“They’ll survive it, and in the long run nothing will change. They believe what they believe.”
She nods. “I know. Madeline’s ready to go back to live with her mother.”
“Where’s Marcus?” I ask.
“He just left. Had you told him to stay and watch over me?”
I shake my head. “No, and that’s not what he was doing. He was still watching out for me, and when I came back, so did he.” I raise my glass of orange juice in a toast. “To Marcus.”
“To Marcus,” she agrees, and we drink the toast.
“Actually, it’s lucky he was here,” I say. “If not, I might have killed Parsons with my bare hands.”
She smiles. “Andy, coming back like you did was incredibly brave. And incredibly loving.”
“Oh, pshaw,” I say. My ability to receive compliments hasn’t shown much improvement, probably because I haven’t had that many opportunities to work on it.
We’re silent for a few moments, since we both realize that another wrenching moment is approaching. “I think we’re about to break the indoor record for painful good-byes,” she says.
“I know,” I say, but then I shake my head. At this particular moment my mind has no idea what’s coming next; it’s like my mouth is on its own. “No, I don’t want to say good-bye again. Been there, done that.”
“Andy…”
“No,” I interrupt. “Hear me out. I’m going back, and you’re staying here, but you can spend your vacations back East, we can meet for a hell of a lot of weekends, and I’m going to come here whenever I have time. It’s not like I have a lot of clients.”
“That’s true,” she says.
I continue, since I feel like I’m on something of a roll. “So we try it. We do more than try it… we make it work. And it keeps us at least somewhat together.”
She nods. “And being with you part-time beats the hell out of being with you no-time.”
“I’m sure it does.”
“This will not be easy, Andy.”
I nod and wait for her to continue.
“But it will be worth it,” she says.
“Good. Now we just have to work out the details. What about seeing other people?” I ask, sounding a little like a high school freshman in the process.
She shakes her head. “No way. It’s you and me, buddy boy. Rita Gordon will just have to deal with that.”
Did she really just say what I thought she said? “You spoke to Rita Gordon?”
“I speak to everybody back there,” Laurie says. “That’s my home also. Those are my friends.”
“And she told you about…” I end the sentence there, since I have no idea how to finish it.
“No, but I read through the lines.” I know what she means: Rita’s lines are really easy to read through.
“Tell me the part again about how being with me part-time beats the hell out of being with me no-time,” I say.
She ignores that. “Andy, we love each other. Let’s just hold on to that for now. Okay?”
I have never been as okay with anything as I am with that.
ACCLAIM FOR DAVID ROSENFELT’S PREVIOUS NOVELS
SUDDEN DEATH
“Rosenfelt’s usual pleasures: a twisty plot, sparkling courtroom scenes, and a thousand wisecracks.”
–
“Rosenfelt scores another touchdown… He’s in the game to stay… Andy Carpenter’s wit seizes the reader’s attention.”
–
BURY THE LEAD
“A clever plot and breezy style… absorbing.”
–
“Exudes charm and offbeat humor, sophistication, and personable characters.”
–
FIRST DEGREE
“Entertaining… fast paced… sophisticated.”
– Marilyn Stasio,
“Entertaining.”
–
OPEN AND SHUT
“Splendid… intricate plotting.”
–
“Engaging and likable… The action is brisk.”
–
