Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last chapter. Some people may think they know where this story is going but you will be surprised. This is going to be twisted but all roads will lead to Daniel/Betty.
A/N: I re-watched A Tree Grows in Guadeloupe to get Jordan's characterization down because she is going to have a bigger role in this story than on the show. I discovered that she has the same last name as Betty's future boss. So, I'm going to play with that.
Sometimes Daniel uses the wrong tense in this chapter, this was intentional. He has yet to accept that Alex is actually dead (even though she is not really dead but he doesn't know that.)
Chapter 3: I Think I Like (love?) this Girl
It was 9:30 AM and he was actually at work that Wednesday morning. He skipped yesterday because he did what Betty asked him to do and actually went to see his mother. She was a mess and as predicted was slowly drinking her way through the family's extensive wine cellar. His dad's special friend also known as the biggest bitch at Mode decided to tell her exactly why she now only had one living son. The only consolation was she didn't burn an entire lot of magazines. He spent the entire day getting her into Sobriety Hills with the help of Marisol. The woman had connections.
He called his father to let him know that his wife was back in rehab but Faye picked up once and for all cementing in his mind that his father was fucking around with Faye Somers. Maybe under other circumstances he would find this devastating but what can top finding out your brother wanted to be your sister and he killed himself because their father was an asshole. Everything else is manageable.
Daniel did realize one thing he didn't want to be anything like his father. He did not want to fuck around with girls' hearts anymore. That made the days of screwing around a thing of the past. Therefore, most of his liquor collection is in the trash and he was actually at work again before noon.
Surprisingly, Jamie wasn't there yet. According to Marisol one of the other managing editors had to fill in for the guy one can blame him. Daniel just hoped Jamie would be staying around and did not turn in his letter of resignation. Daniel wasn't sure if Hudson magazine could survive without him.
Considering the pitying looks everyone was giving him, Daniel was sure most of the office knew that the skiing accident was no accident by this point. The rumor mill at Hudson was particularly vicious and second only to the one at Mode. Of course, his father's lawyers were making everybody sign a confidentiality agreement, including Daniel, about Alex's beyond the grave confession. He didn't sign his until after he told Betty about the entire mess.
Then again maybe they all know that his mother was in rehab again. He was sure that that would be public knowledge before lunch. Marisol couldn't even look at him this morning without breaking into tears. Considering how bad the morning was going he was happy to hear Betty's voice when she called.
"What were you thinking when you sent me that picture?" Of course, maybe he would have preferred her asking another question after not hearing from her for two days.
"Good morning to you, sunshine." He joked.
"Do you have any idea what could happen if my nephew saw that picture? He's always taking my phone." Betty said slightly panicky.
"If you were really upset you would've called me yesterday. Personally, I think you liked it and probably used it for private time." He whispered that last part into the phone. Because he was just a lowly editor, his office was only semiprivate.
"I tried but your phone was off." Daniel forgot about that. They took his phone away when he was with his mom at the treatment center yesterday. Of course, he didn't want to tell Betty that because he honestly wanted to avoid all conversations related to his , he wanted to avoid anything related to his entire dysfunctional family. Flirting with Betty was his only escape from everything. Well, that and actually doing his job.
"Seriously, is sex all you think about? How much alcohol did you drink before you sent that picture? If I was a different type of person, I would have my braces money and that picture would be on page 6." Her laugh told him that she was joking about that last part.
"Only a couple of beers and I trust you enough to know you're not that type of person. I think that's what I like the most about you. I know I can tell you anything and it won't end up in the tabloids. You're a good person." After knowing her for just days he knew he could trust her with just about anything.
"I think you're a good person too, despite almost everyone else thinking otherwise. Well at least, when you're not sending me pornographic pictures that my 10-year-old nephew could accidentally see. Seriously he's always getting in my things." He just laughed at her.
"I did that to Alex too. I was always reading his diary, sorry Journal." He said somberly. "I forgot about the nephew. Sorry. I needed to do something to cheer myself up after you know." He said as an excuse. Flirting with her did get his mind off of everything but he liked her a lot, before he had evidence on his phone that she was hiding a really fantastic body underneath everything.
"That's the only reason why I'm not completely furious at you." Betty said with a sigh.
"I thought that was because you liked what you saw." Daniel said with a smirk.
"Are you still trying to have sex with me?" She asked incredulously.
"Mostly because you haven't said yes yet," He quipped.
"So you like me because I'm a challenge?" He was kind of insulted by that insinuation but mostly on her behalf. Actually, he was upset at her sister and that idiot Wilbur or whatever his name is for convincing her that she wasn't worth the notice of others. Both had her believing that she was not pretty and therefore wasn't the type of person he would be into under normal circumstances.
"No, I like you because you're Betty." He said honestly. Again, she was different than anyone he has ever met.
"If it wasn't for you, I think I would be drowning in grief and alcohol somewhere in the Caribbean right now. You believe I can get through this so I'm actually trying. Instead, I'm proofreading an article about 10 ways to make your girlfriend call you God in bed and I threw a lot of liquor in the trash." He knows that everything he is saying is true. He would have left Hudson and would be currently working his way through his trust fund as quickly as possible. Instead, he was trying to get the next issue of Hudson out without giving into the desire to reach for the scotch that was no longer in his desk.
"Is that another line of yours?" Betty asked.
"No, actually that's the name of the article. He said with a laugh avoiding any reference to the first part he said. "Although it is about sex tips, I would be willing to try number six with you." He said referring to the thing about food sex. His usual type would not be into that sort of thing but he sure she would be. "You seem like a whipped cream and chocolate sauce type of girl."
"That's because I actually like food. I really should not have called you. I was concerned about you. You cannot be in that bad of shape if you're coming on to me like this. You're supposed to be working." Betty hissed at him.
"Yes and I'm asking you for help on an article. I'm not sure any of these things would work on a woman of your caliber." He smirked to himself.
"There you go again with the bad pickup lines."
"They are not that horrible." He said in his defense.
"Daniel!"
"I think I told you about the conversation I had with the therapist, sex and flirting are my favorite coping mechanisms." He told her trying to appear as if he was joking.
"That's what worries me. I'm not that girl you took to the funeral. You're the one that keeps telling me I should value myself." Really did she have to throw that back into his face now?
"No, you actually have two brain cells to rub together." He teased.
"Be serious!" She chided.
"I don't want to be my father. My family is a complete mess because of him. Yesterday, I drove my mother to rehab for the 1000 time because my mom had to bury her oldest son, a son that killed himself because my father cannot accept us for who we truly are. Also, the fact that the rumors about my father's sleeping around with various employees in a secret sex dungeon are most likely true cannot help anything." He explained.
"I'm sorry. I guess that was why your phone was off yesterday." Betty said with genuine sympathy.
"Yes. I only put it on long enough to tell my father what was going on. His fun buddy picked up. Now, I understand why my mom burned an entire shipment of magazines in 1986." He said darkly remembering the worst Christmas of his life. Alex was the only thing that got him through that.
"What?" Betty asked. Unfortunately, Jamie walked in at that moment.
"I will explain later. Jamie just came in and I have not seen him since Monday night. How about lunch this afternoon?" He asked a little desperate to see her again.
"I have classes and the kitty hospital. I don't think you want to have lunch with someone that smells like a litter box. Maybe we can do something Saturday before everything?" Betty suggested. That just made him smile.
"Okay, Saturday. Text me your address and I will pick you up at 10." He said grinning.
"It's a date - I mean - oh I'm hanging up now." Daniel's response was to just laugh. He was starting to lo-like this girl.
"I'm surprised to see you smiling. I assume that was your Betty." Jamie said sitting on his desk. It was an annoying habit of his that drove Alex crazy. Maybe, that's why he's been doing it so much in the last few days.
"She's not my anything. She's a new friend." Daniel said stammering a little bit.
"Friend is a very ambiguous word. You have been trying to sleep with her since Saturday and you showed off that picture she accidentally sent you." Okay, he didn't remember that.
"How drunk was I Monday night?" Daniel asked worried. Maybe it was a good thing that he got rid of most of his liquor.
"You were only drunk enough to send me a picture of you covered with whipped cream. However, I actually slept with Jordan." Daniel was shocked. Yes, he definitely made the right call with getting rid of the alcohol. He probably should have put Jordan and Jamie in separate cabs Monday night.
"I thought you hated her?" Daniel asked with his mouth still wide open in absolute shock.
"No, I was just in love with her boyfriend. It didn't mean anything. We were drunk and just furious at Alex. This was our way of getting back at him. After the ceremonial cleansing of Alex's apartment, I doubt that I'm going to see her again." Okay, now Daniel was glad that Betty was going to be there with him. He's going to need her to keep the two apart. Daniel wasn't sure what was more disturbing the two going at each other's throats or making out.
"I get it." He said remembering what Betty said about the whole Wilbur thing. Jordan was probably a better drunken mistake than that prick. Actually, just about anybody else would be a better drunk mistake.
"Yes, you are chasing after Betty." Jamie said almost smirking unfortunately it did not reach his eyes.
"I'm not -I don't-I haven't done the relationship thing since Lucy." He said honestly. He doesn't really know what he's doing with Betty. He just knows that he likes this girl. She's different. Maybe, just maybe, for her he may try again. She was good at making him try.
"It's been 10 years. It's time to move on." Okay Daniel had to repress the urge to roll his eyes.
"In 10 years, when you're happy with somebody else, you can tell me that. How do you know about the Lucy thing?"
"One time I asked Alex why you screwed around with every girl in Manhattan and he told me about this girl you met when you were 20. Although in his defense, he was completely smashed at the time." Jamie said sadly.
"Alex has a big mouth." He said forgetting to use the correct tense.
"Except when it really mattered, I wish he told me about what Bradford said to him." Jamie said darkly.
"Where were you yesterday? Marisol said you did not come in." He asked with concern.
"I could ask you the same thing." Jamie said raising an eyebrow.
"Getting my mom settled into sobriety Hills." Daniel said darkly.
"Good reason." Jamie said looking guilty.
"What about you, after your walk of shame?" He asked again.
"We burned at least $10,000 worth of designer dress shoes and half of Alex's suits." Jamie deadpan.
"I'm not sure if you're joking." He said.
"I am. Neither one of us has been able to go back into the apartment yet. I did throw a rock through the window." Okay, now that he believed.
"Well it is your house now or is Dad contesting the will?" Considering the lawyers were working overtime to clean up the mess that Alex's will made he wouldn't be surprised.
"He's not as long as I signed an agreement that says I will never disclose my personal relationship with Alex Meade or the real cause of his death. Considering how much I love your brother, it was an easy decision." Jamie said with one tear rolling down his cheek.
"So he bribed you?" Daniel was not surprised. It's the sort of thing Bradford Meade would do.
"In exchange for keeping quiet about what Alex did, I get to be the new EIC of Hudson." Jamie said with a sigh.
"You should just do what he wants because you deserve it." Daniel said honestly.
"I'm still half tempted to leave. I'm never going to be able to take Alex's office over. However, if I stay I want you to be my managing editor." Daniel was flattered but he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay here. He no longer wanted to be on the first plane to Tahiti but he wasn't sure he could deal with the ghost of Alex everywhere.
"Let me think about it." He said simply.
"Is that because you don't think you can do it? I think you can." Again he was glad Jamie was sticking around.
"It's not that. This is-was Alex's magazine. I'm about as uncertain if I can stay here as you are. Also I'm going to need to go to France to deal with things with the Château there. Mom is in rehab again and I think I need to be there for her. At least that's what Betty suggested. I just need to take it one article at a time right now." He told Jamie honestly.
"The old you wouldn't have dealt with any of this. I think this is the Betty effect. I haven't even met girl and I think I already like her." Jamie said smiling.
"I like her too." For the first time in years, he wasn't just talking about the physical type of attraction. He just liked Betty.
What exactly did one wear to help a guy that you like, in an undefinable way, clean out his dead brother's apartment? Normally, Betty did not care at all about what she wore but her normal bright patterns and colors were not appropriate for such a somber occasion. She really wasn't sure what would be appropriate to wear to the restaurant that Daniel was taking her to afterwards. Half of her closet was currently on her bed. Betty has never done this before for a date and this was not a date (maybe).
"There really is a Santa Claus and he gave me my Christmas wish just a little late. I'm so happy that you're finally taking this important step in becoming a more fashionable you." Her 10-year-old nephew said smiling. "I can help you. I hope you're not planning to give any of this to charity that would just be cruel to the homeless." He said holding up a green and purple sweater with kittens on it.
"I'm just trying to find something to wear, not re-doing my entire closet." Betty said rolling her eyes. "Besides, I like that sweater."
"Yes but its two sizes too big and the wrong color. You have never cared before. Do you have a date with Walter? I think he's standing outside the house again." Justin asked. Walter still hasn't figured out after a week she is never getting back together with him to the point he was still following her and showing up at her house at very strange times of the day.
At least, her sister has backed off on trying to force her to settle for someone like Walter even if Betty was considering getting a restraining order at this point (at Daniel's urging). Unfortunately, she was trying to set her up with the meat guy down the street who is pushing 60. This was annoying.
"No, I don't think I really like him anymore." Actually, the more time she spends talking to Daniel on the phone and exchanging texts, the more she realizes that she never really liked Walter. She was just settling.
"I don't either. Besides you're much too good for him." Justin said supportively.
"Weren't you just salivating over the prospect of redecorating my closet?"
"That's just how you dress. You're a good person. However, I know you can do better than that." He said pointing to her little mermaid pajamas that her mother got her last year to match her comforter set.
"Mom got this for me." Betty said defensively.
"You'll be 21 in three months, should you still be wearing cartoon character pajamas? I loved grandmother but she wasn't the most fashion forward." Justin said sadly. He really did love his grandma and her mother so much. She knew that these last couple of months have been really hard on her nephew.
"Justin, I really don't care about what I'm wearing." She said defensively.
"Then why is most of your closet on your bed?" Justin said smirking.
"I met this guy." She started to explain.
"I knew there was a guy involved. Is this the one who sent you a naked picture? He looks a lot like Daniel Meade, the wayward son of publishing mogul Bradford Meade. He's also been on the 10 best dressed in Manhattan list for the last three years." She knew she should have deleted the picture but she had no idea how (and maybe a secret tiny part of her did not want to). Walter did not include the instruction manual with his Christmas present.
"That's because he is." That was when her nephew started squealing. For a 10-year-old boy, he was way too into celebrity gossip.
"Oh my God, he is a fashion legend. He was also Manhattan's most eligible bachelor of last year. Wait, why is he sending you naked pictures? More importantly why are you sending him naked pictures? I didn't need to see that. No one wants to see there aunt topless. Also is he the one that has been sending you text messages nonstop for the last three days? Some of them were not appropriate for a 10-year-old, such as myself, to read?" She frowned at that question and started to go completely scarlet. She really needs to start locking her bedroom.
"Serves you right for going through my things, I'm not going to talk about my love life with my 10-year-old nephew. Why were you reading my text messages?" She asked unbelievably annoyed with him.
"You have a phone and I was bored. It was much more interesting than reading your diary." Justin said with a shrug. "I will probably not do that again after what I saw. I may have nightmares."
"That's why you shouldn't go through my things. Is it that outrages that a guy on the best dressed in Manhattan list for how many years could be interested in me?" She asked annoyed after a moment. She was tired of everyone thinking that she only deserved the Walters of the world. Maybe she could have a Daniel Meade if she wanted a Daniel Meade. Not that she wanted Daniel in that way (maybe).
"Not really. I can see it. You're like an uncut diamond. If you let me make over your wardrobe everyone else will see it too. I've been researching Coco Chanel. I think her philosophy will help you a lot. Your outfits are always so busy." Personally, she thinks her nephew just wants an excuse to go shopping. He was the only 10-year-old boy she knew that would rather go to Macy's then a baseball game.
"So you believe a guy like Daniel Meade could be attracted to me?" She asked happy that at least someone in her family other than her father could see her true value.
"If he can see what I see, yes. But you don't exactly travel in the same circles." Okay, Justin did have a point there. If it wasn't for the funeral/dinner party she probably would have never meet Daniel Meade. That thought makes her sad for a moment.
"Remember two Fridays ago?" She asked Justin.
"When mom lied about having to go to a parent teacher conference on a Friday night, so you would take over her catering job?" Justin asked.
"You knew about that?" She asked slightly shocked.
"I know everything. I'm fabulous like that." He said almost taking a bow.
"Anyway, it was for the Meade family for the funeral of their son Alex. Daniel is having a hard time and I can relate. I've been helping him." She explained but Justin just nodded his head.
"So you guys are friends that send each other inappropriate text messages and photographs?" He didn't seem that surprised that worried her. Fifth-graders shouldn't know about that sort of thing.
"The photographs were an accident. I didn't know how to use the phone and Daniel sent me one in kind." She blushed.
"I don't think that photo was an accident." Justin said a little more excited than someone should be.
"Sometimes, I think the only way Daniel knows how to interact with a woman is to flirt with her. It's just what he does." She said trying to get away from things that were inappropriate for a 10-year-old.
"So you're getting ready for a date with him tonight at 8:30 AM?"
"Actually, he is picking me up at 10 and it's not a date. I told you his brother died and I'm there for moral support. I'm helping him clean out his brother'sapartment and we may go out to dinner afterwards." She explained to her nephew. However, he was already digging through the contents of her bed.
"Oh my God, I only have 90 minutes to get you ready for a date with Daniel Meade. You should've told me last night. We have no time to buy anything new. No wonder you were going through your closet like this." A sweater landed on her head as Justin started to panic.
"I told you it's not a date." She said as she pulled the sweater off of her.
"I may be only 10 but I know better. You're cleaning, so jeans would be best." Justin said right before he went straight for the other half of her closet. After he chose a nice outfit that consist of jeans and a sweater that Justin forced her to buy last month he started on her makeup and hair. She drew the line when he brought out tweezers and wax. Her sister was still sleeping so she wasn't around to ask questions, thankfully.
Of course, when 10 o'clock arrived it wasn't Daniel who arrived to her house in a sports car but rather a dark-haired woman that Betty remembered from last Friday although it was hard to tell without her crying. Considering what she now knew, she could understand why.
"Are You Daniel's friend Jordan?" Betty asked letting the woman into her house, trying to hide her disappointment that Daniel was not there.
"I think I preferred that to the woman who lost her boyfriend of two years in a freak skiing accident." Her voice was bitter and Betty saw her make finger quotes at the word accident. This really was a mess. Betty was just about to offer condolences when her nephew started squealing again.
"Oh my God, you're Jordan Dunne. I love you. How do you know Jordan?" Justin asked turning to her.
"How do you know who Jordan is? You're not into sports at all." She asked surprised.
"She's a fashion icon. She swam the English Channel last summer in a leather bikini. Also, Jordan has been named to Mode's top 10 best dressed athletes list for the last two years. You're the only reason why I even know what the X games are." Justin said excitedly. She should've known it had something to do with fashion.
"My uncle does own a fashion magazine in London. I had to pick up something." Jordan said graciously.
"You're one of those Dunnes? You don't sound British." Justin said slightly puzzled.
"I was raised here. My mom was kind of the black sheep of the family for getting pregnant out of wedlock and she decided that she'd rather be an entire ocean away from her family." Both she and Justin looked sad for a moment.
"Don't worry about it. She finished med school just to spite everybody. She's a top cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. She's the one who taught me to be fearless. Though, I may not be base jumping for a little while." Jordan said with a frown.
"I can understand after…" Betty started but trailed off realizing that probably wasn't the best thing to say. Instead, she grabbed her purse and headed to the car, after telling Justin to behave himself, while his mom was still sleeping.
"So where is Daniel?" She finally asked as she slid into the passenger seat of Jordan's car.
"Daniel is currently trapped in a car with his father and mother in an attempt to get his mother back into rehab. Claire arrived at his apartment last night after escaping Sobriety Hills, now they're trying to get her somewhere else. He asked me if I would come get you." Okay, that was bad. Despite everything going on with his mom he still thought about her.
"You didn't have to."
"Yes, I did. There's no way I'm going to be in that apartment alone." Jordan said almost trembling. "Bungee jumping is less terrifying."
"I thought Jamie was going to be there- I guess that would be complicated." Betty said after a moment remembering what Daniel told her Wednesday.
"I guess Daniel told you a lot of what's going on?" Jordan asked.
"I know. I'm not one to judge considering what happened after my mom died with my now ex-boyfriend who also cheated on me."
"Sorry." Jordan said after a moment.
"Also, I met Daniel last week at the dinner party. I saw you and who I presume to be Jamie fighting with each other." Betty explained.
"I guess it was stupid for us to argue over who was more to blame for Alex's death. We are both equally guilty. Neither one of us could save him." Betty saw a tear running down her cheek as she drove.
"I really don't know what to say. If I say it's not your fault, you'll probably still blame yourself. I blamed myself for my mom dying and it was cancer. I know I hate it when people said 'I'm sorry' when they didn't mean it. Also, I can't say 'I know how you feel' because I don't think anybody does in a situation like this." Betty said with a sad smile.
"Jamie does." Jordan said with half a laugh.
"I was trying not to mention that." She said sheepishly.
"There's no point in being polite, this is not a polite situation. There are no words. They don't exactly make a card for your boyfriend committing suicide because he felt trapped in the wrong body and finding out that he's been cheating on you for your entire relationship with a guy that he's actually in love with. Wait, I'm not supposed to tell anybody about that." She said referring to the confidentiality agreement that Daniel told her everybody had to sign. Bradford Meade wanted to make sure nobody found out that his oldest son committed suicide.
"I already know. Daniel told me before signing. I'm sure I could make a card, maybe something with glitter and chocolate inside. Chocolate makes everything better." Jordan smiled at her joke.
"I don't want to talk about Alex right now. It's going to be bad enough when we pack up the apartment that we shared for the last year. I haven't been inside since it happened. I've been staying with some friends that live in Queens. " She personally thought it was bizarre that Alex left the loft to Jamie when he was living there with Jordan but she felt it was best not to ask about that.
"I personally want to know more about the woman that somehow managed to single-handedly not only get Daniel Meade to give up his favorite sport of women hunting but also get him to get over his crush on me." Betty blushed at that.
"I'm not that interesting. I'm 20 years old. I'm a third-year student at Queens College, majoring in Media and Marketing. Since I was six years old, I wanted to own my own magazine. You're a lot more interesting. Did you really swim the English Channel in a leather bikini?" She asked.
"Yes. Trust me you are a lot more interesting than you think." Jordan said before asking her a lot of different questions about school and her family. She laughed a lot during the telling her various anecdotes regarding her nephew, including him getting her dressed this morning.
Betty asked Jordan questions about her travels all over the world. She has actually visited every contenant. Betty also asked her questions about all the sports that she's done. Her favorite is base jumping. For example, in October she jumped off the new River Gorge Bridge for the third time with Alex. She was originally planning to jump off a waterfall in South America later this year but that's not happening now. Actually, Jordan said she wouldn't be able to jump out of anything for a while. It was the only time that Alex is mentioned during their conversation. After that, Betty quickly changed the subject to what it was like growing up with a cardiologist for a mother. She had a really interesting conversation with Jordan during the hour it took to get to the loft in Manhattan.
"Now, I know why he likes you so much. We have to do lunch. I'm going to be in New York for a few more weeks until I figure out what I'm doing next." She realized that for all her bravery Jordan seems almost as lost as Daniel was.
"Maybe next Saturday, that is if I don't have to work at the animal hospital. I really hope I don't have to." She said with a frown. Earlier she told Jordan about how much she really doesn't like her job at the animal hospital.
"I don't think I would want to clean up after very ill cats either." Jordan said smiling.
"It's not that great. I'm tempted to take Daniel up on his offer to help me find it internship at Meade." She says only half joking. At least that would be in her field of study.
"I'm sure he will as long as you thank him properly." She blushed at that.
"I don't want to get a job that way, not that I could. I'm not that type of person." She said not sure how she should respond.
"I didn't mean it like that, seriously anyway. I know the tabloids are a little horrible to Daniel and I did say his favorite sport is extreme dating but he's not that bad. Unlike a lot of my other friends, he's actually checked up on me in the last few days. If he was as sleazy as everyone thinks he is Daniel would have tried to sleep with me Monday night when I found out my boyfriend of two years killed himself." Jordan explained.
"He said even he would not hit on somebody who just lost her boyfriend." Betty told her.
"Though, that probably would've been better than what did happen." Jordan mumbled under her breath. "He has standards and I think he likes you." That revelation caused her to trip on the sidewalk.
"As a friend, girls like me don't end up with guys like that. Also there is the little sex addiction problem." She said as Jordan helped her get up from the ground.
"You mean girls with common sense and standards. Also he's gone cold Turkey. Thanks to you, Daniel Meade has been celibate for eight days and has not made a single appearance on Page 6." Jordan told her.
"Eight days?" She repeated raising an eyebrow.
"For him that's a record." Said a man that she vaguely remembered from the Friday before.
"You're Jamie, right, Daniel's boss?" She asked.
"I am, if I take Bradford's indecent proposal. Besides, I'd rather be known as that than the guy whose lover decided to kill himself because his father is a judgmental prick. I can say that because both of you already know." He spat out bitterly.
"I said almost the same thing." Jordan told him. "I thought you would be inside already." She said sitting beside him on the steps.
"Can't do it, I thought it would be easier when you got here and it's never going to be easy." Jamie explained.
"And now?" Betty asked.
"Still not ready."
"If it makes you feel better, we did not clean out my mother's closet for an entire month. You don't have to do this today." Betty said sympathetically.
"Yes we do. I want this apartment on the market as soon as possible. I can't…" Jamie was crying and surprisingly enough Jordan was handing him tissues.
"I think we passed a bakery a couple of blocks away. Chocolate cake makes everything better." She suggested.
"That's a good idea."Jordan said pulling Jamie off the steps.
"I think I like this girl." Betty heard him whisper as they started walking.
"I do too." Jordan added.
Two hours later they were in the living room trying to figure out what to do with Alex's extensive sports equipment collection. Okay, there may have been a half-empty bottle of wine and the remains of a very large chocolate cake sitting on the table. She has heard lots of crazy stories about Alex and Daniel over the last two hours including one about Daniel obliviously walking in on his brother receiving 'dictation' from both Jamie and Jordan on separate occasions. Unfortunately, it took her a few minutes to figure out what dictation actually was. She may have choked on a piece of also heard more about Daniel's 'dating' history than she ever wanted to.
"Don't get us wrong Daniel is not a horrible person. He just likes sex and hasn't found someone to settle down with especially after she we will not name." Jordan said slurring a little. She may have more wine than anyone else. She may have thrown all of Alex designer shoes out the window when she was packing her own things.
"You know about Lucy?" Jamie asked and Jordan just nodded her head.
"Okay, who is Lucy?" Betty asked kind of confused.
"The reason why Daniel's competitive sport of choice is fucking." Jordan explained.
"Or at least it was until he met you eight days ago." Jamie mumbled under breath.
"Alex was drunk one night and told me the whole sordid story. He and Daniel decided to spend the summer after Alex graduated college together in Europe. Daniel met this French girl. A beautiful hand model named Lucy whose mom and dad made Bradford seem like a nice person. They were the ultimate stage parents. He was completely in love with her and asked her to marry him." Jamie explained.
"And she said no." Betty suggested and the two just nodded their heads in agreement.
"Pretty much and ever since he has been sleeping his way through Manhattan until he met you." Although, the way he said it Betty knew Jamie was hiding something.
"It has only been eight days." She explained.
"My parents got married after knowing each other for three weeks. They've been married for 40 years." Jamie explained. "You are good for him. He would be a drunken mess without you."
"Or trying to get into my pants." Jordan added after a moment.
"Instead, he is dealing with his mother." Jamie said slightly shocked.
"Who is now in the wonderful hands of the doctors at Pine Crest." Daniel said sarcastically.
"Daniel, you're here!" Betty said running up to hug him. He deserved a hug after all the last few days. Instead, she found his lips on hers once more. Her mind went fuzzy again and she felt that spark again. Then his tongue entered her mouth and her heart froze.
"I'm sorry I am late." He said pulling away after leaving her breathless.
"It's okay. You had to deal with your mom." She really did understand.
"Yes apparently I missed chocolate cake, wine, and gossiping about me. So what horrible things did you guys tell my girlfriend?" Betty wasn't sure who was more surprised by that last word, her or Jordan and Jamie who were currently choking on their wine. However, she was starting to warm up to the idea.
By Friday night, Daniel was terrified of seeing Betty again even though he really wanted to. Actually, he was terrified by the prospect of going out on a date with her. He didn't date. He 'hooked up' with random girls at parties or clubs, but he didn't date. The last time he dated anybody was in college and that resulted in him crying into his drink in an unknown club in France. He didn't want to go down that road again but he does not want to end up like Alex. Now, he was figuring out what type of first date a girl like Betty would like. The fact that he wanted something more than just convincing her to sleep with him scared the hell out of him.
Of course, his mother stumbling around his front door completely sauced, mumbling about South Dakota and lost children pretty much ruined his plans to find the perfect date or at least try to convince Betty to have phone sex. Alex wasn't there to play the role of the good son and his father was too preoccupied to care.
His mom slept on his couch as he tried to find a rehab center that would take her. He found one called Pine Crest, an hour outside of the city that specialized in grief counseling and substance problems. They agreed to take her after some begging on his part.
Jordan agreed to get Betty from Queens probably because she didn't want to be alone with Jamie and she was already in the borough. She refused to talk to Daniel about what happened with Jamie Monday or anything Alex related in general. Daniel was worried about her and not in an 'I want to have sex with her' sort of way as he was in the past. He always liked Jordan and maybe he was starting to see her as a friend. She was one of the few people who knew how truly screwed up everything really was. It would be nice to have one female friend that he hasn't tried to have sex with. He needed a real friend right now.
This trip to the rehab center was hard, made worse by the fact that his father decided to actually join him. Apparently his angry phone message was enough to get his father to actually do something. The drive involved his mom screaming and crying at Bradford the entire way. The drive back was worse, because at least before he could focus on his mother. Now he was the car with a man really didn't like at the moment.
"I'm pleasantly surprised you are helping your mother like this." He said it as if he expected him to do anything but. This is not surprising. However, he promised himself that he would do the exact opposite of what was expected of him by his father to get back at him for Alex.
"Well, I don't have much of a choice since you're busy drowning your regrets in Cognac and Faye Somers. I need to be a grown-up now. Thanks to you, Alex is not here. I'd rather have had a new sister, then a dead brother. Do you regret anything?" He asked after a moment.
"You don't understand." His father said staring at the road vacantly.
"Alex killed himself because he couldn't live up to your expectations and I have practically killed myself living down to the same expectations. I'm not going to do this anymore. I can't be perfect but I can be myself. That's what I'm going to do even if that means driving mom to rehab again." He said trying not to scream.
"Jamie feels that you should become a managing editor. It may be good for you." His father said avoiding everything he just said. This was typical. There family motto should be everything is wonderful when you're in denial.
"I'm thinking about it." He said vaguely allowing his father to change the subject. What was the point of getting in a shouting match at the moment?
"Are you planning to go to Rio?" His father asked. Daniel rolled his eyes.
"You really think that little of me?" Daniel asked his father, he received no answer. "No, I'm not planning to run off to Rio or anywhere else." The 'because Betty won't let me' was left unsaid. "Though, I will have to go to France next month to sort out the Château, if mom is better. That may take a while."
For some reason he wondered if he could convince Betty to go with him. If Daniel needed emotional support to deal with everything in Alex's New York apartment, he would really need her for the house in France. Okay that was a lie, he needed her support but he really just needed her. If he hasn't been constantly calling and texting her for the last seven days he would probably be joining his mom at Pine Crest right now.
"You should take your mother with you. France would be good for her." His father said not looking at him.
"Being away from a husband who is screwing half of the staff would be good for her." Daniel mumbled under breath. His father said nothing in response. Thankfully, the uncomfortable silence was broken by Jamie calling when he neared the city.
"Where are you? You were supposed to be here hours ago to help me clean out your brother's house with Jordan and your Betty. Instead, we are trying to hide your brother's wine collection from Jordan, who just threw about $20,000 worth of shoes through the front window." Judging by his tone Jamie really wasn't joking. Unfortunately, because he was driving, he had Jamie's call on speakerphone and his father heard everything.
"I should be there in about 20 or 30 minutes, depending on traffic. You should probably just give her the wine. At least, you guys are not fighting or doing other things." Daniel said referring to Monday night.
"Your Betty did not think it would be a good thing. Also, alcohol is what led to other things and Jordan has already had half a bottle with the chocolate cake." Jamie explained. Daniel was a little worried.
"She's not my Betty. I told you, she's just a friend that's gracious enough to help. Apparently, we need a lot of help." Daniel mumbled the last part under his breath.
"A friend that you send naked pictures to!" Jamie explained.
"Who is this Betty? What did you tell her?" His father asked raising an eyebrow.
"I will call back later." Jamie said, ending the call fast.
"I didn't violate your precious agreement." That was technically true because he told her before signing. "She is someone that has been helping me with everything. Her mother died a couple of months ago of breast cancer, so she has an idea what I'm going through." He explained with barely concealed animosity.
"You actually did go to a grief support group?"
"Yes, it's been helpful. I met Betty there. She's good at listening to me." It was not a complete lie because he and Betty sort of made their own support group.
"I thought that meant the same thing as 'Book club'." The man said referring to the excuse he gave his father two days ago when he avoided having lunch with his father as well as the word he uses on his schedule for leaving work early to 'hook up' with someone. Marisol was a genius when it came to creating excuses to avoid unpleasantness. Unfortunately, she was moving to another position in the company. Even she couldn't take dealing with Alex's empty office any longer. He knows they need to take care of it but no one has been able to deal with boxing up the things in there.
"Although, I didn't think you would be using it as a dating service." His father mumbled.
"The naked picture thing really was an accident." That was partially true on Betty side anyway.
"How exactly do you accidentally send someone a naked picture?" His father asked raising an eyebrow.
"She was in the bathroom when I called her Monday after everything that happened because I just needed to talk to her. Unfortunately, she doesn't know how to use her new cell phone." He said explaining everything to his father.
Actually, he talked about all the conversations that he's been having with Betty lately including her agreeing to help him with Alex's apartment if he helped his mother. Of course, he left out any details that will confirm that Betty knew what really happened to Alex. He also decided to bring up the former stocker bastard boyfriend just to make his dad feel guilty about the fashion bitch that will not be named. His dad suggested that he talked to the lawyers about the Wilbur problem.
"I think I want to meet this girl." He said when Daniel dropped him off.
He stood outside the house for 15 minutes before trying to go inside. When he hears everyone talking about Lucy he knows he has to go in there. Kissing Betty was a nice incentive. It was just as good as it was last week, despite the fact that he was completely sober. Actually, it may have been better because of that.
Though, he didn't mean to say the word girlfriend. Apparently, everyone else was equally surprised so he decided to avoid that elephant as well. Thankfully, Betty kept things on track.
"They told me mostly good things. Did your brother really force you to sleep on the roof in your underwear when you were 12?" Okay, he really should not have left her alone with his brother's boyfriend and girlfriend. Apparently Alex is a blabbermouth in the bedroom.
"More than once." Daniel said giving her another quick kiss or at least it was supposed to be quick. Instead, he felt the kiss deepening and he lost his balance. Okay, they may have fallen on the couch.
At some point he thinks he hears Jordan say, "I'm starting to feel like pizza."
"Ken's is down the street." He heard one of them say. At that point he's preoccupied with Betty's tongue so he doesn't know who. Really, he doesn't understand why that Wilbur guy was screwing around when he had this.
"There are condoms in the upstairs medicine cabinet along with other supplies." Jamie yelled but he was too busy with her lips to actually hear him.
"Do you think it's safe to go back yet?" Jordan asked Jamie as she picked at her third slice of pizza. Three weeks ago if you told her she would be having pizza with the guy she suspected her boyfriend of sleeping with, she would say that you were crazy. Of course, that was before said boyfriend committed suicide by jumping out of a helicopter. Jamie wasn't horrible, and like she told Betty on the drive to Manhattan, he was the only person in the world who knew what this was like.
"Probably not, Daniel sent a text asking for some alone time. Even if I wasn't 100% sure they were engaging in sexual relations on our dead boyfriend's couch, I just can't go back there. Is it wrong that I just hope Alex would walk through that door telling us this is a big joke? It doesn't even feel like he's dead." He said somberly taking another drink of his beer. They were both trying not to get as drunk as Monday but she was already halfway there. She couldn't go through her dead boyfriend's possessions and pack up her own belongings sober, especially because of the circumstances of his death. Fuck Alex. She didn't know it was possible to love and hate someone simultaneously until this week.
"I feel the same way. Why the fuck did he not tell us? We could have supported Alex." She said angrily.
"I don't know. Despite all his daredevil antics, Alex has always been a coward, especially when Bradford was concerned. I should've made him come out to his father. Considering what happened…" Jamie said on the verge of tears.
"Bradford is the bastard in all this." She said handing him a tissue from her purse. She's gone through 20 boxes of tissues since Marisol called her in tears 13 days, three hours, and 22 minutes ago to tell her that her boyfriend was dead.
"He was terrified of not living up to Bradford standards. In the end, it's what killed him." Jamie's words were so true. She just hoped the same would not happen to Daniel.
"How long were you guys together?" She asked not wanting to talk about Bradford any longer. When this was a preferred subject of conversation, the situation was dire.
"We hooked up a couple of times in college. I was two years older than he was and we didn't meet until two months before I graduated. But he did help me get my foot in the door here at Meade. It got serious about three years ago when he asked me to help him create Hudson." Those words made her realize that she didn't know Alex at all.
"So I guess that makes me the other woman." She said bitterly, finishing off her drink in one go.
"We have - had an open relationship. Don't feel bad." He said trying to comfort her.
"You still hated me." She said looking up at him.
"You hated me and no, I never hated you. I was jealous but I didn't hate you. You were just the only one who had the potential to take him away from me. You were the only one that he was with where it was more than just sex or a means to pretend he was perfectly heterosexual." He said with genuine sadness.
"I didn't hate you I just wanted all of Alex. You were the only one who really has his heart. If Bradford was not such a prick and Alex came back as a girl, would you have stayed with her?" She knew in her heart that she would do anything to have Alex back even if it meant dealing with Alex as a female and letting her go. She would've rather had a female Alex as a good friend, then have no Alex at all.
"I loved- love Alex. Nothing else mattered." He was crying again and so was she.
"This is such a mess." She said grabbing another tissue.
"At least, something decent has come out of this horrible, completely fucked up situation. Daniel Meade has finally met a girl that made him want something besides a quick fuck." Jamie said almost laughing.
"I've known Daniel for two years and I've never seen him this happy before. Considering what a crappy 14 days it has been, I consider that a miracle." Jordan said as the tears began to subside a little.
"It's been a bad few days but it doesn't seem as bad when she's around. It's like I can breathe again and I'm starting to think that just maybe we can get through this." Jamie said and she agreed.
"Thank God, I'm not the only one who has noticed it. I asked her out to lunch next week. I like her. She's a real person." For her own sanity it was good to be around someone who wasn't offering fake condolences or asking her how she was every 30 seconds. All her other friends were fawning over her and completely oblivious to the truth. Thanks to her agreement with Bradford, she was legally bound to tell no one about Alex's suicide or the fact that he was in love with the guy in front of her.
"I like her too. I just hope he doesn't screw this up. He's already in a better place." Jamie said taking another drink of beer.
"We just have to make sure he doesn't."
"You want to play matchmaker?" Jamie asked raising an eyebrow.
"It would give us something to do. I need a distraction." She would do anything to keep from thinking about Alex.
"Well it would be better than doing each other. I'm in." Jamie agreed.
"It was a bad choice. Maybe, if Alex was not such a coward, we could have been friends." Jordan said wistfully. She didn't have that many friends that understood her.
"At the very least, we could have talked him into a threesome." Jamie said with a smirk. It's the first genuine smile that she has seen from him since this all began. Maybe, things were already improving.
To Be Continued.