Page 22 of Dirty Liars

“I can’t help it,” I said. “My brain knows this is the most ridiculous conversation we’ve ever had. Every bit of it. I have no reason to be crying. This makes no sense. But it feels like my brain is separated from the rest of my body.” I tried drawing in a couple of deep breaths to get control of myself. “I’m fine now. I am.”

“Uh-huh,” Jack said, rubbing my back in slow circles. “No need to rush it. I like sitting here with you. It was a long day.”

I scrubbed my hands over my eyes and knew I probably looked a mess. “I’m fine,” I said again. “I feel sanity returning.”

He took my face between his hands and tilted my head so I had no choice but to look at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“You didn’t,” I said. “I think it’s the hormones.”

“Hey, I’m trying to apologize here,” he said, making me smile. “Now you’re supposed to say that you forgive me.”

“I forgive you,” I said immediately.

“Good,” he said. “Just for that you can have another brownie with your sandwich.”

“I want chips,” I said, scooting off his lap. “I need to replenish my salt. Sorry I lost my mind there for a minute.”

“I’ve known you since you were five years old,” he said. “You think this is the first time I’ve seen you lose your mind?” He kissed my forehead. “Go wash your face. You’ll feel better.”

CHAPTERSEVEN

I decided Jack was right,so I ran upstairs and washed my face so I didn’t scare Doug. Once I washed my face I decided to change into gray sweats and thick socks. I felt sane by the time I made my way back downstairs. I stopped by the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. My head was pounding after the crying jag, and Jack told me I could have two cups a day. I trusted Jack with my life, so I figured I could trust him with my coffee consumption.

I made a cup for Jack too, and then brought them both back to his office. The office was one of my favorite rooms in the house. It was wholly masculine, yet homey at the same time. It was also one of the larger rooms in the house by design. We spent a lot of time working in this space, so when we’d had to rebuild after the explosion Jack had said we needed to make it count. He hadn’t been kidding. It was larger than our living room.

A large stone fireplace dominated one wall, and there was a bank of windows that looked out over massive fir trees and the cliffs. The windows were outfitted with privacy screens Jack could engage from the control panel on his desk. There was a brown leather couch and chairs in front of the fireplace, and a massive walnut desk sat on the opposite side of the room with bookshelves at its back. There was a conference table in the middle of the room where Doug had already set up his computer and was fast at work. The plate with my sandwich at the end of the table and potato chips were piled high on top of it.

I handed Jack his coffee and then took my plate and made myself comfortable on the couch.

“I’ve got the guest list from Jack’s email,” Doug said as he tapped both his feet to the beat of his own drum while making his way through a pile of chips.

“You got in my email?” Jack asked, brow arched.

“For the greater good,” Doug assured him. “Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m snooping through your correspondence.”

“We talked about boundaries, Doug.”

“I know, I know,” Doug said. “Sorry. I’ll ask first next time. But look at this guest list. There are five hundred people on here.”

“Theo is the son of a diplomat,” I said. “They’re probably pretty popular people.”

“Margot is working on getting the list organized, aren’t you darling?” Doug asked his computer, patting her gently.

The problem with geniuses like Doug and his Uncle Ben were that you had to deal with the eccentricities that came along with them. They’d been focused on artificial intelligence back when none of us had even heard of the concept. Now we were almost used to the AI computers they built and talked to as if they were real people.

Doug said it was good to have casual conversation with them because it helped their brains grow. I’d seen too many movies to be comfortable with AI brains growing and taking over the world, so I typically didn’t engage unless I had to.

Something else Doug and Ben both had in common was who they programmed their AI bots after. They were always women with sexy voices and skills in flirtation and innuendo, along with having access to the kind of information that could topple governments. It somehow made it creepier than it already was. Margot was Doug’s latest iteration, and she was a real handful.

“Already done, darling,” Margot purred, and information sprung onto the electronic whiteboards that had been built into two of the walls. “I took the liberty of doing a search on my own. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You know I never do,” Doug said. “You’re the best.”

“It’s true,” Margot said. “I am far superior to your previous models, wouldn’t you agree, Jack?”

Jack grinned at me and shook his head. “I make assessments based on merit.”

“Understood,” Margot replied. “Please see the lists I’ve generated on screen one, and then I’ll patiently wait for your response to my impressive mental acuity.”

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