Page 66 of Live Love Steal
“I love you.”
He said it loud enough that everyone heard.
“That’s it?” Audrey asked? “He’s not proposing?”
“You heard her, no pressure. He’ll get around to it one of these days. Probably when there isn’t an audience giving armchair commentary. Pass the whipped cream.” Dad’s calm acceptance was just what I needed. I leaned on Sketch and let myself relax against his shoulder. It was nice to lean on someone for a change. And be leaned on.
It was the adult thing to do. And it didn’t suck.
16
Black box - Sketch
Two years later.
The rooftop deck looked good. I’d spent the entire afternoon climbing on the ladder and adding another layer of string lights. Jackson’s wife claimed it would be romantic. Sprout’s wife picked out the flower arrangements and the ginormous vases they sat in. Smoke’s wife suggested the food and helped with little arrangements of fruit and candles for the table.
Noah made the paintings that I framed and mounted around the garden. Most of the city was shut out by the hanging plants or the slatted walls, but the night sky above glowed slightly orange from the street lights. No stars tonight.
My phone rang.
Thinking it was Izzy, letting me know she was on her way, I answered.
“Hey, baby.”
“Wow. You haven’t called me that in years.”
Sharon’s voice hadn’t changed much. Neither did the gut reaction to hit something when I heard it. “What’s going on?”
“Who did you think was calling?”
“Izzy.” Our relationship wasn’t a secret to Sharon.
She made a noise, but wisely didn’t complain. I’d hang up if she did.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m moving back.”
My heart thudded into my throat and got stuck there. Not tonight. “When?”
“Tomorrow.”
What? I shook my head because, holy shit, what fucked up timing. “That’s a little sudden?”
“I caught Jimmy in bed with another woman.”
The urge to laugh was right there. I wanted to blurt out, “How does it feel to be on the other end of that shit?” But somehow managed to be an adult about things. “Do you have a place to stay?”
“I’m going to stay with my friend, Tiffany, you remember her, right?”
I did. She was a piece of work. “Yeah, I do.”
“I want to see Noah.”
See. Not have? I needed to talk to my lawyer— ASAP. And tonight would be a shitty night for that discussion. “When do you think you’ll be settled here?” My breathing was just a little too shallow.
“It won’t be for a week or two, at least. I have to figure out what I’m going to do for a job, and find a place of my own because living with Tiffany is going to get old really fast.”
None of that said she was taking Noah away from me. Yet.
