The Click Trilogy (54 page)
Authors: Lisa Becker
Just the normal crap with William and the Board of Directors. I've got to go. I'll see you at home tonight.
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 11:30 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Make it stop!
I don't know what to do. Cass keeps calling and emailing me. Every time I think about responding, I can feel the bile rising up in my chest. I just want to make it stop.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 11:31 AM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
If you really want to make it stop, sick Shelley on her. She'll set her straight. ;)
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 11:32 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
That's actually not a bad idea.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 11:32 AM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I was just joking.
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 11:34 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I'm half joking, too. I'm sure she knows all of the details already. Even though you promised not to say anything, I'm sure you told her anyway.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 11:38 AM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Hey now. Not all of the women in your life are liars. I have not told her anything you did not want me to. Actually, I've barely spoken to her lately. She just seems so busy in her new life. But that's neither here nor there right now.
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 11:40 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I didn't mean to imply that you were ANYTHING like Cass. I just know how you girls like to gossip.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 11:43 AM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Gossip is one thing Mark. But you and your happiness is something totally different. Seriously, you want me to ask Shelley to tell Cassidy to leave you alone?
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 11:43 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Okay.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 11:47 AM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Okay. I've been meaning to ask - and apologies if I'm overstepping my bounds here - did you get the ring back?
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 11:51 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Damn! I hadn't even thought about that.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 11:52 AM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Well, I think you should ask for it back. Why should she get to keep it?
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 11:55 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Honestly, I don't want it. What am I going to do with it? It's not like I could give it to someone else. It's not like I'm ever going to meet someone else.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 12:01 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Oy! You sound like me in my pre-Ethan days. "I'm never going to meet anyone…no one is ever going to love me…whine…whine." (That was supposed to make you laugh!)
I know it's only been a few months, but you will meet someone else. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. You spent a lot of time and money on that ring and I don't think she deserves to keep it.
From: Mark Finlay – September 13, 2013 – 12:03 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
This is all too much. I don't want to think about any of this stuff or make any rash decisions right now. I need to think through all of the options and ramifications.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 12:04 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Okay, friend. I'll call you tomorrow.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 12:10 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Your talents needed
Hold onto your hat. Your unique and special talent of telling it like it is, not holding back and laying it all on the line is now needed. Mark is giving you the green light to – wait for it – tell Cassidy (or should I say cassidy) to leave him alone.
From: Shelley Manning – September 13, 2013 – 8:32 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Your talents needed
Finally Finlay is understanding the value that I can bring to our friendship. Glad he's wised up and is ready to give that bitch what she deserves – a message from this bitch. Don't you worry. I will take care of it.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 8:35 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Your talents needed
I'm confident your brand of justice will be just what is needed to remedy this situation. Please don't forget to bcc me.
From: Shelley Manning – September 13, 2013 – 9:15 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Your talents needed
Okay. Will fire off an appropriately-worded email tomorrow morning. Prepare to be dazzled with my rhetoric.
From: Renee Greene – September 13, 2013 – 9:18 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Your talents needed
I'm just impressed you used the word "rhetoric" appropriately.
From: Shelley Manning – September 13, 2013 – 9:20 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Your talents needed
Watch it. Once I'm on a roll, it will be just as easy for me to fire off a rhetoric-filled email to you, too. Mwah! Mwah!
From: Shelley Manning – September 14, 2013 – 8:49 AM
To: cassidy
Bcc: Renee Greene
Subject: Back off bitch!
Cassidy: Consider this your official cease and desist letter. In other words, back the fuck off. Mark doesn't want to see you, hear from you or think about you anymore. But he wants his ring back. You have three days to return it to Renee's office in Century City between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Don't make me ask you twice.
From there, you can take your lying, cat-loving, lower-case-letter-typing, skinny ass out of our sight. None of us ever want to see or hear from you again and that includes forwards of stupid cat videos. That's all.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:13 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I've given it some more thought and I don't want the ring back. Let her keep it. I hope every time she looks at it, she feels like crap. I just want all of this to be over so I can move on.
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:15 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Uh oh! Too late. She actually returned it to my office today.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:16 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
What? She gave you back the ring? How? Why?
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:18 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Yeah. Shelley sent her the "kiss off" email and told her to return the ring pronto to me so you wouldn't have to see her.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:19 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
What?!? Shelley sent her an email?
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:20 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
You told me that you wanted Shelley to handle telling her to leave you alone.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:22 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I told you I didn't want to think about it right now. Shit! What did Shelley say? How did Cass respond?
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:23 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Fwd: Back off bitch!
Cassidy: Consider this your official cease and desist letter. In other words, back the fuck off. Mark doesn't want to see you, hear from you or think about you anymore. But he wants his ring back. You have three days to return it to Renee's office in Century City between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Don't make me ask you twice.
From there, you can take your lying, cat-loving, lower-case-letter-typing, skinny ass out of our sight. None of us ever want to see or hear from you again and that includes forwards of stupid cat videos. That's all.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:26 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Shit! Cass must be so despondent right now.
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:28 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Who cares about her?!? Oh, no. You still care about her.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:32 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Well, I was going to marry her and have children with her and grow old with her.
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:34 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Yeah, and she tossed it all out the window for a stupid fling with a movie star. That should tell you everything you need to know.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:35 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I can't just turn off my feelings.
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:40 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I'm not suggesting you turn them off, Mark. But I am suggesting that you put your feelings ahead of hers this time. She certainly put hers ahead of yours. She totally betrayed you and doesn't deserve the wonderful person you are.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:41 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I just can't deal with this right now.
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 1:42 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
Meet me tonight for dinner or a drink or something. Let's talk about this.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 1:43 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Make it stop!
I just need some space. I'll call you in a few days.
From: Renee Greene – September 15, 2013 – 2:02 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Rings and regrets
FYI...I told Mark that you got the ring back from Cassidy and he's having regrets about sicking you on her. He's pretty upset and thinking that Cassidy is upset. Just be warned that he may reach out to you to talk about it. I may reach out to you, too. Are you around tonight to talk?
From: cassidy – September 15, 2013 – 3:52 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: i still love you
i got your message loud & clear. at least i got shellys message loud and clear. i wont bother you again. for what its worth, i really am sorry i hurt you. please don’t tell shelly i emailed you again for the last time.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 3:54 PM
To: cassidy
Subject: Re: i still love you
I didn't ask her to email you. And I didn't want you to have to return the ring.
From: cassidy – September 15, 2013 – 3:55 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: i still love you
maybe i can come by this week to pick up the rest of my stuff and we can talk.
From: Mark Finlay – September 15, 2013 – 3:56 PM
To: cassidy
Subject: Re: i still love you
Okay. I'll call you later.
From: cassidy – September 16, 2013 – 10:32 AM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: wonderful
last night was wonderful. want to get dinner at bamboo garden tonight?
From: Mark Finlay – September 16, 2013 – 10:34 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Fwd: wonderful
I screwed up. Cassidy and I hooked up last night.
From: Renee Greene – September 16, 2013 – 12:32 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
What!?!? You didn't screw "up" you "screwed" her!
How the hell did that happen?
From: Mark Finlay – September 16, 2013 – 1:13 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
She came by to pick up some of her stuff from my place. And before I knew it, we were…you know.
From: Renee Greene – September 16, 2013 – 1:15 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
Oh, Mark. I do know how easy it is to fall back into old patterns.
From: Mark Finlay – September 16, 2013 – 1:21 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
While we were together, all of the old feelings came back to me and I missed her. I missed holding her and the sound of her laugh. It felt like the way things were...before. But when we finished and were just lying there in bed, all I could think about was whether she laid in his arms afterward.
From: Renee Greene – September 16, 2013 – 1:24 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
Ugh! That's the worst. But do you want to get back together with her? I thought you decided you weren't right for each other.
From: Mark Finlay – September 16, 2013 – 1:29 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
I don't know. It's all so confusing. On one hand, I don't know how I can trust her. There's a part of me that hates her for what she did to me…to us. But there's a part of me that still loves her.
From: Renee Greene – September 16, 2013 – 1:34 PM
To: Mark Finlay
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you're a guy and when it comes to beautiful blondes, guys tend to think with something other than their brains. Is it possible that you are mistaking love for attraction?
From: Mark Finlay – September 16, 2013 – 1:37 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: wonderful
It's more than just sex. I truly believe that part of me still loves her. I don't know how to turn that off.
From: Renee Greene – September 16, 2013 – 1:39 PM