Page 71 of Not Quite Dead Yet

‘Yeah.’ Billy traced it with his fingers. ‘It’s my baby.’

‘Oh please,’ she snorted again.

‘Don’tOh pleaseme, you’re the same way with your truck.’

‘That truckismy baby,’ she said. ‘You’re never allowed to drive it.’

‘And you’re not allowed to play my guitar,’ he said.

‘Fine.’

‘Finer.’

‘Sooooo.’ Jet leaned across the table to prod Billy in the arm. ‘That song you wrote, it’s about a girl you like, huh?’ She leaned even closer, whispered: ‘Who is she?’

Billy tipped back in his chair. ‘No one. It’s not about anybody, I made it up.’

‘Oh, come on,’ Jet said. ‘You can tell me. I’ve known you forever. Who could be a better wingwoman? Let me help – it’s my dying wish. Does she work at the bar?’

Billy fiddled his fingers, stared down at them too hard, acting strange and un-Billy-like. Which was all theyesJet needed.

‘She does, doesn’t she?’ she hissed. ‘Is it Allison? It’s Allison, isn’t it? You wrote the song about her?’

‘No,’ he coughed. ‘It’s not. The song isn’t about anybody. It’s just a song.’

Wednesday

November 5

15

‘So, I guess you really don’t know the meaning of ASAP?’ Jet raised her voice over the sound of the screaming baby, banging his little fists against his high chair.

Luke didn’t react, scooting past Billy to the cupboard over the sink.

Billy stuck his tongue out at Cameron, tried to make him laugh; didn’t work.

‘Luke?!’ Jet said.

‘I heard you,’ he snapped, a muscle ticcing in his jaw, something alive beneath the skin.

‘I need that list.’

‘I’m in the office later, I’ll send it to you then.’

Jet folded her arms. ‘Why can’t you go now? Where’s Sophia?’

Luke closed the cupboard, harder than he needed to, snatched open the one beside it. ‘Sophia has Pilates on Wednesday mornings so I have Cameron.’

Jet turned to look at the baby, face reddening, his awful screeches reverberating inside her skull, finding all the cracks.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ she asked.

‘He’s teething.’

‘Well, can you turn him down?’

Luke tensed. ‘That’s what I’m trying to do, it’s – Ah, here it is.’

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