk Michael to where he needs to go, and then we'll go off from there and explore. Michael, where is your meeting?"
"It's in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. It's where we were going to have the party." Michael replied.
"The Blue Whale! Penny you are going to love this." Leonard exclaimed.
The trio headed off to the museum hall. They finally came upon the entrance of the hall. Michael pushed open the door and they entered the room. Penny gasped audibly and put her hand to her mouth. At the centre of the room was an enormous blue whale suspended from the ceiling. The walls were covered in dioramas of the oceans flora and fauna. There was a large oak dancefloor in the centre. The room was filled with tall tree like flower arrangements with cascading purple orchids in glowing tall vases. The room felt like an enchanted aquarium.
Penny turned to Leonard with a look of wonder. "It's so beautiful. I've never seen anything quite like this. I feel like I stepped into an enchanted underwater forest." She continued gazing around the room with a look of sheer awe on her face.
"Looks like Michael really went all out. It's normally really nice in here, but this is something else. That's for sure."
Penny ran her hand down one of the tall vases then gently touched an orchid petal. "Can you imagine getting married in a place like this? It's like walking into a fairy tale. It would be like a dream come true." She glanced over at Leonard who suddenly looked sad.
"I wish we could afford something like this Penny. It's just so expensive….it would put us in so much debt I can't even imagine" Leonard said softly.
Penny squeezed Leonard's hand. "Don't listen to me, I'm just being silly. All this fancy stuff doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm marrying you. I'd get married in an old barn, as long as I don't get any mud on my heels" Penny joked.
"Are you sure?" Leonard asked pensively. "I want you to have the wedding of your dreams. We can do better than our original Vegas plan."
"We will Leonard. When we get back, we'll plan a small intimate wedding, and it'll be perfect." Penny looked around the room again. "I'm going to go check out more of the room." She walked off to the other side of the room.
Leonard sighed and then glanced over at Michael who appeared to be in a heated debate with a small wiry man with glasses. The man was writing furiously in his book and tapping on his calculator. He finally shut the book, and walked out of the room. Leonard wandered over to Michael.
"What was that about?" Leonard asked.
"Ugh. I don't know why he keeps going on and on. Basically, he's going complaining on how this cancellation has affected him in the greatest detail. How the museum lost out on publicity, the chef is angry, musicians, decorators. The list goes on and on. I just hope he finishes up soon. He went to his office to get something." Michael grumbled. He noticed his brother was frowning while watching Penny.
"What's bothering you?" he asked.
"Oh…" Leonard started. "When Penny saw this place she said getting married here would be like her fairy tale wedding. I wish I could give her dream, but it's so expensive. We have so much debt. I'd never be able to book a place like this. It just bums me out. I want Penny to have the wedding she always wanted."
Michael leaned back against the bar and stared at his brother. He was looking at his fiancé so wistfully. He cleared his throat. "So why don't you?"
Leonard looked at him puzzled. "Why don't I what?"
"Get married here." Michael said with a grin.
"What are you talking about? We just can't get married here just like that!"
"Why not?"
"Because that would mean we are getting married tomorrow. And we have no rings, no outfits, we haven't told our families. Plus this is something you and Emily booked. No offense but the karma…"
"These are just details Leonard. Small details. They couldn't rent it out again due to the short notice, so the place is available. You two can easily get rings for tomorrow. The Hofstadter side can be there for your wedding. You can ask Penny if she wants her family to fly out. I've got lots of points they could use. Emily and I weren't getting married here, it was only for a rehearsal dinner. AND, I might add, that Emily had no part in planning this event, it was all me. So there is no "Emily" vibe here. So what's standing in your way?"
"Michael…you're crazy. We couldn't." Leonard looked at Michael with wide eyes. "Could we?"
Michael laughed. "Of course you can. The question is, do you both want to?"
Leonard flashed a big smile. "I'll be right back." He jetted over to where Penny was across the room. Michael watched as his brother spoke animatedly to her. Penny at first looked confused, but then a smile broke out on her face. She squealed and then jumped into Leonard's arms. Leonard flashed a thumbs up to Michael.
"Awesome" Michael whispered to himself. The museum's event coordinator Gerald returned to the room. He handed Michael a piece of paper.
"This is the amount owing, including your cancellation fees." Gerald said sternly.
Michael folded the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. "What would you say, if I told you I have another event that could be held that night? Much smaller and intimate. My brother and his fiancé there are looking to get married and to have a small dinner. No more than ten or so people. You said that you couldn't book this room out on such short notice anyways, so what do you say?"
"I'd say, it's possible but it's going to cost you. It's a lot of work for me, and frankly, I'm not feeling all that charitable towards you."
Michael sighed. "Well, give me a ballpark. What will it cost to make this happen for tomorrow night? And I want it done right."
Gerald stared at Michael, and then wrote a figure in his notebook and then handed it to him.
Michael gasped. "You've got to be kidding me?"
"I'm under no obligation to even rent it to you again. If that price doesn't fit your budget, then we can end our conversation right here."
Michael looked at Leonard and Penny. They looked so happy and in love. Maybe this was the way he could finally try to make amends to his brother. He turned to Gerald. "No..no. It's fine. I'll figure it out. We have a deal."
"Great. Well I have a lot of work to do to prepare for tomorrow. I'll be in contact with you for the details."
"Sounds good."
Gerald left the room. Michael continued staring at his brother and Penny talking animatedly across the room. He took a sip from his bottle of water and then held the bottle up to them in a private toast.
"Happy wedding big brother"
Emily was preparing lunch in her condo when her cell phone rang. She sat down on her couch and looked at the number. It was unknown. She hit answer.
"Hello?" she answered hesitantly.
"Emily? It's Jason Shuback calling from the New York Times. I'm not sure you remember me. I interviewed you and Michael at Hayley Hofstadter's home?"
Emily flushed. Was he going to pull the article now that her and Michael had split? She didn't want to be cast in a negative light.
"Of course I remember you. It was so nice speaking with you. I assume you are calling about the article you were writing about us?" she fished.
"Well, yes. If the rumours that were published are true, then I am to believe that you and Michael are no longer getting married?"
Emily cleared her throat. "Well, I won't speak to the validity of the rumours regarding Michael, but I can confirm that he and I are no longer together."
"Oh I'm sorry Emily. It's sad when a relationship ends." Jason said softly.
"Thank-you." Emily replied flatly.
"Well the reason I am calling, is I'm hoping to give you an opportunity to say your piece. You are really an inspiration to so many young women out there. Your career trajectory has been phenomenal, not to mention your charitable works in the community. We have a last minute opportunity for an op ed piece, and I think you'd be perfect. I think you could give a lot of inspiration to women out there. How you dealt with a cheating partner, how it can happen to anyone. We are looking for something really raw and honest. Do you think it would be something you'd be interested in? The deadline is extremely tight, but it's an amazing opportunity."
Emily smiled. "I'm definitely interested. I think I could…be a help to other women out there."
"Fantastic!" Jason exclaimed. "I'll send you an email laying out all the requirements. I'll need you to write something by this afternoon though, so our editorial staff can review it. It's highly unorthodox for us to do this so last minute, but our existing op ed piece fell apart. If this article doesn't work out, we will just have to run another previously approved article. We hope to have this in the paper tomorrow."
"Tomorrow! Oh wow. Yes, then I'm totally on board, and am a quick writer. Just send me the requirements."
"Thank-you so much Emily. Just promise me one thing"
"What?" Emily enquired.
"Don't go easy on Michael. Let's just say….we have a history, and not a good one." Jason said quietly.
Emily smiled. "Oh Jason, I don't think that will be a problem."
Emily hung up the call and smiled. A whole op ed article about her! In the New York Times! It was like a dream come true. She opened up her computer to wait for Jason's email, and look for a beautiful photo of herself, to submit for the article. Things were really looking up.
Emily laughed to herself as she flipped through the photos. "Oh boy Michael….you better be worried. Really worried."
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it. = )