The Sibyl Read Free

to
go.”
    I wanted to laugh at Elliot’s impatience, but
decided against it. I dabbed on the lipstick, making sure to smack
my lips together loud enough so he could hear me as I walked into
the room. Elliot was still on the edge of my bed with his head in
his hands.
    “Hey,” I closed the distance between us in
less than a second. “You ok?”
    “Fine.” His voice was muffled as he rubbed
his face. “Slowly turning to dust here, but otherwise, I’m fine.
You done?”
    “Done.” I took a step back as he stood.
Elliot studied me until I was the one fidgeting. “What?”
    When he didn’t answer, I crossed my arms over
my chest. “If you don’t say something, I’m going back into the
bathroom and locking the door. This wasn’t my idea, Eli. Besides,
you only gave me two days.”
    “You look fantastic.” Elliot grinned as he
took my hand to spin me around. “I’m just surprised. You clean up
good.”
    “Well. I clean up well.” I grumbled. “You’re
just saying that so we can get going already.”
    Elliot handed me my purse with a laugh.
“Let’s go. I don’t want to be late. You can play in the bathroom
later.”
    The hotel Theia Productions had put us up in
was one of the fanciest places I’d ever been to. As we walked out
into the lobby, bright L.A. sunshine beamed down on us from the
open skylights. Living Barbies and buffed up Kens dressed in
burgundy hotel uniforms greeted anyone who crossed their paths. It
was beautiful. But I couldn’t find it in my heart to enjoy the
beauty of the surroundings. My stomach had returned to its
knot-like state. I knew why. It wasn’t because of the meeting.
    I was sure this was the end. Things were
changing for Elliot. No matter what he said about me tagging along
with him, this was his deal. His meeting.
    His future. One I was sure would be taking
place without me in it.
    A valet was pulling up as we came through the
lobby doors in a silver convertible. I know nothing about cars, but
I knew this one was impressive. Sleek and shiny despite being
parked under the entry way. I was so sure it’s owner would come
bounding out behind me that I fell in step behind Elliot to get out
of the way. You can imagine my surprise when the valet handed the
keys over to my companion.
    “Sinclair dropped it off for you this
morning, sir. He said to tell you hello.”
    “Sinclair?” I couldn’t stop myself from
staring at Elliot as he tipped the valet and gave him his thanks.
“Who is Sinclair? An intern for your dad?”
    “House manager.” Elliot mumbled as he opened
the passenger door. “Ready to go?”
    “Your daddy has a house manager?” I dropped
my purse onto the floorboard as I slid into the seat he offered me.
“What’s a house manager? Is that like a butler or something?”
    His only response was to close the door. I
watched as he came over to the driver’s side and decided to drop
it. I knew from experience Elliot didn’t like to talk about his
life in California, though God only knew why. So I turned my
attention to the city scenery as he pulled out into the street.
    Elliot returned to good spirits two turns and
ten minutes of fighting L.A. traffic later. He turned down the
radio and glanced over in my direction.
    “Still scared?”
    “Petrified.” I shifted in the seat so that I
could face him. “I know we’ve avoided it, but what can I expect?
What should I say?”
    “Say what you want.” He shrugged. “You’ve
already got the job if you want it, Eva. We’re only here to work
out the details.”
    “Ok. That doesn’t help me.” I found a tiny
thread on my suit jacket and tugged. “What did you tell them about
me?”
    I didn’t miss the flush rising at the tip of
his ears. He cleared his throat and changed lanes to make another
turn before I got my response.
    “I told them the truth.” Elliot kept his eyes
on the road. “I told them you studied History at UGA, so you’re a
great researcher. And I told them how great you are with