Chapter 55 Glowing Reviews
Emily woke up at Byron’s place to a grey morning with a gloomy, overcast sky. Usually Byron woke up earlier than her, but this time he was still asleep. She could tell it was one of those days when Byron was feeling out of sorts. He frowned as he awoke and responded somewhat listlessly to her good morning kiss.
Since his treatment started, he still had days like this, but usually Emily didn’t have time to stay with him throughout the whole day. She knew he was probably out of danger because he promised to call her if he ever had suicidal thoughts again.
“I’m going to bring you breakfast,” Emily said, slipping out of bed.
She had the whole day off following the busy run-up to the fashion show, and she was looking forward to taking care of Byron.
The walker just returned with Rupert, having taking him on his early morning stroll and allowing them to sleep in. Emily opened the door so Rupert could go in the bedroom.
“No, Rupert, not the drool,” Byron complained.
Emily giggled and traipsed into the kitchen to make something healthy like some of the smoothies Byron had been into lately.
A few minutes later she returned to the bedroom to find Byron still lounging in bed, one hand resting on Rupert’s back while looking sadly into his eyes. She brought in the breakfast tray with two glasses of dark green liquid on it.
“I’m going to join you in drinking the healthy stuff this time,” she bragged.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said tiredly. “Or bring me breakfast in bed.”
“But it’s good for you,” she insisted. “You’re going to have at least some of it, right?”
“Okay.” He sighed and brought the glass to his lips.
The next instant he took a drink and suddenly made a dash for the bathroom. Emily followed him, fearing he might be feeling sick, but he only spat out the green concoction into the sink. Rupert joined them, filling the room with deafening barks.
“Ugh! What is that stuff?” Byron cried.
“It’s spinach and apples,” Emily said awkwardly. “I think I put in some cilantro...”
“It must be 80 percent spinach,” he said, then proceeded to rinse out his mouth with water.
“Oh... sorry.” Emily clutched a strand of her hair, not knowing what to do.
But then Byron laughed out loud leaning against the bathroom counter as if he was going to collapse.
“What?” she asked. She picked up the glass which he had put down on the counter and took a sip. It was awful!
“I’m sorry,” Emily said, “I tried to make a healthy drink...” Then she joined him in laughter until they both slid down to the floor. Rupert calmed down and sat beside them, his tail waving slowly from side to side.
“If this is your way of saying you don’t want to make breakfast for me, I heard you loud and clear,” Byron said as he slowly recovered from the fit of hilarity.
“I wanted to,” Emily said, pursing her lips, “but maybe healthy breakfasts aren’t my thing. I don’t get it. Even Nick can make one of these at his juice bar. That’s okay, I’ll make you something else.”
“No, please don’t,” he said with a mischievous grin.
Emily smacked him lightly on the shoulder.
“Are you going to torture me all day?” he asked.
“You mean am I going to take very good care of you?” she corrected.
“Oh God...” He leaned his head back against the counter.
“Come on, let’s get you off the floor.”
After the fit of laughter had passed, Byron returned to a gloomy mood again.
Although he was not much fun to be around and he insisted on rummaging around his home office and spending more time cursing at his computer than being productive, Emily wanted to stay close by. She watched some shows to entertain herself and then made sandwiches for lunch.
This time, there was nothing that tasted awful, which made for a rather boring meal. She hated to see Byron in his depressed state, but she also didn’t want to nag him or try to cheer him up when it was something that couldn’t be gotten over so easily.
Still, she couldn’t resist wanting to do something for him.
“Let’s take Rupert for a walk?” she suggested.
To her surprise, Byron said yes right away. Normally, he would have been more lethargic and not wanting to get dressed or leave the house.
They walked along the streets, taking in the sights of everyday life . Some store fronts were already sporting Christmas decorations, and people were plunging in and out of malls with shopping bags.
“How are you feeling?” Emily asked.
“A bit better,” Byron said, “It’s good get outside.”
“That’s good,” she said, feeling relieved, “I’m never quite sure if I should leave you alone or try to do something. My impulse is always to try to help you in whatever way I can.”
“Anything you do is good,” Byron said, taking her hand as they walked down to the beaches, glimpsing a bluish-grey ocean. “Even when you make healthy drinks.”
“You don’t have to say that.” Emily blushed with embarrassment.
“It’s true,” he said, “You are the best thing that happened to me. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”
Over the next couple of days, the glowing reviews of her clothing line came in. The cruise was a complete success! It was satisfying to get a victory over Ruby and some recognition at last.
Yet Emily didn’t fully feel as celebratory as she expected because she was concerned about Byron’s state of health.
She didn’t become an instant success over night. Her store was too tiny to be noticed by most people walking down the street, but a few customers popped in now and again. Emily wasn’t sure how long she could keep the store going and pay the staff if she made so few sales.
