The Joy Fielding Collection #1 by Joy Fielding

Author:Joy Fielding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

“I’M TELLING YOU, MAN. He didn’t score.” Tom took a deep drag off his cigarette, then laughed, long and loud, into his cell phone.

“You’re crazy,” came Jeff’s immediate reply. “How could he not score? I hand-delivered her, gift-wrapped, for Christ’s sake. I did everything but tuck them into bed together.”

“He didn’t score.”

A second’s silence. Then, “How do you know?”

Tom repeated the details of his day, including his encounter with Lainey at Donatello’s and his subsequent visit to Jeff’s apartment. “Looks like I might have gotten there just in the nick of time,” he boasted.

“Well, then, kudos to you, Tommy boy. You saved the day.”

“Not to mention a hundred bucks.”

“You may still lose that hundred,” Jeff said. “Looks like big brother’s back in the hunt.”

Tom forced another laugh from his throat. It was just like Jeff to make it all about him, to turn Tom’s moment of glory into a mere anecdote while, in the same breath, dismissing Tom’s chances for scoring with Suzy himself. No, not dismissing. Negating. Negating utterly and entirely. As if the possibility of Tom’s succeeding with Suzy was too ludicrous to even consider. Worse—as if it had never even crossed Jeff’s mind. Big brother was back in the hunt, after all. There was no need for anyone else to bother showing up. “How come it took you so long to answer the phone?” Tom asked, trying to mask his irritation.

“I thought it might be my sister again,” Jeff said. “She’s trying to get me to come home, see my mother before she dies.”

“You gonna do it?”

“I don’t know,” Jeff admitted after a pause.

“Don’t let her lay a guilt trip on you, man,” Tom said. “You got nothing to feel guilty about.”

“I know that.”

“She deserted you, man. Pawned you off on the Wicked Witch of the West.”

“Apparently she wants to apologize.”

“Bullshit. She only wants to see you so she can feel better about herself before she dies.”

“I know that, too.”

“She’s going to hell, man. Hell in a handbasket. What’s that mean anyway?”

Jeff laughed. “Damned if I know.”

“Women,” Tom sneered, sucking on his cigarette, then blowing out a long puff of smoke and watching it circle his head like an angry cloud. “Hold on a minute. I gotta open the window.”

“What window? Where are you?”

“In my car.” Tom took a final drag off his cigarette, opened his window, and tossed the still-burning butt onto the road.

“I don’t hear any traffic.”

“That’s because there isn’t any.”

“Where are you?”

Tom almost laughed at the wariness he heard in Jeff’s voice. “Nowhere special.”

“Please tell me you’re not still following Lainey.”

“I’m not still following Lainey,” Tom repeated dutifully.

“Good man.”

“Don’t have to,” Tom said.

“Meaning what?”

Tom shrugged. “Meaning I already know where she is. She and the kids are staying with her parents,” he continued unbidden. “Bitch came home about an hour ago. Hasn’t budged since. They’re probably finishing up with dinner right about now.”

Another silence. Then, “You’re parked in front of their house,” Jeff said.

Tom could almost see Jeff shaking his head in dismay. “No.” He laughed.

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