Chasing Chaos: A Novel (7 page)

“Can
you slow down a bit?”

Taken
aback by his request, Daphne slowed to just a few miles above the speed limit.
“Sure. Sorry. My car does prefer to take these turns at speed.”

“I’m
not a huge fan of driving fast.”

Daphne
remembered the day before, seeing Marlon working on the Camaro. “Aren’t you
rebuilding a muscle car?”

He
laughed. “Sure am. And I plan on cruising nice and slow in it. Perfect for all
that traffic on Sunset.”

“I
thought men bought muscle cars specifically so they could drive fast.”

“My
mom died in a car accident. Speeding seems an unnecessary risk.”

Daphne
thought of her own incessantly speedy driving.

“What
are you driving while you rebuild the Camaro?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“You
don’t have a car?” Daphne worked to keep the incredulity out of her voice.
Typically, Daphne was a master at hiding her emotions, especially when they
might make someone else feel bad. She didn’t want Marlon to know she was
judging him for living in Los Angeles without a car when he could clearly
afford one. But anyone would find his car-less status completely strange.

“I
had one. It stopped working. Now I’m building a new one.”

“And
in the meantime?”

“I
don’t need to go many places. I can walk to the market from Sandy’s place, and
they have most of what I need. Plus, I don’t have a lot of friends.” He
gestured around them as they sped by the life on Santa Monica. “Don’t you find
that, despite all the millions of people that surround us, you just end up with
your few friends, and your few favorite places?”

Daphne
thought about her small world in Brentwood, of Greta and Timmy, of Rivet, of
even Dan and of Sandy. There just weren’t that many people who were terribly
important to her. Or that many places she ventured to.

Marlon
was right.

“What
about Carrie?” she asked.

She
noticed Marlon stiffen again. If he had a weakness, it was his adopted sister.

“What
about her?”

“Don’t
you want to see her more?”

“We
meet up for coffee every week.”

He
sounded almost defensive to Daphne, as though he had something to make up for,
but Daphne didn’t know what.

“Well,
that’s good. Greta and I get together every week too.” Daphne tried for a
reassuring tone. “Carrie still lives in Westwood, right? Near UCLA?”

“In
her crappy college apartment with twenty other kids,” he said. “I can’t stand
going there. Did you ever live like that?”

“No,
actually. Greta and I lived together our junior year, and then we graduated a
year early.”

“Running
from or running to?” Marlon asked.

Daphne
laughed, a little shocked at both his perceptiveness and his directness. She
turned north onto a side road that would take them to Sunset. He kept her
perpetually unbalanced. There was only one way to handle the problem. Head on.

“You
are one of the few people I’ve ever met who can constantly surprise me,” Daphne
said. “Part of me wishes you would stop it.”

“Who
is the other person?”

Daphne
sighed. “That right there. That was a completely unpredictable reaction to what
I said.”

“Not
really. I just think you misjudged me.”

Daphne
shook her head, wondering if he was right. “The other person is Greta.”

“You’re
telling me that the other person who keeps you on your toes is your best
friend?”

“Yes.”

“Then
why on Earth would I stop?”

Daphne
turned left off Sunset to head north up Laurel Canyon. She loved how her car
handled the steep climb. She wished she could take the curves faster, but she
didn’t want to upset Marlon.

“I
really am sorry to hear about your mom dying,” she said. “You know Greta’s mom
died a few years ago.”

“I
did not,” Marlon said. “Is that your secret to share?”

“It’s
not a secret,” Daphne said. “When she died, it wasn’t sudden, but it was still
horrible. There’s nothing OK about losing your mom.”

Daphne
thought about her own mom, whom she hadn’t spoken with in years. She wondered
if it was possible to lose someone before they died.

“Thank
you,” he said. “She was everything to me back then. Losing her was the worst
thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Daphne
downshifted to head up a particularly steep curve. She passed the house where
she’d acquired her sideboard from the side of the road. She couldn’t help but
glance every time she passed, hoping to find more treasures.

After
a few minutes, Daphne turned right onto a small road off Laurel Canyon, headed
downhill a bit and then turned into Sandy’s driveway. Instead of stopping in
the circular drive at the main house, she cruised down the hill to the garage.
All the bays were closed. She parked in front of the second bay, where she knew
the non-running Camaro was located.

Marlon
opened his door. “When is your thing tonight?” he asked, before stepping out of
the car.

“At
six. It’s not far from here.”

“What
time is it now?”

“I’m
guessing you don’t wear a watch?”

Marlon
shook his head.

“No
cell phone either?” She thought of Dan then, and the frustrations that followed
from his refusal to embrace any modern technology.

“Are
you kidding? Of course I have a cell phone. I just didn’t want to fish it out
of my pocket when you have a clock right there on your dashboard.”

Daphne
tried hard to suppress her smile. “It’s ten to five.”

“Perfect.
You have time to come up and have a beer on my deck.”

“Isn’t
it Sandy’s deck?”

“I’m
not talking about Sandy’s deck. I’m talking about my deck.” He closed the
passenger door, then headed off, as though expecting her to accept his
invitation.

Daphne
turned off the car and grabbed her bag, following him around the side of the
garage. A gravel path lined with jade plants led to an exterior staircase that
climbed the back of the building. He unlocked a metal gate, then led her up the
steps. At the top was a smaller version of the deck that graced Sandy’s house.

But
Marlon’s deck wasn’t small—the garage had six bays, after all. Suddenly, Daphne
wondered just how big Marlon’s digs were. Did his apartment take up the entire
top of the garage? The deck extended the full length of the building, and like
the deck on the main house, there were doors leading into the living quarters
every few yards.

“You
built this?”

“Sure
did.”

“Wow.”

“Have
a seat.” He gestured to a pair of lounge chairs with a table between them.

The
furniture, she noted, matched the furniture on Sandy’s deck. Sandy spared no
expense to keep his assistant-handyman in style. Daphne sat facing the canyon
below, where she could see the tops of houses and then, farther off, the city,
whose lights were beginning to shine as the sun approached the horizon.

Marlon
disappeared into the apartment and reemerged a little while later with two open
beers. He handed her a bottle, and she examined the label. It was a Rocky
Mountain microbrew that looked tasty.

“Don’t
you think a girl like me would prefer wine?” she asked.

“Not
a chance.” He sat on the lounger to her right and gazed into the distance.

“Why’s
that?”

He
turned his eyes on her then. “You drive like you’d prefer a dirt track to Indy.
I’ve seen you choose a burger over filet mignon. I think you do like fine
things, but you like to be a little uncivilized too.”

“When
did you see me get a burger? I thought you never went to Rivet.”

“Timmy’s
birthday dinner here at Sandy’s last fall. I handled the take-out order. You
and Greta got burgers.”

“Why
didn’t you join us? Surely Sandy invited you?”

“Didn’t
feel right.” He sipped his beer.

“Because
you didn’t know us all that well?” Daphne paused, thinking. “But that can’t be
true. You knew Sandy and Greta. Even Timmy.”

“Busting
in on a tight circle like that, on someone else’s family, that’s not something
I do if I can help it.”

Daphne
thought then of a young Marlon, left on the doorstep of another family when his
own had died on him.

He
must be so alone now
,
Daphne thought.
And he does it to himself
.

Daphne
reached out and touched his left arm, resting her palm there for a moment, as
though she could tell him with her touch what she couldn’t say with words. That
he wasn’t alone. That Carrie loved him like a true brother—Daphne had seen it
herself. That even though Daphne had been rough on him the past twenty-four
hours, she could see him more clearly now. And she liked what she saw.

In
fact, as the sun set further, she liked what she saw more and more. The light
glinting off his hair. His cool gray eyes, such a strange and lovely color.
He’d even scrubbed his hands, she noticed with a smile.

He
leaned into her hand a bit as though in response to her touch. Then she pulled
her hand away.

She
drank more of her beer, the coldness of the drink settling her thoughts. She
remembered her dinner plans. She remembered her commitment to Dan. She looked
at her watch.

“I have
to go,” she said. “I have my thing.”

“You
could go,” he said. “Or you could stay up here and watch the sunset. I have a
feeling it’s going to be a good one.”

“What?”
she said. “No.”

“I
can usually tell. It’s a gift.”

“I’m
not talking about the sunset.”

“You
should be. What’s the point of working for yourself if you can’t watch a
perfect sunset when one comes along?”

“The
reason I’m able to work for myself is because I don’t skip important meetings.”
Her voice snapped more than she intended.

She
didn’t particularly want to go to dinner with Dan that night. In part it was
because memories of the things he’d said to her last night (
I’ll remember
you as a cheater
) and that morning (
You can’t count on anyone it seems
)
lingered. But it was also because she didn’t want to leave Marlon.

She
really didn’t.

Marlon
set his beer on the table and stood. He took hers from her hand and set it next
to his, then pulled her to her feet. He rested both of his hands on her
shoulders, his thumbs brushing her neck.

She
let him touch her.

“Sandy’s
worried about you,” he said. “He thinks you’re having a hard time. Maybe
because of Greta’s wedding, maybe because of some other stuff too.”

“Sandy
asked me if I’m doing OK, back at Rivet.”

“What’d
you tell him?”

“I
told him I’m having a hard time.”

“Cancel
your thing,” Marlon said. “And then you can tell me what’s wrong.”

“Why
would I tell you?” She felt the heat of his hands through the soft fibers of
her sweater. “We’re basically strangers.”

“Don’t
you know that strangers are the easiest people to talk to?”

Daphne
thought of yesterday morning, waking up next to John. She didn’t even know his
last name. She thought of the other anonymous men she’d shed her problems upon,
physically if not verbally.

She
nodded. “I need to make a call.”

He
leaned forward, brushing his chin across her temple. Then he released her
shoulders. He sat back down in his chair and lifted his beer to take another
sip.

Hands
shaking, Daphne fished around in her bag until she found her phone. She dialed
Dan, hoping he hadn’t left home yet.

“Babe!”
Dan said. “I was literally walking out the door, but I just knew it was you.
Wanna ride together?”

“I
hate to do this to you, but I have to cancel. You’ll be fine without me,
right?”

“What
do you mean you’re canceling? This is the opportunity of a lifetime!”

Daphne
rolled her eyes. With Dan, it was always the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Sorry,
Dan. I can’t make it. But I’ll be at Uptown tomorrow as usual, and you can tell
me all about it.”

“Are
you with someone?” His voice switched from bombastic to worried and jealous.

Daphne
felt bad. She didn’t want to hurt him. “What do you mean by that?”

“Are
you with whomever you were with last weekend?”

“No,
Dan. I’m not.”

“You’re
lying. You’re with a man.”

“I’m
at Sandy’s house planning Greta’s wedding, and things are running late.” She
kept her voice light. “Stop being an ass.”