Page 123 of The Last Good Man

Trying not to think about him, I walk into a store, buy groceries, get home, and cook for myself, which is a rare occurrence.

I usually eat out or order food.

I snooze on the couch after dinner for a fewgoodminutes before the doorbell rings.

I crack an eye open and look at the time.

It’s ten thirty.

It’s late.

And who the fuck is this?

I don’t expect anyone, and people can’t get into the building unless someone buzzes them in or they know the passcode.

Well, Jax got in without me buzzing him in.

Someone else must’ve let him in, or he’d figured out the passcode when I’d put it in.

A sliver of hope pushes me upright. I look around.

The lights are on, quiet music plays, and it smells like freshly cooked food.

I look like shit, with my eyes heavy with sleep and my hair a mess.

“Coming,” I bark, not rushing in the slightest.

Hopefully, it’s not the landlord again.

He might have a plight of rules, but I have a rule too, no business after nine.

I tuck my T-shirt into my leggings and my feet into my slippers before turning the lights off in the living room and tiptoeing to the window.

My first thought is that whoever is at my door has their car parked outside.

To my disappointment, there’s no one. No double parking. No car with the hazard lights on.

It’s not him.

It can’t be him.

And shame on me for waiting for a sign from him.

The doorbell has gone quiet, but I’m still headed that way.

I peek through the peephole, yet no one’s outside.

Cautiously, I open the door and move mygaze down as a letter falls inside.I’m not fond of mysteries, and I hate surprises. Don’t people know that?

I pick it up, recognize Melissa’s handwriting, and my mood shifts.

Every year, Melissa, Alice, three more friends of ours, and I meet in Manhattan sometime in March.

We bring our spouses or significant others and chat about life and work over food and drinks.

The girls book hotel rooms. And sometimes I stay at the hotel as well.

We graduated from the same college. Alice and I work in finance. Melissa is a lawyer, and Becky, Emma, and Tory own businesses. The three of them live in Boston, while Melissa calls Chicago home.

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