or Detroit.”
“What bus did Abby Robinson arrive on?”
“The one from Phoenix.” She really had grown up in Phoenix, or just south of there, on a ranch near the Superstition Mountains. It was always safer and easier to tell the truth about things that didn’t matter.
“Why’d you come here?”
“Job opportunity.”
“There are jobs in Phoenix.”
“There was also ... a man.” This also was true. She was on a roll.
“Isn’t there always?” Brody smiled. “He’s not in the picture anymore, though, is he?”
“He hasn’t been in the picture for years.” She didn’t want to talk about this. “You haven’t told me where you hail from.”
“Baltimore.”
“Good crab cakes there.” That was the one and only thing she knew about Maryland.
“I don’t miss them. I don’t miss anything about it.”
“Was it so bad?”
“Not bad at all. I just don’t believe in looking back. I’m a realist, remember? What’s real is the here and now. The present moment. This table.” He reached across and clasped her fingers. “Your hand.”
His grip was dry and cool. If he was nervous, he wasn’t showing it.
“You putting the moves on me, Mark Brody?”
“You make it sound so calculating.”
“I’m a realist, too—remember?”
He nodded. “We have a lot in common.”
But he already knew that, Abby thought. Didn’t he?
Dinner was over, and they had ordered coffee, which Abby didn’t touch. Brody was telling a good story, inspired by the Cambodian decor, about a trip to Phnom Penh that had almost ended badly. He and a friend had come close to being arrested for disturbing the peace after a drunken romp.
“And from everything I hear,” he said, “a Cambodian prison is not a place you want to be.”
Abby wondered what sort of work had taken him to that part of the world. “How’d you avoid the hoosegow?”
“Paid off the cops. American dollars speak a universal language.”
“The experience taught you not to overindulge when abroad, I guess.”
“Believe me, we were stone sober after that. My life was almost a sequel to Midnight Express. ”
“That was Turkey.”
“ Brokedown Palace , then.”
“That was Thailand.”
He regarded her with amusement. “So you’re a movie fan.”
“Seen ’ em all.”
“Nobody’s seen them all .”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Test me.”
He thought for a moment. “ Plan Nine from Outer Space .”
“Too easy. It’s the worst movie ever made, and therefore a must-see for the serious film fan. To save you time, I’ve also seen Glen or Glenda , Bride of the Monster —in fact, the entire Ed Wood oeuvre.”
“Impressive. The Rocketeer .”
“Jennifer Connelly in her ingénue days. Retro Disney jetpack-versus-blimp movie. Seen it.”
“ Under the Rainbow .”
“Chevy Chase and a cast of midgets. How could I not see something with a logline like that? You aren’t even challenging me yet.”
“ The Incredible Mr. Limpet .”
“Cartoon fish fights the Nazis. Seen it.”
“ Call Me Bwana .”
“Bob Hope in Africa. Seen it.”
“ Showgirls .”
“The film that made Elizabeth Berkley a star. Seen it.”
“ Abbott and Costello Meet the Abominable Snowman .”
She wagged a finger at him. “No fair making up movies. Abbott and Costello met Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Mummy. But never a yeti.”
“Damn, you’re good. The Scarlet Letter .”
“Demi Moore does Hawthorne. You think I’d miss that? It’s like Britney Spears doing Molière. Which she hasn’t yet, but when she does, I will be first in line. By the way, have you seen the magazine with the headline ‘Britney Spears Speaks Her Mind’? Now, honestly, how long can that really take?”
He would not be distracted. He was playing the game in deadly earnest. “I’ve got one. The Alien from L.A .”
Abby had to think about that one. “Supermodel falls down rabbit hole, discovers underground civilization.
“What bus did Abby Robinson arrive on?”
“The one from Phoenix.” She really had grown up in Phoenix, or just south of there, on a ranch near the Superstition Mountains. It was always safer and easier to tell the truth about things that didn’t matter.
“Why’d you come here?”
“Job opportunity.”
“There are jobs in Phoenix.”
“There was also ... a man.” This also was true. She was on a roll.
“Isn’t there always?” Brody smiled. “He’s not in the picture anymore, though, is he?”
“He hasn’t been in the picture for years.” She didn’t want to talk about this. “You haven’t told me where you hail from.”
“Baltimore.”
“Good crab cakes there.” That was the one and only thing she knew about Maryland.
“I don’t miss them. I don’t miss anything about it.”
“Was it so bad?”
“Not bad at all. I just don’t believe in looking back. I’m a realist, remember? What’s real is the here and now. The present moment. This table.” He reached across and clasped her fingers. “Your hand.”
His grip was dry and cool. If he was nervous, he wasn’t showing it.
“You putting the moves on me, Mark Brody?”
“You make it sound so calculating.”
“I’m a realist, too—remember?”
He nodded. “We have a lot in common.”
But he already knew that, Abby thought. Didn’t he?
Dinner was over, and they had ordered coffee, which Abby didn’t touch. Brody was telling a good story, inspired by the Cambodian decor, about a trip to Phnom Penh that had almost ended badly. He and a friend had come close to being arrested for disturbing the peace after a drunken romp.
“And from everything I hear,” he said, “a Cambodian prison is not a place you want to be.”
Abby wondered what sort of work had taken him to that part of the world. “How’d you avoid the hoosegow?”
“Paid off the cops. American dollars speak a universal language.”
“The experience taught you not to overindulge when abroad, I guess.”
“Believe me, we were stone sober after that. My life was almost a sequel to Midnight Express. ”
“That was Turkey.”
“ Brokedown Palace , then.”
“That was Thailand.”
He regarded her with amusement. “So you’re a movie fan.”
“Seen ’ em all.”
“Nobody’s seen them all .”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Test me.”
He thought for a moment. “ Plan Nine from Outer Space .”
“Too easy. It’s the worst movie ever made, and therefore a must-see for the serious film fan. To save you time, I’ve also seen Glen or Glenda , Bride of the Monster —in fact, the entire Ed Wood oeuvre.”
“Impressive. The Rocketeer .”
“Jennifer Connelly in her ingénue days. Retro Disney jetpack-versus-blimp movie. Seen it.”
“ Under the Rainbow .”
“Chevy Chase and a cast of midgets. How could I not see something with a logline like that? You aren’t even challenging me yet.”
“ The Incredible Mr. Limpet .”
“Cartoon fish fights the Nazis. Seen it.”
“ Call Me Bwana .”
“Bob Hope in Africa. Seen it.”
“ Showgirls .”
“The film that made Elizabeth Berkley a star. Seen it.”
“ Abbott and Costello Meet the Abominable Snowman .”
She wagged a finger at him. “No fair making up movies. Abbott and Costello met Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Mummy. But never a yeti.”
“Damn, you’re good. The Scarlet Letter .”
“Demi Moore does Hawthorne. You think I’d miss that? It’s like Britney Spears doing Molière. Which she hasn’t yet, but when she does, I will be first in line. By the way, have you seen the magazine with the headline ‘Britney Spears Speaks Her Mind’? Now, honestly, how long can that really take?”
He would not be distracted. He was playing the game in deadly earnest. “I’ve got one. The Alien from L.A .”
Abby had to think about that one. “Supermodel falls down rabbit hole, discovers underground civilization.
Similar Books
