Part 5 (2/2)
”Oh, h.e.l.lo, Jay,” my mother-in-law chirped with phony cheer, standing in the doorway, not bothering to invite me in.
I peered around her. ”I was in the neighborhood.”
”Burlington is over two hours away.”
”Yeah. Took me over two hours to get into the neighborhood . . . Is my wife here?”
Lynne laughed and stepped aside. ”She should be back any minute. Come in. Sit down.”
”How about my son?” I saw a corner of the living room had been designated a play area, all toys contained neatly within its borders. Nothing else in the apartment was out of order. Even the magazines on the gla.s.s end table were fanned perfectly. My mother-in-law was nothing if not meticulous.
”He went with her,” she said.
”Where did they go?”
”To lunch,” Lynne said. ”She's made friends with another tenant in the complex. Same age. Have a lot in common. You know how outgoing and personable Jenny is. It's not easy for her out there where you live now. n.o.body to talk to. She's going a little stir crazy. They went to grab a bite to eat.” Lynne walked ahead of me into the living room, peeking back over her shoulder. ”I don't think Jenny is a big fan of my cooking.”
My mother-in-law was the worst cook I'd ever met. Every meal she made the same: indiscernible variations of low-sodium boiled meats in bland, pale gravies. The woman seemed to have a real aversion to flavor.
The condo spread out in typical condo fas.h.i.+on, condensed quarters cut up for single-person living, a place where old people could enjoy pastel and things not meant to be touched well into their golden years. Best I could tell, there were about fifty units in the complex. I'd bet dollars to donuts, they were all decorated like this one, with ugly paintings of giant watercolored lilies in gilded frames, fake Greek columns and too many mirrors.
I sat down in the chair. Lynne had family photographs propped up on gla.s.s end tables. Pictures of Jenny. Pictures of Aiden. Pictures of Jenny and Aiden. I saw one with me in it, out of focus, relegated to the background.
”Jenny says you two have been having trouble? Can I get you coffee? Tea?”
”No. Thanks. And I wouldn't say we've been having trouble. We're happily married.” I knew the ”happily” was a stretch. Right then ”married” felt like pus.h.i.+ng it. ”The year's been stressful. New job. Moving.” I didn't add the part about witnessing my brother's violent death.
”Of course marriage is hard,” Lynne said. Then after a slow pause, ”Although without the misery of marriage, one can't know the joy of divorce.” She laughed.
”No one's getting divorced.”
”Relax, I wasn't talking about you, Jay.” As if my inference was out of left field. ”Just a joke I heard a comedian make the other night. I was talking about me. The best years of my life came after I divorced Jenny's father.”
”Jenny doesn't talk about her dad much.”
”Why would she? He's worthless. As a husband. As a father. As a man. Couldn't hold down a job for more than a year without s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g it up.” Lynne smoothed her hands. ”By the way, how is your new job? What are you doing? Selling insurance? Jenny says you aren't happy there.”
”Claims investigations,” I corrected her. ”That's why I wanted to see Jenny, actually. Tell her the good news in person. I solved a big case. Saved the company tons of money. I'm up for a promotion. We'll be relocating to the main office down in Concord.” I couldn't resist rubbing her nose in it, even if I was jumping the gun. This woman had sold me short since the day we met.
”That's wonderful,” Lynne said, though her dour expression didn't match the cheerful encouragement. ”I'm so glad to hear that, Jay.”
”I thought you'd be upset.”
”Why would I be upset?”
”Concord is pretty far. Won't get to see Jenny and Aiden as much.”
”I'm not worried about that. I'll find a way. Besides, I want what's best for my daughter. I don't think someone her age-especially a mother-should be a c.o.c.ktail waitress, do you?”
The door pushed open, and I heard my son's voice, followed by my wife's.
”Is that Jay's truck outside?” Jenny said from the condo landing.
My son ran in the room. ”Daddy!” Aiden shrieked and jumped into my arms. I gave him a big dad hug.
”Hey, little man. You miss me?”
He nodded.
”How much?”
Aiden squinched an eye. ”Um. Infinity plus sixty-one plus seventy-four plus ninety-nine!”
I pulled back, flabbergasted. ”Whoa. That much? That's a lot!”
My son wrapped his arms around my neck super tight. Only a couple days had pa.s.sed but just feeling his skin against mine made me whole again. I was feeling great. Kicking a.s.s at work. Center of my boy's world. When I saw Jenny's smiling eyes, like she was actually happy to see me, I felt like nothing could bring me down.
Then I saw him.
Clean cut, strong chin, commanding presence. He reminded me of that smug p.r.i.c.k Adam Lombardi, the way he stood there in his crisp collar, oozing self-confidence.
”Hi,” he said, slipping past my wife. ”I'm Stephen. You must be Jay.” He held out a hand.
I set my son down, and stared at my wife. I turned back to Lynne, who practically t.i.ttered with satisfaction.
”I thought you said Jenny was out with a friend?”
”Yes,” Lynne offered without apology. ”Stephen lives upstairs.” She waited. ”He's an investment banker. At Morgan Stanley.”
Stephen shrugged his broad shoulders, dismissing the no-doubt hefty six-figure salary. He flashed me a megawatt. ”So Jenny tells me you . . . sell insurance?”
”No. I don't sell insurance. I investigate insurance claims.”
Stephen and my mother-in-law exchanged a look, eyebrows raised, like I was missing the joke. I hated when people did that.
”Jenny,” Lynne said to my wife. ”Jay has good news. He just-” My mother-in-law gazed at me in earnest. ”I'm sorry. What did you say? Solved a policy?”
”I told you. I don't sell insurance.”
”My bad,” Lynne said, then back to Jenny: ”But he did do something good, I remember that.”
Lynne and Stephen laughed.
”What the f.u.c.k is going on?” I said.
Lynne gasped, like she'd never heard the word f.u.c.k before. No way some guy hadn't dropped a few f-bombs on her before now.
<script>