didn’t say anything,” I said, sniffling.
Geoffrey swiveled his head back to stare at me. “Beatriz practically said yes to you. Didn’t you get that? It was more yes than no to those chapters, although I’m still trying to figure out why.”
“This has nothing to do with the meeting,” Gabe said gently. “Did you need something from me, Geoffrey?”
“Is something going on between the two of you?” Geoffrey looked from me to Gabe and back to me again.
“No.” I dabbed at my eyes with a crumpled napkin. “It’s nothing like that. I’m … I don’t …”
My voice fell away and Gabe stepped in. “You were looking for me, right?” He took a step toward Geoffrey.
“Is he giving you trouble?” Geoffrey jerked his head toward Gabe, creasing his brow line sternly and ignoring Gabe’s question completely.
Geoffrey’s gruff, paternal tone both amused me and raked against my father’s fresh wounding.
“Gabe’s been great,” I murmured. I blotted my nose. “It’s my dad who’s giving me trouble.”
“Why? What? What’s he done?”
I sighed heavily. “I’m not sure I’m going to Florence next month, after all. I think my dad might’ve skipped out on my stepmother. She doesn’t know where he is, and he apparently stole fifty thousand dollars from her.”
“What do you mean he stole fifty thousand dollars from her? They’re married. This is California. What’s hers is his.”
I shrugged. “That’s what she told me. And she thinks I know where he is. I don’t.”
Geoffrey stared at me. “He walked out on his wife, emptied their bank account, and left you hanging on to your suitcase? And this is the guy you want to go to Florence with?”
Gabe shot me a look of compassion.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“No it’s not,” Geoffrey replied. “The heck with him. You don’t need your father to go to Florence. Just go. Don’t waste another minute moaning over it.” He turned to Gabe. “I need that mock-up of the Machu Picchu cover.”
Geoffrey left my office, assuming Gabe would follow.
“You going to be okay?” Gabe said.
My phone began to ring before I could answer. On the screen I could see it was my mother, trying a second time to reach me. I nodded and he left.
I answered the phone.
Mom wasted no time getting right to the point. “Did you get a call from her?”
“You mean Allison?”
“Please tell me you’re not hiding him from her.”
“Mom.”
“I told her she was crazy to think you knew anything about this. I’m so sure.”
She sounded just like one of her junior-high students.
“So she called you thinking I was hiding him?” I asked.
“She actually thought I was hiding him. Can you imagine? He took a bunch of money. And some of her jewelry. And their nice car. She drives the nice car, if you’ll remember.”
I was suddenly very tired. I didn’t want to talk to my mother about what my father had done to his second wife or what he had taken that apparently didn’t belong to him. I just wanted to go home. To my little borrowed cottage and my borrowed cat and my quiet borrowed life.
“Was she rude to you?” my mother continued. “She was rude to me.”
“I don’t know. She hung up on me. I guess you could say that was rude.”
“I have to say I am floored that he just left her like that. Taking all that money and just up and leaving her. No note or anything. I’ll bet she thinks it’s another woman, because, you know, once upon a time she was the other woman. But I don’t think so this time. I think maybe he owed some money somewhere; that’s what I think. It’s about money this time.”
“I need to go, Mom.”
“Wait! I want to make sure you’re okay. Are you okay? I know he promised he’d take you to Florence this summer. That’s probably not going to happen now.”
My next words fell out of my mouth with crisp speed. Sharp as tacks. “He’s been promising that since I was a teenager, Mom. I’m used to it.”
A
Geoffrey swiveled his head back to stare at me. “Beatriz practically said yes to you. Didn’t you get that? It was more yes than no to those chapters, although I’m still trying to figure out why.”
“This has nothing to do with the meeting,” Gabe said gently. “Did you need something from me, Geoffrey?”
“Is something going on between the two of you?” Geoffrey looked from me to Gabe and back to me again.
“No.” I dabbed at my eyes with a crumpled napkin. “It’s nothing like that. I’m … I don’t …”
My voice fell away and Gabe stepped in. “You were looking for me, right?” He took a step toward Geoffrey.
“Is he giving you trouble?” Geoffrey jerked his head toward Gabe, creasing his brow line sternly and ignoring Gabe’s question completely.
Geoffrey’s gruff, paternal tone both amused me and raked against my father’s fresh wounding.
“Gabe’s been great,” I murmured. I blotted my nose. “It’s my dad who’s giving me trouble.”
“Why? What? What’s he done?”
I sighed heavily. “I’m not sure I’m going to Florence next month, after all. I think my dad might’ve skipped out on my stepmother. She doesn’t know where he is, and he apparently stole fifty thousand dollars from her.”
“What do you mean he stole fifty thousand dollars from her? They’re married. This is California. What’s hers is his.”
I shrugged. “That’s what she told me. And she thinks I know where he is. I don’t.”
Geoffrey stared at me. “He walked out on his wife, emptied their bank account, and left you hanging on to your suitcase? And this is the guy you want to go to Florence with?”
Gabe shot me a look of compassion.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“No it’s not,” Geoffrey replied. “The heck with him. You don’t need your father to go to Florence. Just go. Don’t waste another minute moaning over it.” He turned to Gabe. “I need that mock-up of the Machu Picchu cover.”
Geoffrey left my office, assuming Gabe would follow.
“You going to be okay?” Gabe said.
My phone began to ring before I could answer. On the screen I could see it was my mother, trying a second time to reach me. I nodded and he left.
I answered the phone.
Mom wasted no time getting right to the point. “Did you get a call from her?”
“You mean Allison?”
“Please tell me you’re not hiding him from her.”
“Mom.”
“I told her she was crazy to think you knew anything about this. I’m so sure.”
She sounded just like one of her junior-high students.
“So she called you thinking I was hiding him?” I asked.
“She actually thought I was hiding him. Can you imagine? He took a bunch of money. And some of her jewelry. And their nice car. She drives the nice car, if you’ll remember.”
I was suddenly very tired. I didn’t want to talk to my mother about what my father had done to his second wife or what he had taken that apparently didn’t belong to him. I just wanted to go home. To my little borrowed cottage and my borrowed cat and my quiet borrowed life.
“Was she rude to you?” my mother continued. “She was rude to me.”
“I don’t know. She hung up on me. I guess you could say that was rude.”
“I have to say I am floored that he just left her like that. Taking all that money and just up and leaving her. No note or anything. I’ll bet she thinks it’s another woman, because, you know, once upon a time she was the other woman. But I don’t think so this time. I think maybe he owed some money somewhere; that’s what I think. It’s about money this time.”
“I need to go, Mom.”
“Wait! I want to make sure you’re okay. Are you okay? I know he promised he’d take you to Florence this summer. That’s probably not going to happen now.”
My next words fell out of my mouth with crisp speed. Sharp as tacks. “He’s been promising that since I was a teenager, Mom. I’m used to it.”
A
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