Immediate Family (25 page)

Q
uiet on the set!” Todd Oster yelled through cupped hands, for the benefit of no one but the cars whizzing past. He turned to Jay with a grin. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

They were standing on the corner of Park and Thirty-ninth, overseeing the crew that had been hired to shoot the TV commercial for the new Uruchima Wasp sports car. The ad would show the Wasp zipping through the Park Avenue tunnel, part of a sixty-second spot that would begin airing in the spring. The entrance to the tunnel had been blocked off to traffic, where the director, Doug Chen, was conferring with the driver of the process car, with its camera mounted on top that would track the Wasp as it made its way through the tunnel.

To those who’d never spent a day on a shoot, Jay thought, it must seem like exciting work. Mostly, though, it involved a lot of standing around waiting while the crew set up shots. Normally he was glad for any excuse to spend the day away from his desk; it was just tough luck that it had to be Sunday, the only day they could get a permit to block off traffic to the tunnel.

Jay glanced at his watch for the dozenth time, wondering where Franny was right now. He hadn’t heard from her since she’d left for L.A., so for all he knew she’d changed her mind about breaking up with Keith. An image flashed through his mind of the two of them in bed together, and something twisted in his belly. For the past two days he’d been a nervous wreck, cursing his idiocy in letting her get on that plane without having told her exactly how he felt: that he loved her, in every way a man can love a woman. By the time she got back, it might be too late; she might have deemed Keith the better bet. Why settle for a man newly estranged from his wife when you could have one without all that baggage?

He tuned back in to hear Todd saying, “…so I was telling Kapinsky, if we don’t get a bonus out of this, I’ll settle for an employee discount.” Todd ran his hand lovingly over the Wasp’s hood. Hornet yellow, with sleek, low-slung lines reminiscent of the classic Corvette, the car had already attracted a fair bit of interest. Several passersby had jokingly asked if they could take it for a test drive. “Man, think of the places you could go with this baby.”

“You planning on taking a trip?” Jay asked, smiling.

“Who said anything about a trip? I’m talking about getting laid.” Ever since his divorce, Todd had been on the prowl. “Women,” he snorted. “I used to think that all they wanted was a nice guy, the kind who gives foot rubs and remembers to take out the trash. But you know what the last one I went out with said when I took her back to my apartment?”

“What?”

“That she couldn’t see dating a guy with a rusty refrigerator.”

“Serves you right for buying it at the Salvation Army.”

“Like I had a choice. After Christy cleaned me out, I could barely afford a toaster oven.”

“I don’t know why you even need one. All you ever eat is takeout.”

“Go ahead and laugh,” Todd replied good-naturedly. “A few months from now, when you’re in the same boat, it won’t seem so funny.” Hunched inside his parka, his hands wrapped around a steaming Styrofoam cup, he looked like a bear just emerging from hibernation.

Jay felt a ripple of unease as his thoughts turned to Vivienne. He hadn’t seen her since the night he’d walked out. When he’d returned from Franny’s the following day to pack his suitcase, she hadn’t been home. There had been only a note from her saying he didn’t have to worry about finding another place to live because she was going back to Paris, this time for good. Thinking it would be only a matter of days, he’d been staying at a hotel near his office. But just this morning, when he’d called to let her know that he’d be dropping by later on to pick up some of his things, there had been no mention of her leaving for Paris. In fact, she’d sounded strangely upbeat.

“I won’t be eating reheated takeout out of a rusty refrigerator, that’s for sure,” he joked, not wanting Todd to guess what was really on his mind. “Ramen noodles is more my speed.”

“Seriously, bud, I know what you’re going through.” Todd clapped a hand over Jay’s shoulder, eyeing him with concern. “When Christy and I split up, it was a kick in the gut. It gets better, though. If it weren’t for the kids, I’d say it was the best decision I ever made.”

Jay could have told him that his current mood had less to do with Vivienne than with Franny, but that would have required a lengthy explanation, so all he said was, “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

It was several more hours of take after take by the time they wrapped. It had consumed the better part of the afternoon to get what would amount to fifteen seconds of usable film, but all in all it was a successful day. Jay declined Todd’s offer to buy him dinner, heading back to the loft instead to pick up some things. In the taxi on the way over, he tried Franny once more on his cell phone, but all he got was her voice mail. Damn. Was there a reason she wasn’t returning his calls? Was it like what she’d said about wanting to deliver the bad news to Keith in person? Was she planning to do the same with him?

When he walked in through his front door, his mind occupied with thoughts of Franny, it came almost as a shock to find the living room softly lit with candles and the dining room table set for two. In the kitchen, Vivienne, wearing a slinky hostess gown that showed off her figure, was putting the finishing touches on the supper she’d prepared.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Surprise.”

“It’s quite a surprise, I’ll say that.” Jay’s tone was flat.

“I hope you haven’t eaten already.” She gestured toward the still crackling roast she’d just pulled from the oven. “Everything’s ready. I just have to warm the sauce.”

A knot formed in his belly. “Viv—”

“I got the recipe from Maman,” she went on in a rush, not letting him get a word in. “I know how much you love roast beef.”

“It looks good,” he noted without much enthusiasm.

“It’s wonderful to see you. It’s been so lonely here without you these past few days.” She paused in the midst of stirring something on the stove to cast him a meaningful look, one that made her appear at once vulnerable and seductive. Whatever tears she’d shed, she was on a mission now and, from the gown she had on, through which the outline of her body was visible, he didn’t have to guess what it was.

Few men, he thought, would be immune to her charms. Vivienne’s lay not only in her beauty but in the sexuality that radiated from her like heat from a fire. Even now, as he stood there eyeing her dispassionately, he could appreciate how enticing she was, the graceful lines of her body beneath her gown and the way her hair caught the light as she moved about the kitchen. Once it had had the desired effect on him. Each time she’d return after a long absence during which he’d been left wondering why he wasted his energy on a woman who collected men’s hearts the way other women collected pieces of jewelry, the process of wooing him back would begin all over again. But not this time. He was done.

“You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” he said, meaning it.

“It was no trouble at all,” she replied airily, bending to pull a warmed baguette from the oven. “Besides, after all those restaurant meals, I thought you could use something home-cooked.”

“That’s not what I meant.” His voice softened. He could see the effort she’d put into it. Even so, he said, “Viv, I can’t stay. It would be wrong for us both. You don’t need a husband whose heart isn’t in it. And you’ve made it pretty clear yours isn’t either.” She was just lonely and scared right now. That wasn’t the same as love.

Vivienne’s eyes filled with tears. “You don’t mean that. You’re just upset with me.”

“I was, yes, but not anymore,” he said. “I’ve had some time to think it over, and I realized something—it was over even before you cheated on me. I knew it deep down, after all those months, when you didn’t come home.

“No,
chéri!
It’s not true!” A spoon clattered to the counter as she put out a beseeching hand.

“It is for me,” he said quietly.

“It’s because of Franny, isn’t it? You’ve been with
her
all this time.” Vivienne’s voice rose, growing shrill.

He didn’t reply, letting his silence fill in the blank.

Her eyes narrowed. “So I’m not the only one who was unfaithful.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Why, because you
love
her?” Her mouth twisted as she spat out the words. “Because you had a baby with her?”

“Nothing happened. Not until…” He let the rest of the sentence trail off.

“I’m sure it wasn’t for lack of trying on
her
part.” Bitterness crept into her voice. “I’ll bet she was over here every day reminding you of everything I couldn’t give you.” Even in her anger, Vivienne looked glorious, her skin flushed and her eyes afire, like some beautiful creature in the wild. “What she’s conveniently forgotten is that she wouldn’t have that baby if it weren’t for me. I did it because I wanted her to be happy, not so she could steal my husband!”

“Whatever your reason, it was a good thing.” Vivienne’s one selfless act. He placed a hand over hers, letting her know that whatever else she’d done, he would always be grateful for that.

“I wanted her to see that I could be her friend, too.” Tears filled her eyes, making them shimmer. He realized then that, for
all
her mad socializing, Vivienne had few real friends, none of them female, just the gay men who were drawn to her like bees to honey.

“She’s always liked you,” he said.

“Not like it is with you and Em and Stevie. She
tries,
for your sake, but it’s not the same,” she went on in a choked voice. The saucepan on the stove bubbled on unnoticed, steam rising from it in wisps to caress her woebegone face. “She’s never really forgiven me for Brian.”

“From what you’ve told me, there was nothing to forgive.” Besides, it had been a long time ago. Hadn’t the statute of limitations run out? Still, something in her expression made him ask, “Is there more to the story than Franny knows?”

“What are you implying?” Vivienne said.

From the way her back went up, he could tell she was withholding something. All at once, it made sense. He eyed her narrowly. “You fucked him, didn’t you?”

“Oh, so now I sleep with every man I meet?” she shot back.

“Answer the question.”

“All right, yes! I slept with him!” she cried, throwing up her hands in frustration. “He followed me to Paris. He told me it was over between him and Franny. What was I supposed to think?”

He understood now why she’d been willing, no, eager, to go to such extraordinary lengths for Franny. It had been a way to right an old wrong. “You should have kept in mind that Franny was your friend,” he said, filled with contempt for this woman he’d once loved. “Whatever he said, you knew she’d be hurt. That’s why you didn’t tell her.”

“It was only that one time! After that, I told him I couldn’t see him anymore.”

“It didn’t mean anything, is that what you’re saying?” he said, echoing her words from the other night.

She rushed to explain, “What happened with Claude was different…I wasn’t myself.”

“You’re wrong about that.” In his mind he could hear his mother saying,
A leopard never changes its spots,
and his mouth stretched in a mirthless smile. “You’ve always been true to yourself, Viv. My mistake was believing you could change.” Not waiting to hear any more of her tortured explanations, he took a last look at the feast she’d prepared and said, as he was turning to go, “Thanks, but I’m afraid I’ve lost my appetite.”

In the cab on the way home from the airport, Franny stared out the window at the pouring rain, absorbed in her thoughts. Fortunately, Ruth had slept most of the way, giving her a chance to reflect on everything that had happened over the past few days, none of which had turned out quite the way she’d expected. Now she looked down at her daughter, slumbering in her car seat, and felt envious of her blissful ignorance. Ruth didn’t have to fret over things yet to come or know the heartache of having to hurt someone. She didn’t have to wonder if her dreams would come true…or come crashing down around her ears.

Franny tried to summon the courage to call Jay. He’d left several messages while she was away that she hadn’t returned. There was so much to tell him, but at the moment, exhausted from the trip and still nursing a hangover, she didn’t think she could get it all out in any kind of coherent fashion…or face whatever it was he might say to her. Finally, she worked up the nerve, but decided to low key it for the time being. There would be ample opportunity for a more serious conversation later on.

“To think I left sunny California for this,” Franny said.

Jay glanced out his office window at the rain streaming down outside. “How was your trip?” he asked as casually as he could with his heart in his throat.

“Uneventful. Ruth slept most of the way. The flight attendants couldn’t get over what a good baby she was. They should have seen her reenactment of the
Exorcist
the other day.” No mention of Keith. “Poor Stevie. She’s probably making an appointment to have her tubes tied as we speak.” She explained that Ruth had refused to take the bottle she’d left with Stevie, howling at the top of her lungs until Franny showed up to nurse her. “I just hope we haven’t created a monster. Who knows where it could lead. We’ll give her a tricycle and she’ll demand a Ferrari. Or hold the tooth fairy for ransom.”