Page 18 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 2

Her eyes widen as her breath catches in her chest. “What is it?”

“I know you’ll be disappointed, but I’m getting a divorce.”

I cringe, knowing what comes next.

She blinks in disbelief. “You’ve been married for less than two years.”Not what I expected.

“It was a whirlwind. We met at Cannes. The food. The awards. The parties.” Bob reminisces as if it’s a bygone era. “As you know, we were married before we returned to LA. Not my best decision.”

Marlow drops her head in her hands. “Not even two years.” Popping up, she asks, “Does the press know? TMZ? Page Six?”

“No. Only my attorney, and now you.”

She gasps. “Does Lorie know?”

“Yes. She found out when I caught her fucking the chef for crafts services on her latest film. She’s agreeing to keep this as hush-hush as possible.”

“For a fee, I’m sure.”

“Of course. You know how these things go in Hollywood.”

“I do. Too well because of you. This is humiliating. They’ll stalk you and Lorie, and then they’ll come after me.” She tosses her napkin on the table with anger. “Why can’t you date likea normal person? You don’t have to marry every woman you meet.”

I have her back, but this is not something I can fix for them. Feeling like an intruder to their conversation, I sit back as far as I can within the confines of the red leather booth.

The space allows me to remember how beautiful Tealey looked covered in a blanket on the lounge chair, stars shining down, and the sound of traffic becoming the city’s soundtrack.

I’ve not lived with a woman before, so I’m not sure what to expect. When I lived with Jackson and Cade back in college, that was a mess. Hence, why I now live alone.

Wonder what it will be like to wake up with Tealey there, to have her as the last person I see at night? Will I see her, or is she right that we’ll hardly see each other?

Given I haven’t heard anything from any of the guys, I’m guessing Tealey hasn’t told them she’s moving in with me. Is it something I should do, or is this a secret? I can’t imagine why we’d hide it. We’re all friends. I’m just one helping another . . . another that I’m not sure that I’ve been great at hiding the torch I’ve carried.

Torch might be taking it too far.

Lantern?

Flashlight works, I lie to myself.

Who am I kidding?

I thought I’d see Tealey at thisgroup dinnertonight, which made it worth it to miss a game when I have a large bet on the line.I wonder how long’s a reasonable time to stay here?

When Marlow downs her wine like a shot, I do what any good friend would do. I hold my finger in the air when a server passes by and point at the empty glasses. Judging by his hustle to the bar, I’m thinking he can read my desperation.

Marlow says, “I’m tired of your bad decisions wreaking havoc on my life. Why can’t I have normal parents?”

I might have called her spoiled any other time, all in good fun, because she relishes the role, but this time feels different. She’s upset.

I reach over and awkwardly nudge her in the arm. “I think?—”

“Because your mother ran off with an Italian race car driver, that’s why.” Bob’s smarting words cause Marlow to flinch from the impact. “That’s when our lives were so-called ‘normal’ and look how that turned out. So calm down, Marlow.”Yikes.Rookie mistake. Telling any woman to calm down explains his divorces. “You didn’t even like Lorie.”

A red wave crawls from the base of Marlow’s neck, spreading to her jaw and settling in her face. She tightens her mouth, and says, “Don’t tell me to calm down.”

“Listen—”

“No, you listen. I didn’t dislike Lorie. I just don’t bother to get to know them anymore. What’s the point, Daddy, when you’re going to turn around and divorce them so quickly?”

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