Page 136 of Secret Weapon

“No, I’m not saying that at all.”

I’d spent my entire life learning how to be good ateverything.Admitting I was clueless would be outing myself as a failure.And Ihatedfailing.

“Liar.”

“I…I… Fine.Fine, I could use a few pointers on the whole thing.”

“He likes you, and you like him.Just let it happen.”

“How?How can I ‘just let it happen’?We live in different states.And not even Oregon and Idaho.We’re talking Oregon andVirginia.A logistical nightmare, and fifty percent of the variables are outside of my control.”

“So what are your other options?You knock Alex back, return to Baldwin’s Shore, hook up with a local, and keep very, very quiet about your basement?And Alex meets another version of his ex-wife, who everyone ends up hating?And then you both end up miserable and alone?”

“Well—”

“Do you know where Bradley’s boyfriend lives right now?”

“How the hell would I know that?”

“Egypt.He lives in Egypt.And they’ve managed to have a healthy relationship for the past decade, even though they spend most of their time apart.”

“How?”

“Don’t ask him unless you want to hear about the phone sex.And the Skype sex.And the—”

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

And I didn’t want another woman to get Alex.Somehow, we’d have to make it work.If I could sneak onto a nuclear submarine, then surely I could manage Skype sex.But how safe was Skype?Was it encrypted?What if somebody hacked my phone?I’d need some kind of secure line, and—

“Mom, this is Esme.”

“Can we play in the fish pond?”Esme asked.

“They’s not real fish,” Tabby pointed out, just in case we weren’t sure.

Ana rarely smiled, but one corner of her lip twitched.

“You can go in the fish pond if Esme’s mom says it’s okay.Or her pop?”

Esme pointed at Laurie.“That’s my mom.”

Perfect.Okay, I’d concede there was one small benefit in having a child.And I strongly suspected General Zacharov had been one step ahead of me, which was the only reason Ana had been allowed to keep her daughter.Did she realise that?Of course she did.She was too smart not to.

Laurie looked up as we approached, her mind clearly elsewhere.

“You’re Esme’s mom?”

“What did she do?”

“Nothing at all.She just asked to play in the fish pond with my daughter, and I wanted to check that was okay with you.According to the website, this place has one fun manager for every six children and an excellent safety record.”

“Oh, sure, the staff here are real good.”

“Off you go, girls.”

But Esme didn’t move.

“Mom, can I have a sweater like that one?”she asked, pointing at the ponies on Tabby’s chest.I’d added glitter, and they twinkled under the strip lights.

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