The Click Trilogy
Page 31
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 1:32 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Good luck with that one.
From: cassidy – September 22, 2012 – 1:35 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
see! i told you! they hate me. why do they hate me?
h’s & k’s,
cassidy
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 1:38 PM
To: cassidy, Renee Greene, Ashley Gordon
Subject: Re: Marathon Madness!
Hey Cassidy. Just joking. Running a marathon, and in your best time ever, is really a great accomplishment. Cheers to you.
From: Mark Finlay – September 22, 2012 – 2:02 PM
To: Renee Greene, Shelley Manning, Ashley Gordon
Subject: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
What’s going on? Cass has been telling me for months that you guys hate her and I’ve been reassuring her that it’s all in her head. How could you guys not love her as much as I do? Then I see this email. I don’t get it. I know you ladies can be a bit catty, but why don’t you like Cass? Why would you do this to her…and to me? She doesn’t want to come tonight because she’s convinced you guys hate her.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 2:06 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Cc: Shelley Manning, Ashley Gordon
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Oh, Mark! I’m so sorry that Cassidy saw that. We don’t hate her. We’re so happy that you found someone you love. I would be devastated if you weren’t there tonight. Gosh, I wouldn’t have met Ethan if it weren’t for you. You’ve got to come. What can I do to make things right?
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 2:10 PM
To: Renee Greene
Cc: Mark Finlay, Ashley Gordon
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Blame me, Finlay. Renee and Ashley have been nothing but lovely to her. I’ve just been a bitch…well…because I’m a bitch. You know it. I know it. Cassidy should know it. I’ll call her now and apologize sincerely. Despite what you might think, I can be rather charming and will smooth things over. I’ll see you both tonight at Renee and Ethan’s party.
From: Mark Finlay– September 22, 2012 – 2:15 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Cc: Renee Greene, Ashley Gordon
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Thanks, Shelley. I really want you guys to like her. No, I want you to love her like I do. I appreciate you taking responsibility for your mean comment and making amends. See you tonight.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 2:17 PM
To:
Cc: Renee Greene, Ashley Gordon
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Okay, I was very careful about removing Finlay from this reply. Did you both notice he called us “catty?” I thought he was a dog person. She’s even got him using “cat” expressions now. Sheesh!
From: Ashley Gordon – September 22, 2012 – 2:20 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Cc: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Why the heck am I getting dragged into this cat fight? I didn’t say anything mean about her.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 2:22 PM
To: Ashley Gordon
Cc: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
You didn’t say anything mean about her…to her face, Ashley.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 2:30 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Cc: Ashley Gordon
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Ladies! Ladies! First off, I didn’t notice the “catty” comment per se, but that is a hilarious and astute observation. But back to important matters. Mark is in love with Cassidy. They are probably going to get married. She is going to be in our lives forever. So we just need to get used to her, enjoy her lovely qualities – of which there are many – and ignore the things that we don’t quite care for.
From: Ashley Gordon – September 22, 2012 – 2:31 PM
To: Renee Greene
Cc: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Agreed.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 2:32 PM
To: Ashley Gordon
Cc: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Marathon Madness!
Agreed (reluctantly!)
Chapter 15 – Celebrate Love
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 3:02 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Waiting for Ethan to meet me at the venue with the music and flowers. I can’t believe that my engagement dinner party is a few short hours away. Mine! I always hoped this day would happen, but a small part of me feared it never would. I’m so happy to know I was wrong. I know, I know. You always told me it would happen and I doubted myself because I have impossibly low self-esteem. Yada yada yada. Anyway, I can’t wait to have all of my besties there to celebrate with me…you, Ashley, Greg, Mark, Cassidy, etc., etc.
Speaking of the guest list, what happened with you and Cassidy? I’m sure you needed to take a shower after apologizing to her. Details, please!
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 3:18 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
You certainly did pre-empt my “I told you so” speech. Hrmpfh! Too bad you can’t pre-empt all of Ethan’s. HA!
And you certainly do know me well. It was all I could do to not tell the latter half of Finnidy what I really think. Can I just say that I hate her. I really hate her. Well, hate is such a strong word. Yeah. I really hate her.
Despite what you think, I really do care about Finlay and want him to be happy. So I sucked it up, apologized and asked for forgiveness. And she gave me a very southern, “well of course I forgive you. we’re destined to be good friends.” (See how I put that in all lowercase letters. Just doing my impression of her.)
She totally reminds me of this woman I knew from Alabama. She was so sweet and nice…to your face. One time, she made a big to-do about saying hi to this other woman from Alabama that we bumped into at a conference. She went on and on with this sugary sweetness and then when the other woman walked away, she turned to me and said, “I hate that bitch.” It’s okay when I do that, but I can’t stand that kind of behavior in other people.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 3:27 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
That, as you would say, is ha-larious. Okay, I know I’ve brought this up before and I know you are probably going to get pissed at me, but I’m saying it again. Do you think you like Mark? Could you be jealous? There’s no shame in it. He’s a great guy. He’s super smart, successful, handsome. There’s really not much – aside from the mild case of OCD – to dislike.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 3:39 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Renee! For the last fucking time, I DON’T LIKE FINLAY. UGH! Fine! You want to know what it is? I AM jealous. Okay? Is that what you want to hear?
But I’m not jealous of Cassidy or Finlay. I’m jealous because of how easy things are for them. And things are just so fucking complicated for me.
The thing is, I’m in love. I’m in love with Nick. No, not “nick”name. His name is Nick. He lives in Seattle and we’ve been “seeing each other” for 5 months. There. I said it out loud. I’m in love!
It started off as a casual thing. We met while I was trying to recruit him to move to LA for our company. We ended up having
dinner and then, well, you know the drill. HA! Some “drilling” was involved, indeed. We hooked up again when I returned a few weeks later and then he came into town for a weekend, I went there, and back and forth.
Then, last week, he called me his girlfriend. “Girlfriend?!?” I exclaimed. “How the hell did that happen?” I wasn’t looking for anything serious. And neither was he. But, lo and behold, we’re in a relationship. And I’m in love with him.
The problem is, my life is in LA and his life is in Seattle. We can’t really leave things the way they are now that we are a “couple.” We can’t break up because, as I previously mentioned, I’m (*gasp!*, I know) in love. So, what do I do? What the hell do I do? I’m leaving shortly to pick him up from the airport. He’s coming into town for the weekend so we can figure this out.
Gosh. It feels good to get that out. I don’t know if I could have said it to your face. But I’m glad you know.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 3:46 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
OH EM FUCKING G! So every time you talked about being in Seattle, you’re really talking about Seattle being in you? Ha! Despite my rage at being kept in the dark for months (!), I’m still quite clever. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on? Why have you been keeping this from me?
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 3:48 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Okay. Sorry. This isn’t about me. This is about you. Oh jeez. I’m sorry. Love can really suck sometimes, huh? What are you going to do?
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 4:04 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Thanks for realizing – albeit after a brief rant – that this is about me. I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to tell you. I really have. Keeping this from you has been excruciatingly difficult. I’ve just never felt like this before. Honestly, up until last week, I thought it was just a casual thing. And I thought he thought it was just a casual thing. I’m convinced if he hadn’t used the “g” word, we’d still be blissfully and ignorantly just staying with the status quo.
I really can’t imagine my life without him. Granted it’s only been 5 or so months and we’ve only had concentrated periods of time together here and there. But I’ve been with enough men (and damn proud of it!) to know that I want to be with him…and just him. To not be interested in anyone else? Seriously, you know that’s big.
I really don’t know what I’m going to do.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 4:12 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Are you there?
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 4:20 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Sorry. I’m here. Just trying to wrap my mind around this. And honestly, trying to figure out how to tell you – in the nicest way possible, of course – that you’re full of crap. If you didn’t think it was any big deal, you would have told me about him a long time ago, complete with a crazy nickname. But you didn’t. That’s what I really don’t understand. I tell you everything. Everything! And you weren’t able to share this with me. What does that say about our friendship?
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 4:30 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
For god’s sake! Don’t read more into this than there really is, Renee. I don’t have time for a therapy session with you. And you’ve got your engagement dinner tonight, so you don’t have time either.
I know I have issues, but our friendship isn’t one of them. This whole thing has made me tongue tied. And while I’m used to being tied up in some way or another, not being able to talk or think of a clever nickname has never been an issue until now.
I just…crap, this is turning into a therapy session after all…I just have problems with intimacy and a fear of getting hurt, okay? And I knew if I said something, it would be real. And if it was real, I could really get hurt.
Again, believe me, keeping this from you has been excruciatingly difficult. And I’m not just talking about listening to you accuse me – over and over, I might add – of having feelings for Finlay.
Now that the floodgates of emotion are open – literally, flooded with tears here – I promise to share more. Okay? Are we cool? I need you to be okay with this. I’m leaving in a few minutes to pick Nick up from the airport and I can’t bear the thought of you being upset with me right now.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 4:42 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Oh, Shel! I’m so sorry you have been dealing with this alone. I wish you would have told me sooner. Of course we are cool. I just can’t believe it. You have a secret boyfriend flying into town right now? Were you planning to come to the engagement dinner or were you going to be a no-show?
Again. Sorry. Not about me. About you.
What are you going to do? Is there anything I can do for you?
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 4:45 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Thank you. Of course I wouldn’t miss tonight. I’m not really sure how I was going to work it out, but I would not have missed your engagement party for anything. And regarding what I’m going to do with Nick, I just don’t know. I really just don’t know.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 4:49 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
I never thought I would see that day that you were in love. But I’m so happy for you. Being in love myself (hurrah!), I know how wonderful, miraculous, inspiring, etc. it feels. I just hope you are able to get to a resolution you are both happy with. At the very least, will you bring him tonight? Can I meet him? I have to meet the man that finally tamed you.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 4:50 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Who said anything about being tame, huh?
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 4:50 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Ahhhh. Still the same ol’ Shel.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 4:52 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Yeah baby! Let me see how things go when he arrives and just play it by ear. I’ve got to run. His flight lands soon and I want to meet him at baggage claim.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 4:52 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
You’re not just pulling up to the curb. This really is love.
From: Shelley Manning – September 22, 2012 – 4:53 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Ha-Larious. Love you, Sweetie. At the very least, I will see you tonight. Mwah! Mwah!
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 4:56 PM
To: PBCupLover
Subject: Holy Shit on a Stick!!!!!
Why aren’t you taking my call?!? Well, you are NOT going to believe this! Shelley has been secretly seeing some guy in Seattle for five months. And, she’s IN LOVE with him. This isn’t about Mark. This is about some guy that she’s, again, IN LOVE with. Can you believe it?!?! She may bring him to the party tonight. I’m DYING to meet him.
From: PBCupLover – September 22, 2012 – 5:00 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject
: Re: Holy Shit on a Stick!!!!!
I’m waiting at the florist for the flowers and I’m not getting good cell reception. Sorry. They are a little behind, so it’ll be about a half hour. I’m just waiting patiently, although I want to scream.
Regarding Shelley, I figured something like that was going on. I hope she brings him. I’m very curious to see the guy Shelley fell hard for, just for curiosity’s sake – nothing more. (Hope that’s not weird for you.)
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 5:01 PM
To: PBCupLover
Subject: Re: Holy Shit on a Stick!!!!!
You are such a liar. There’s no way you saw this coming.
From: PBCupLover – September 22, 2012 – 5:06 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Holy Shit on a Stick!!!!!
Yikes! For a second there, I thought the “you are such a liar” comment was because I was only curious about Shelley’s new dude.
But really, Babe. Did you not suspect something?
She was never interested in anyone we met at Flint’s all those times we’ve hung out there and she was always going on recruiting trips to the same city. There’s just so many people you can recruit. And apparently, she was working hard on just one.
I didn’t say anything because I figured she would talk about it when she was ready.
From: Renee Greene – September 22, 2012 – 5:09 PM
To: PBCupLover
Subject: Re: Holy Shit on a Stick!!!!!
That’s not fair! Our friendship doesn’t work that way! We press and prod the other to talk about things that make them uncomfortable because…well…that’s what we do.