“Still? For crissakes, Suit,” Jesse said. “She’s not even forty yet.”
“I’d give her a shot,” Suit said.
Jesse nodded.
“Wear your football jersey,” Jesse said. “How about the husband?”
“He played, but before I did,” Suit said. “I think he’s some kind of big-deal advertising guy in Boston now.”
“I want you to find out everything you can about him, and about her, and about their social life.”
“You mean the wife-swapping?” Suit said.
“They probably call it the swinging lifestyle,” Jesse said.
“Course they do,” Suit said. “But why do we care?”
“Their daughter came to me about it.”
“Jesus, the daughter?” Suit said. “How old is she?”
“Thirteen,” Jesse said, “I would guess.”
“And she knows?”
“She knows,” Jesse said. “And so does her eight-year-old brother.”
Suit was quiet, looking down the street at the handsome house behind its smooth green lawn.
“Okay,” he said. “It’s awful, but what can we do about it.”
“Not much,” Jesse said. “Maybe something with children’s services, but I kind of promised the daughter I wouldn’t tell.”
“You told me?”
“You don’t count,” Jesse said.
Suit grinned again.
“That ain’t what Tammy Magruder used to say.”
“For the moment,” Jesse said, “we learn as much as we can. I mean, it’s possible, you know, that the kid made it up.”
“Thirteen?”
Jesse looked at him.
Suit nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. “I withdraw the question.”
10
“OH, JESSE,” Jenn said on the phone. “I’m so excited. I’ve got an offer in New York.”
“New York,” Jesse said.
“A new show called Early On ,” Jenn said. “I’d do weather, and some lifestyle stories.”
“You gonna take it?”
“Oh, I have to. I mean, it’s a huge jump up for me,” Jenn said. “The show is syndicated, and looks like it’ll go national in a while.”
“So when do you leave?”
“I start on air next Monday,” Jenn said.
“You got a place to live?”
“Well, I’ll stay with a friend,” Jenn said. “Until I find a place.”
“Friend?”
“A guy friend.”
“Anyone I know,” Jesse said.
“I don’t think so. He used to be up here, at Channel Three, and now he’s producing Early On .”
“That how you got the job?”
“Well, they were looking for somebody, and Rick thought of me.”
“I’ll bet he did,” Jesse said.
“Oh, Jesse,” Jenn said. “You’re not going to go all jealous on me, are you?”
“Not me,” Jesse said.
“I mean, you know, you left me,” Jenn said, “when we first broke up.”
“I did,” Jesse said.
“I’ll stay in touch,” she said. “I promise.”
“Okay,” Jesse said.
