Page 66 of Vicious Arrangement
“It’s okay,” I say, stirring the sauce. “I can cancel or postpone?—”
“Don’t be dumb,” Katie says. “I know I’m the star, but this is gonna be good for you and Noah. I want him to be the one.”
“So you can date his best friend?”
“Maybe.” She starts coughing. “I really wanted to meet Josh. But we can do another night, right?”
A thrill passes through me. “We can.” I want her and Asher together. They’re perfect for each other, and her openness to Josh warms me. “Get some rest.”
I place an order at a local restaurant in Greenpoint that I know she likes. And I order chicken soup and a variety of dishes she can heat up tomorrow. Then I get a delivery of some pharmacy things I know she never thinks of. Extra tissues, nasal spray, lozenges.
I’m disappointed she’s not coming, but I’m also glad I didn’t cancel.
This will be good for Noah. And Asher, me, Josh and Noah spending time together is something I think we all need.
And I can’t deny a darker level to that. There’s another thrill in me, the one I felt last night when Noah got wildly jealous.
I liked it.
And it’ll do him good to see other men like me, even if it’s just in friendship, with nothing going on, it’ll do him good.
I smile and continue cooking.
“On the dot,”I say as the elevator doors open and Asher, Josh, and two bags of things slung over Asher’s shoulder enter the space.
“Toys, Daddy?” the cutest kid says, tugging his hand free from Asher’s and holding both hands up for a bag.
“Manners, Joshy.”
The kid’s eyes dart to me, and he steps back. “Where’s Noah?”
It’s six, so I’m guessing he’s probably at work. I look up from the big gray eyes of Josh, his caramel hair too long, shiny and licked with curls, to the matching eyes of his dad, and there’s a note of something there that twangs something behind my heart.
“You know Noah works a lot, Josh,” Asher says, squeezing his son’s narrow shoulder. “He’ll be here soon.”
Maybe I’m projecting, but it sounds like he isn’t one hundred percent believing his own words.
“Noah’s the president.” The kid nods wisely. “He’s very important, and we’ve got cupcakes.”
Asher rolls his eyes. “Present them.”
Josh holds up the cloth shopping bag to me like it contains the holy grail. “The sprinkles is Noah’s. Coz Noah steals my sprinkles. But he gets me the bad candy. Daddy don’t like the bad candy. I love the bad candy. Do you have bad candy, Ara?”
I kneel down. “No candy, but maybe I’ve got something better. Do you like dogs?”
His eyes get big. “You got me a doggy?”
“He’s my dog. Angus?” I call.
From the terrace comes a bark, and Angus tears in, jumping on the nearest sofa and racing over it to scootch to a stop near me. He looks at Josh. Josh looks at him. And Angus tilts his head and wags his tail.
“Hello, Agnus,” Josh says. “Can I pet him?”
I nod, and Angus barks, then settles for the little boy. “I love him.”
The boy and dog rush off, with Josh grabbing his bag of toys to the edge of the great room, so they can see the balcony but stay inside as Josh makes a mess and Angus rolls for belly rubs.
I take the cakes into the kitchen and put them down, setting the flame on the sauce and heating a big pot of water.
