“Here,” I say, passing her the wallet and keys with a sympathetic smile.
She pockets the wallet with one hand, then she looks down at the keys in her other hand and nods a thank-you. “Great. Thanks again. Oh, and thanks for paying the meter. That was nice of you. Not many people would have done that. I should reimburse you.”
“Well actually, I can’t take full credit for paying all—” My eyes catch the glint of something in her open palm, the hallway lights reflecting off an Audi badge, and suddenly I realize I’ve handed her my car keys instead of hers. She waits for me to continue, and when I don’t her eyes drop to the keys in her hand too. But she’s looking right at them oblivious to the mix-up. How does she not know that they aren’t hers?
My blood suddenly runs cold. I didn’t misremember her. This isn’t Emily.
The woman’s forehead puckers. “Is everything okay?” she asks.
“I think I gave you my own car keys there, by accident.”
She looks down at them again and seems taken aback. “Oh, right?”
“Yeah, see, those are for an Audi. What type was your car again?” I ask innocently, though of course I know perfectly well.
Her eyebrows shoot up at the implication of the question. “God, I literally have no idea. It’s just a rental. It’s white?”
She hands back my keys unconcerned. I can’t tell if she’s the worst liar in the world or if I’m going completely mad.
“Could I grab mine then?” she asks, and I realize I’m just staring at her again.
“Sure.” I grab her set from the table beside the door and hand them over. “Here. Sorry about that.” Somehow my voice sounds normal but my thoughts are going at lightning speed trying to work out what the hell I’m supposed to do.
“Great.” She smiles and slip the keys into her rucksack. “Thanks again, for everything, Mia. I owe you one.”
I don’t have much time left. If I’m going to say something. If I’m going to confront her it needs to be now. “We still on for that coffee this weekend?” I blurt.
She looks at me startled, but quickly recovers. “Oh yeah, God, I almost forgot we said we’d do that. Yeah, sure.” She shakes her head at her own flakiness. “Yes. Text me, let me know when and where. I’ll be around.”
I watch her back as she disappears down the corridor, my breath high in my chest.
Emily and I never made a plan to have coffee. But then Emily would have known that. And Emily would almost certainly have recognized her own car keys.
I don’t know who that woman was but it wasn’t Emily.
13
The Offer You Can’t Refuse
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12
When the alarm goes off the next morning I feel worse than before I went to bed. Worry, nightmares, fear.
This is not the state I wanted to be in to meet Kathryn Mayer. Regardless, I drag myself from my warm sheets and try to expel last night’s weirdness from my mind, at least for now. I’ll have to get to the bottom of it after this meeting, because right now I need to focus. I stumble into the bathroom bleary-eyed and wriggle into my swimsuit for my head-clearing morning swim.
In the cool morning air, I slip into water and try to push Emily from my mind. But the same questions keep circling around my thoughts: If that wasn’t Emily then where is she? And who was the woman who came to my apartment last night? But these are question I don’t have time to answer. I can’t let my mind go there. I need to focus on Eliza. I need to focus on my meeting. It might be the biggest opportunity I ever get. As I scoop my way through the water, I let George take Emily’s place in my thoughts instead. I force myself to focus on him and Naomi. He’ll be starting filming today on the East Coast. With her. His big opportunity. I let my anger fuel me. I’m going to get this job. I’m not going to let anyone take away my shot. I hold that thought in my mind as I slip through the crisp water. And finally George too dissolves away as, out of breath, I feel my mind clear. I pull myself from the water and head back down to the apartment to get ready.