Totlandia: Summer (10 page)

Did you really think you were his one and only?

At least the others were strangers to her.

Now, watching him with Bettina, she wanted to cry.

No, what she really wanted was to ruin Bettina’s life.

And she knew just how she’d do it. It was inevitable that Andy would want a souvenir of the conquest. During the soccer practices, he left his valise in the Moscone Center’s locker room. She’d have plenty of time to peruse his latest photo sessions.

She had no doubt that eventually one would include Bettina.

6:30 p.m.

“It’s very kind of you to agree to meet with me,” Brady said with a tentative smile. “How about a drink? If I remember correctly, your poison of choice is a cosmo, isn’t it?” He snapped his fingers at a Gary Danko waiter who was passing their bayside table.

“I suppose I should be flattered. I’m not.” Barry shrugged. “Now, if you really want to wow me, order the gold caviar with the buckwheat blinis—”

It was barely out of his mouth when another waiter laid down a covered platter between them. Upon Brady’s nod, the man lifted the dish’s silver dome, revealing exactly the dish Barry had just mentioned.

Barry smiled. “Okay, Pierce, if you’re such a mind reader, what am I thinking now?”

“That I’m a son of a bitch.” Brady sighed. “That if I keep bothering Ally, you’ll send the Mafia after me.”

Barry laughed. “Wrong town. My Mafia is in LA, or haven’t you heard?” Seeing Brady’s blank stare, he added, “Never mind, inside joke.” His smile faded. “For the record, I’ve changed my opinion about you and Ally.”

Brady sat even taller in the banquet. “Say that again?”

“You heard me.”

Brady frowned.

“It’s true. I think you’d make a cute couple. I think you’re trying your best to convince her of that, too.”

Brady nodded. “Thank you for that. In fact, Jade no longer lives with me. As far as the club knows, we’re still together, but she’s got her own place.”

Barry sliced into a caviar-filled blini. “I guess it’s a step in the right direction. I get it. That club is your crack.”

“I’ll always put Oliver first. You’re a father. You understand these things.”

“Sure I do. We all want what’s best for our children, even if it means a personal sacrifice”—Barry wiped his mouth with his napkin—“which is why your pursuit of Ally is futile.”

“What do you mean? Now that she and Zoe are no longer in the club, why won’t she see me?”

“For the reason you just gave. She knows how much it means to you to have Oliver in the club, and she never wants to be the reason that Bettina person kicks him out.”

“Bettina Connaught Cross can’t hurt me.” Brady tossed back his scotch.

“Believe me, I’m of that very same opinion. I’m ready to hit her and that club with a lawsuit, but Ally won’t let me. But unfortunately, I’m not the one you have to convince. Ally is.” Gently, Barry dropped the caviar spoon to the platter. “Look, Brady, she doesn’t regret loving you. But she does regret losing Jade’s friendship. She knows why Jade gave her away to Bettina—in retaliation for losing you.”

“I…I know that.” Brady’s whisper was barely a croak.

“Part of her contention is that if either you or she goes to war with that bitch, it’s not just the children who will get caught in the crossfire, but Jade, too. Considering her circumstances and the skeletons in Jade’s well-appointed closet, I’d say Ally is right.”

Brady tossed his fork onto the table. “Jade isn’t as helpless as she thinks. Besides, I…I’m still looking after her. As for Ally, I can’t just walk away—and I won’t.” He leaned in. “Barry, tell me, what is the one thing Ally loves more than anything—other than Zoe, of course?”

Barry laughed. “You mean, other than Zoe and you? That would be Foot Fetish. It gave her a sense of purpose, and her claim to fame. Believe me, if I’d had a crystal ball, I would have counseled her against the sale of the company.” He shook his head sadly. “That’s not to say that she won’t make a success of the pie shop. But there’s nothing as special as your firstborn.”

“I’m glad you said that. It’s the solution I was hoping for.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My endgame is simple: I want Ally to be happy. Personally, I think she’ll be happy with me at her side. But to get her to come to that conclusion, too, she needs to be happy on her own, first and foremost. Does that make sense?”

Barry shook his head.

“Okay, let me simplify this for you: I’m going to buy Foot Fetish for her.” He tilted his glass toward Barry. “But I’ll need your help. Are you in?”

Barry hesitated, but just for a moment.

Then he smiled and raised his glass.

They sealed the deal with a clink.

9:50 p.m.

“I thought Bettina seemed duly impressed with me today. What did you think?”

Oliver was babbling so loudly that Jade could barely hear what Reggie was saying to her.

She knew he was only asking because she hadn’t said a word throughout dinner, and he was trying to be polite. She presumed Brady had taken Ally for dinner. No doubt it was someplace romantic.

More than likely, someplace he’d never taken her.

She knew she was torturing herself. It was giving her a splitting headache.

To ignore Reggie now was to be a bitch, and after all she’d been through today, she was ready to be anything but that. She quit scrubbing the pot in her hand so that she could collect her thoughts before answering him. “I don’t know. Yeah, okay, sure, she was awed. I guess it helped that you chose Lily to be Juliet.” She shrugged. “How did you get her to learn the first scene so quickly?”

He laughed. “By teaching her a few simple memorization techniques. I perfected them on a group of schoolkids from the Kalanga tribe, in Zimbabwe—and they don’t even speak English. But boy, those kids knew how to milk every stanza. They loved the cadence, the rhythm—the sound of their own beautiful, sweet voices.” He pulled a copy of
Romeo and Juliet
just out of Oliver’s reach, substituting the little boy’s teething ring. Oliver whined, but stopped when Reggie whispered something in his ear.

Seeing her son’s smile, she asked shyly, “What did you just say to him?”

Reggie looked up at her. “I told him, ‘Expectation is the root of all heartache.’”

Jade threw down the dish towel in her hand. “That’s a cruel thing to say! For once, your old Shakespeare is wrong. Of course we should ‘expect’ things. We should always have dreams and desires. We should always want something better for ourselves—”

“Slow down. In the first place, whereas the quote is often attributed to Shakespeare, throughout my studies of his original works personally I’ve never found it referenced. As for why I said it to Oliver, let’s just say that at the time I thought it fit his situation quite aptly.” Reggie stood up and dropped the toddler in his playpen. “And in regard to your situation, I can only go on what I’ve seen. You’ve had great expectations for you and the divine Mr. Pierce, despite all he’s done to dissuade you of them. What has to happen before you’ll take his very broad hints?”

“It’s already happened. I’m out of his life. I’m just the woman who takes his son to mommy meet-ups.” Silverware clattered as Jade tossed the just-washed forks and knives into a drawer. “In fact, I’m going to make nice-nice with Ally. You know, tell her that there are no hard feelings.”

Reggie’s eyes opened wide. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because…because I have no choice.” She stared coldly at him. “Brady is never going to love me. And I don’t want my friends to hate me.”

“Your friends don’t hate you.”

Her doubt came out in a snort. “Oh, yeah? Where have you been lately?”

“Right here, beside you.” He walked over to the window to look out. The full moon illuminated him in profile. He stood straight, but his stance seemed relaxed. As he gazed upward at the sky, she thought,
He’s not the same man I found, just a few weeks ago. All it took was someone to give a damn—me.

If she was to be honest with herself, her heart swelled—not with jealousy, as it had with Brady, but with pride when the other mothers noted Reggie's obvious ease around them, or when they commented on his abilities to inspire their offspring.

And she remembered blushing as she overheard one tell another that he was “quite easy on the eye.”

Until that moment, she hadn’t noticed how truly handsome he was.

She loved that he was most at ease with her.

It’s how true friends act with each other,
she reasoned.

As if reading her mind, he muttered, “Well, I consider myself your friend, and I don’t hate you—despite your childishly erratic mood swings.”

That at least brought a smile to her lips. “You make a good roomie.”

“I’m glad you think so. Then I hope you won’t be offended when I tell you that it’s time to move on with your life. There’s a big world out there, Jade. With a lot of folks who would appreciate all you have to offer.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve heard it before: there are a lot of fish in the sea.”

She could feel the blood rising in her cheeks. “If by that you mean you—”

He laughed. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I wouldn’t dream of insulting your intelligence—or provoking your wrath—by coming on to you.”

Why not?
she wanted to ask.
Am I not good enough for you? Or is it because you don’t want Brady’s leftovers?

Either way, it hurt her to know he didn’t think she was good enough for him.

She picked up her wash rag again and attacked another pot with it. “Well then, I’m glad we’ve come to a mutual understanding about this living arrangement. And by the way, when I start dating—which will be any day now—I want to feel free to invite my new friends to my home. Don’t feel any compulsion to introduce yourself.”

He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut, gave her a slight nod, and walked out of the room.

Hurt that he didn’t even respond, she grabbed her iPhone and searched for an app she’d heard some of the other mothers talking about. What was it again? Oh yes, Tinder. They’d joked about it being “the hookup app.” Or as one of them put it, “If I were a puma, it’s where I’d hunt for fresh meat.”

Jade wasn’t a puma, either. But she was sure as hell a lot younger than some of the PHM&T mommies—and she had absolutely no qualms about running into Brady with some man candy at her side.

Just to remind him what he was missing.

Who knows,
she mused,
maybe I’ll even find someone as smart and as sweet as Reggie.

Then remembering how he’d dismissed the thought of her so easily, she uploaded a slew of hot selfies, and clicked the heart icon beside six or seven cute guys who just so happened to be within a mile radius of the Marina.

She didn’t have long to wait to be hearted back.

Thursday, 16 May

4:22 p.m.

“I don’t know why we haven’t come here more often. It’s adorable,” Lorna stated cheerfully as she looked around tiny Cow Hollow Playground. “Granted, tight quarters for all the kids that are here, but the more the merrier, right? Don’t you think so, too, Jillian?”

“Sure! Yes!” Jillian nodded enthusiastically—too much so to fool Ally, but her friend appreciated it just the same. So that she didn’t seem like a complete liar, Jillian added, “I mean, the equipment is a few years past its prime, but the grounds are kept tidy—”

She jumped up suddenly, just in time to stop a three-year-old boy and his tricycle from colliding into the little plastic playhouse where Addison, Amelia, and Zoe were holding court, dolls in tow.

“I think it’s sweet that both of you want to hang with me here.” There was a faint smile on Ally’s lips, but it wasn’t reflected in the sad recesses of her eyes. “I’m sorry it’s not our usual stomping grounds, but…well, you know how it is.” She shivered. “I’m just not ready to run into some of the other club moms.”

“No problem there.” Lorna patted her friend’s arm. “This is a wonderful change of pace—Oh…my God.” She grabbed Ally’s hand. “I spoke too soon. You’ll never guess who just walked in.”

Jillian’s and Ally’s heads followed Lorna’s gaze.

Jade.

She was holding Oliver in her arms.

Ally frowned. “Did either of you—”

“No way,” Lorna and Jillian exclaimed together.

Jade’s eyes scanned the playground. Seeing them, she bit her lip, but kept her head held high as she sauntered over to them.

“Do you mind if I sit down with you?” Jade asked meekly.

Jillian and Lorna looked sideways at Ally.

Ally’s eyes never wavered off Jade’s face, to the point that Jade could feel it turning pink.

“Why?” Ally finally said.

Jade held Oliver closer. “I…beg your pardon?”

“Why are you here?”

“It’s a wonderful little playground—”

“Cut the bull, Jade.”

Jade tried to catch Jillian’s eye, to no avail. Finally she stuttered, “I thought—”

“You thought what?”

“Well…my friends…”

“Surely you’re not talking about me,” Ally interrupted her again. “You made it quite clear to me, just the other day, that I am no longer your friend.” She choked up and looked away.

Jade stared down at her feet, but said nothing.

When Ally recovered her voice, she asked, “Jade, why did you follow us?”

“I didn’t…9Okay, yes, I did. Because…because I want to apologize to you.” A tear meandered down the high-angled plane of her cheek. “I should never have told Bettina about your job, or the truth about Barry.” She sank onto the bench. “I’d made a pact with you. I broke that because it hurts me to realize that Brady loves you and not me. Still, that did not give me the right to ruin your relationship with the club.” She looked Ally in the eye as she added, “Ally, if I could, I’d take it all back. I mean it, from the bottom of my heart.”

No one said a word for the longest time.

Finally Ally murmured, “I appreciate the fact that you’ve apologized. Truly, I do. In regard to whether or not we can be friends, I don’t know if that is possible right now—for me, anyway.”