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James stared hi to catch on
“Okay, that was a joke,” Taymal said “Yeah, my mom wants me to have a positive male influence And that’s you, dude Pretty sad, if you ask me”
“Great”
“I’d rather not have to see your skinny white legs again, though Next ti else?”
Jao see the Sox, maybe?”
“Man, are you kidding? Take ht, that fancy-ass Waldorf Astoria, get us some box seats We’ll be all set”
“Maybe we can go down for one gah I don’t make that much”
“Too bad My cousin Louis? His Big Brother took hiame of the World Series, dude”
“I will never take you to the World Series You still want me?”
“‘You still want irl Later, dude Callup”
“Okay” The kid heaved himself out of the car and sauntered inside
So, given how it’d begun, the afternoon had been a s success, in a horrible sort of way He could see Tay his fear of swi
The condo was quiet, as it alas He should look into selling it, even with the real estatewhat his old job did, and while he’d paid Beckham Institute in advance for the next four years, that time would be over before he knew it
Maybe he’d be pro entry-level pay and hours, and grateful for it The firm handled mostly corporate law, a little pro bono on the side It was nice to ith people again Actually, it was Stella, his old secretary, who’d gotten hiht in her jujitsu class It was a decent firm; one of the senior partners seeht be on partner track Could even be married in four years You never knew
He went over to the fridge, took out a beer and stared at the photo on the door
It was a picture of Parker and Nicky, sitting on the dock, taken from behind The sun shone on Parker’s hair Her arhtly toward hi, and when a , they’d both yelled for James to come down and unhook the fish Which he’d been happy to do
It had been nice to be needed
Well Tayht think he was an idiot, but he was needed there And he’d been calling ho to his an, who’d answered the phone She sounded like a sweet kid
Funny that three o, James hadn’t wanted h, it was harder to be content
He touched the edge of the picture, then turned
There was a FedEx envelope on his table with a sticky note on it: “Signed for this today Barb from 3G” He’d have to remember to thank her
The package was from Gold list since al the job He opened it up to find a note on corporate letterhead, as well as a sealed envelope addressed to him, care of Goldman No return address A note said,
This came for you Took me a while to find your address Delia Summers, Assistant Director, External Correspondence Department, Goldman Sachs
No wonder the country’s financial systeer The mail room had become the External Correspondence Department
Jae Inside was the ine
The last copy, Parker had told hierator cycled on, the only sound in the quiet kitchen Jae The last copy of the book she loved
Indeed, as Taymal would say
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
PARKER WAS AT BLOSSOM on a Tuesdaybuckets of fresh flowers into the cooler, when an unexpected visitor walked through the door “Moerbera daisies with a slosh
“Hello, sweetheart,” Althea said
“What are you doing here! Again without calling! What a nice surprise!” She hugged her e…wait, it was that she looked normal, actually The Botox had worn off, and Althea’s face had lost that tight, shiny look
“I know, I know, I should’ve called I wanted to surprise you again” Her mother looked around the shop “This is very pretty, Parker Oh, you have a dog I forgot”
“This is Beauty Beauty, co declined to leave her little bed, but she granted Althea a s “So, Mom What are you—”
“I left Maury”
Parker blinked “Oh Wow”
Althea sighed “Do you have any coffee? A nonfat vanilla soy latte would really soothe my soul about now”
“I have plain old coffee Hoould that be?”
The story was, Althea said, that she got tired of walking on eggshells, trying to please a cur to du, I said, ‘Althea, what are you thinking? You deserve better You’re more than someone’s wife’”
Parker nodded, a little stunned Her ht e twenty-one to Harry Being a as her entire career “That’s huge, Mom”