didn’t . . . ?”
“Why didn’t you score?” Tom interrupted, happily finishing Will’s sentence for him.
“Maybe you just didn’t turn her on, little brother.”
“Maybe she realized she’d picked the wrong guy,” Tom added.
“I say we confront her,” Jeff said.
“What?”
“A hundred dollars to whoever knocks on her door and asks her husband whether little Suzy can come out and play.”
“You’re on,” Tom said, pushing open his car door.
“Wait. No.” Will reached over the front seat and grabbed Tom’s shoulder, holding him back. “This is ridiculous. Please, can we just get out of here?”
“Let go of me, man.”
“I won’t let you do this.”
“You think you can stop me?”
“Now, now, boys,” Jeff said. “Behave yourselves.” He laughed. “We’re just playing with you, little brother. Tom’s not going anywhere, are you, Tom?”
Tom was chortling as he closed the car door. “Really had you going there, didn’t we? Shit, you sounded just like a little girl. ‘Please, can we just get out of here?’” he mimicked.
“Hey,” Jeff said, catching sight of curtains moving in the front window of 121 Tallahassee Drive. “Did you see that?”
“See what?”
“Somebody’s watching us.”
“What?” Tom immediately ducked down in his seat. “Get down. They’ll see you.”
“Shit,” Will swore, doing as he was told.
Only Jeff remained upright. “The front door’s opening,” he announced as Will closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.
Please let this be all a dream, he wished. Please let me be asleep on the sofa in Jeff’s living room, lost in sweet dreams about romantic walks along the ocean and soft kisses on the street. Please let none of this be happening. “Who is it?” he heard himself ask.
“It’s Suzy.”
“What’s she doing?”
“Just standing there, looking around,” Jeff said. “Wait. Now she’s coming this way.”
“What? Shit.”
Will peeked out the open side window as Suzy ran down her front walk, crossing the road without looking in either direction and making a beeline for Tom’s car. She was wearing long pants and a long-sleeved blue shirt, despite the oppressive heat. Large, dark glasses hid most of her face. But even with the glasses, Will could tell she was frightened.
“What are you doing here?” she asked without preamble, her head moving back and forth between Jeff and Tom in the front seat and Will in the back.
“We might ask you the same thing,” Tom replied, sitting up tall.
“You have to leave,” Suzy said, staring imploringly at Will. “Now.” She glanced back at Jeff. “Please.”
“Is there a problem?” Jeff asked.
“Please, before he sees you . . .”
“You’re married,” Will stated more than asked.
Suzy lowered her head, said nothing.
“Told you,” Tom said.
“Please, just go,” Suzy said, ignoring him.
“Suzy?” A man’s voice floated effortlessly across the street from the doorway of 121 Tallahassee Drive. “What’s going on out there?”
Suzy’s chin dropped toward her chest and her shoulders slumped.
“He’s coming over,” Tom said.
“Quick,” Suzy said. “Do you have a map?”
“What?”
“A street map. Please tell me you have one in your glove compartment.”
Jeff opened the glove compartment, began rifling through the mess inside. His fingers made contact with a torn package of chewing gum, a crumpled ball of old tissues, and something sticky he didn’t even want to think about.
“Is there a problem?” the man asked, approaching the car. He was casually dressed in khaki slacks and a blue and gold striped golf shirt, but otherwise he was much as Tom had described, Will thought, taking note of the man’s broad shoulders and large hands.
“They’re lost,” Suzy said, a touch too brightly.
“Just asking the lady for directions.” Jeff made a great show of unfolding the large and unwieldy map he’d miraculously managed to locate scrunched at
“Why didn’t you score?” Tom interrupted, happily finishing Will’s sentence for him.
“Maybe you just didn’t turn her on, little brother.”
“Maybe she realized she’d picked the wrong guy,” Tom added.
“I say we confront her,” Jeff said.
“What?”
“A hundred dollars to whoever knocks on her door and asks her husband whether little Suzy can come out and play.”
“You’re on,” Tom said, pushing open his car door.
“Wait. No.” Will reached over the front seat and grabbed Tom’s shoulder, holding him back. “This is ridiculous. Please, can we just get out of here?”
“Let go of me, man.”
“I won’t let you do this.”
“You think you can stop me?”
“Now, now, boys,” Jeff said. “Behave yourselves.” He laughed. “We’re just playing with you, little brother. Tom’s not going anywhere, are you, Tom?”
Tom was chortling as he closed the car door. “Really had you going there, didn’t we? Shit, you sounded just like a little girl. ‘Please, can we just get out of here?’” he mimicked.
“Hey,” Jeff said, catching sight of curtains moving in the front window of 121 Tallahassee Drive. “Did you see that?”
“See what?”
“Somebody’s watching us.”
“What?” Tom immediately ducked down in his seat. “Get down. They’ll see you.”
“Shit,” Will swore, doing as he was told.
Only Jeff remained upright. “The front door’s opening,” he announced as Will closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.
Please let this be all a dream, he wished. Please let me be asleep on the sofa in Jeff’s living room, lost in sweet dreams about romantic walks along the ocean and soft kisses on the street. Please let none of this be happening. “Who is it?” he heard himself ask.
“It’s Suzy.”
“What’s she doing?”
“Just standing there, looking around,” Jeff said. “Wait. Now she’s coming this way.”
“What? Shit.”
Will peeked out the open side window as Suzy ran down her front walk, crossing the road without looking in either direction and making a beeline for Tom’s car. She was wearing long pants and a long-sleeved blue shirt, despite the oppressive heat. Large, dark glasses hid most of her face. But even with the glasses, Will could tell she was frightened.
“What are you doing here?” she asked without preamble, her head moving back and forth between Jeff and Tom in the front seat and Will in the back.
“We might ask you the same thing,” Tom replied, sitting up tall.
“You have to leave,” Suzy said, staring imploringly at Will. “Now.” She glanced back at Jeff. “Please.”
“Is there a problem?” Jeff asked.
“Please, before he sees you . . .”
“You’re married,” Will stated more than asked.
Suzy lowered her head, said nothing.
“Told you,” Tom said.
“Please, just go,” Suzy said, ignoring him.
“Suzy?” A man’s voice floated effortlessly across the street from the doorway of 121 Tallahassee Drive. “What’s going on out there?”
Suzy’s chin dropped toward her chest and her shoulders slumped.
“He’s coming over,” Tom said.
“Quick,” Suzy said. “Do you have a map?”
“What?”
“A street map. Please tell me you have one in your glove compartment.”
Jeff opened the glove compartment, began rifling through the mess inside. His fingers made contact with a torn package of chewing gum, a crumpled ball of old tissues, and something sticky he didn’t even want to think about.
“Is there a problem?” the man asked, approaching the car. He was casually dressed in khaki slacks and a blue and gold striped golf shirt, but otherwise he was much as Tom had described, Will thought, taking note of the man’s broad shoulders and large hands.
“They’re lost,” Suzy said, a touch too brightly.
“Just asking the lady for directions.” Jeff made a great show of unfolding the large and unwieldy map he’d miraculously managed to locate scrunched at
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