Totlandia: Summer (3 page)

But they are no longer your friends,
Ally thought.
And their mothers are no longer mine.

Ally’s tears were falling so hard and so fast that it was a wonder she could see well enough to make it home, without sideswiping the car.

By the time she got home, Zoe was sobbing just as hard.

11:32 a.m.

Brady Pierce took great pleasure pulling Jade’s clothes off the hangers in her closest and dumping them in large black plastic bags.
Nothing says sayonara like finding your belongings on the curb,
he thought.

After admitting to the lie she told Ally, he was determined to keep her out of his life once and for all.

As he opened her underwear drawer, a rainbow of panties and push-up bras practically sprang into his lap; it was stuffed so tightly. The vision of Jade in her pink polka-dot thong and nothing else, moaning ecstatically during their last lovemaking session, suddenly appeared in his mind’s eye.

It was times like this that he cursed his photographic memory.

And his libido, especially when it came to his ex.

Yesterday, when he learned that Jade had lied to Ally, he was livid. He demanded that she move out immediately.

Instead, she locked herself in the guest room and stayed there all night, ignoring him as he banged on the door and threatened to wring her neck if she didn’t open it.

This morning she took off early with Oliver. He presumed she was at the Monday PHM&T meet-up. Ten minutes after she’d gone, he hustled down the street to meet a Pottery Barn delivery truck at a cute little bungalow he’d rented for her. By the time she got back, her new digs would be furnished catalog-perfect.

It was the perfect kiss-off gift.

If she didn’t like it, well, too bad. For all he cared, she could shack up on a cot in the dressing room of the Condor Club with the rest of the strippers who’d been kicked to the curb by their latest boyfriends, pimps, or “managers.” He regretted the day she’d caught his eye there. The way she pinwheeled on the center pole was mesmerizing. But her hold over him couldn’t be blamed on too much scotch, because he’d stayed stone-cold sober in order to stay on his game while wining and dining his guests—Japanese businessmen, stateside in search of the sort of high-tech investments Brady’s venture capital firm excelled in ferreting out. He didn’t mind tucking ten dollar bills into her G-string because it allowed him to brush his thumb against her flat belly. And yes, he resented when other men did the same—especially his foreign guests, whom he’d brought to the club at their insistence.

No need for a translator to get the gist of their sly asides. Jade was the object of their lust, too.

But he’d been the one to take her home that night. And the next, and the one after that. She was too young, too sweet, and certainly too innocent to be working in a place like that.

On their second night together, he asked her why she’d taken the job. She responded with a frown. “The money’s good.”

“Isn’t it creepy to have all these guys hit on you?” The moment it was out of his mouth, he realized how cruel he sounded.

“Well, I don’t consider you all that creepy.” There was no sarcasm in her laugh. If he were to describe it, he’d say that it had the lilt of a bell ringing in a gentle breeze. But her smile faded when she added, “The last girl you took home with you—let me guess, did she work some kind of office job?”

He shook his head. “I never asked her.”

“Why not?”

“She wasn’t you.”

Jade blushed at that response.

They made love all night, until dawn.

In truth, he’d been set up with the other woman. She was the sister-in-law of one of his happily married Stanford fraternity brothers. For whatever reason, her position as a managing director at Barclays Capital and the financial portfolio that went with it didn’t seem to compensate for her flat chest and pug-like visage.

On the other hand, Jade had a face like an angel, and the rack of a Playboy Playmate.

He certainly hadn’t taken her home for the intellectually stimulating conversation.

He never regretted Oliver’s existence in his life. Still, since then, he always carried condoms.

Last night he had arranged for the rental of a bungalow, sight unseen. The real estate broker said the owners were ecstatic about the deal, since they had already put an offer on a home just across the Golden Gate Bridge in Tiburon, and were worried that they’d be stuck with two mortgage payments.

“Hey, if it works out, maybe I’ll take it off their hands before my yearlong lease is up,” he promised blithely. That is, if Jade behaved herself—which meant keeping up her end of the bargain of taking Oliver to the meet-ups.

Oh yeah, and one more caveat: she’d also have to promise to leave him and Ally alone.

He cooled off long enough to toss the bags near the front door, and to arrange for a moving van to come get Jade’s things. “Get here within the hour, and I’ll double your fee,” he told the van owner.

“You got it,” the man promised.

Now, to get that freeloading bum she picked up last week out of my house,
Brady thought.

Jade had set up Cornelius Reginald Pudberry in the au pair suite, which was on the ground floor of the mansion, next to the garage. Brady didn’t knock, but entered quietly. Before he roused the unwanted guest from a sound slumber, he did a quick reconnaissance for any bottles. None—a good sign, considering his condition when Jade found him: drunk as a skunk on the sidewalk. If she hadn’t been so desperate to find an instructor for the PHM&T’s advanced placement course for the five-year-old group, she may not have given him a second glance.

As it turned out, Reggie Pudberry’s reputation as a Nobel Prize winner now had her in Bettina’s good graces.

That, and the fact that I’ve given Art, that deadbeat investor she calls a husband, a half million dollars to lose,
Brady thought.

As Brady stared down at him, the sleeping man’s snores shook the walls. The first night he’d come home with Jade, Brady had checked him out. To his surprise, Reggie’s claim of winning a Nobel Prize was legit. And now that Jade had him cleaned up, in truth he wasn’t a bad-looking guy. He was perhaps a few years younger than Brady, but shorter and slighter.

You can’t really get beauty sleep on a sidewalk in the Tenderloin. And Dumpster diving for your meals is one hell of a diet,
Brady thought.
No wonder he looks so rough. I wonder what could have caused his downfall. I guess I’ll never know. He’s Jade’s problem, not mine. When she hits the road, he does, too.

He smacked Reggie on the cheek. “Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.”

Reggie opened one eye with a groan. “'Hell is empty and all the devils are here.'” He struggled to lift himself up by his elbows. “What time is it? My wake-up call was for the crack of noon.”

“Too bad. It’s moving day.” Brady tossed Reggie the pair of pants hanging on the bedpost. Except for the bed and a desk holding various tattered paperback volumes of Shakespeare, the room was essentially bare. “Grab your crap. The delivery truck has already set up all the furniture I bought for Jade’s new digs. The movers are here now to take her stuff over there before she comes home. You can hitch a ride. It will be easier on her if you’re already there to keep her company.”

Reggie frowned. “Sans chaperon? I can only imagine what that will do for our lady’s reputation.”

Brady laughed so hard, he almost choked. “Don’t worry about her reputation. She’s a former pole dancer, for Christ’s sake!”

“She’s also your wife, remember?”

Brady shrugged. “
Ex
-wife. Oliver’s mother. Nothing more.”

Reggie shook his head in disbelief. “And periodic booty call, maybe? But I digress. By the way, I’ve met many a stripper who’d run circles around those hussies in Jade’s little mommies’ club.”

“Oh yeah? How do you know about those women, anyway?”

“In the past I’ve had the bad fortune of being chased from a park bench by the lead witch in their coven…Bettina, isn’t it?”

Brady conceded with a nod. Suddenly his eyes lit up. “Hey, listen, how would you like to earn some extra cash?”

“Sorry, old boy. I don’t do murder or extortion.” He smiled. “And besides, I think the world of Jade.”

“That’s why you’d be perfect for this gig. Essentially, it’s babysitting.”

“Nope, not interested. I’m already teaching Shakespeare to snot-nosed four-year-olds once a week.”

“I’m not talking about kids. What I mean is that I want you to keep an eye on Jade. You know, keep her busy when she doesn’t have Oliver, so that she’s not always thinking of me. What do you say to that?”

“I’d say huzzah. I’d also say you’ve gone bonkers. That gorgeous woman is head over heels in love with you. I take it you don’t believe Shakespeare’s adage, ‘Love sought is good, but given unsought is better’?”

“You got that right. I’ve had my fill of unsought love.” Brady looked Reggie squarely in the eye.

“Ah, yes. I forgot about the appropriately named redhead, Mistress Savitch.”

Brady turned white. “How do you know about her?”

“A seasoned bum on a park bench is as invisible as the wood sprites in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
. Your playground pickup of the unfair damsel was a sight to behold. You could give lessons. Maybe MacWorld could add your mating techniques as a workshop or something.”

Brady couldn’t help but be flattered. “Thanks, man. But I’m not ready for Jade to know that. She’d probably be so angry that she’d ditch the club, and that’s not to Oliver’s benefit. Got that?”

Reggie shrugged. “Sure, I follow.”

“As far as keeping Jade company, seriously, I’ll make it worth your while. What do you say to a thousand a week?”

Reggie’s eyes widened before they narrowed warily. “Depends. What exactly does ‘babysitting Jade’ entail?”

“I don’t know. Just…be yourself. Chat her up, but don’t be too obvious. Grab lunch with her. Eat dinner with her. Go on walks. Hell, I don’t know, take her to a movie every now and then. She’s comfortable with you. Make the most of it.” He smiled. “And all that implies.”

Reggie shook his head in disbelief. “Let me get this straight. You’re pimping me out to your ex?”

Brady’s eyes opened wide in mock surprise. “What? No, not at all! Think of it this way. You’re getting a wonderful job with a great salary…and maybe a few unforeseen bennies. Hey, who knows? Maybe she’ll make you happy. I mean, my God, the woman has done porn! Something tells me you’ve had worse.” He patted Reggie on the back. “And if you’re happy and Jade’s happy, call me Cupid.”

“‘Some Cupids kill with arrows, some with traps,’” Reggie muttered under his breath.

Brady frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

Reggie shrugged. “It means I’ll take the gig. But don’t expect miracles. Jade is too smart to fall for someone like me.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Reg ol’ boy. Jade has her charms, but brains are not one of them.” Hearing a car skid to the curb, Brady glanced out the window. “Neither is driving. Look, if I were you, I’d take a walk around the block while I break the news to her. But don’t go too far. She’ll need a shoulder to cry on.” He shoved Reggie toward the back door.

Hey, this may be easier than I’d hoped,
Brady thought.

Inspired, he practically ran to the front door. The sooner Jade realized it was over between them, the better it would be, for everyone involved.

Especially Jade.

“I’m not leaving,” Jade declared, even as she crumpled onto the foyer floor with Oliver in her arms. The moving men, holding the last of her things in a few hastily packed boxes, stepped around her gingerly. But one clicked his tongue in sympathy as Oliver patted her tears on her cheeks with his chubby fists.

“Yes you are, Jade.” Brady’s tone was as congenial, and as firm, as if he were talking to his toddler son. “Don’t fight me or you’ll never get another dime from me.”

“I don’t want your money, you son of a bitch.” Upon hearing the edge in her voice, Oliver’s brow furrowed. She forced her lips into a smile, and added in a syrupy coo, “You can choke on it, for all I care.”

“Since the odds of me gagging on a wad of cash are slim to none, if I were you I’d get off that pretty little butt and follow the van out there. Not far, just six or so blocks down, on Beach. If you don’t, I guarantee you’ll never see your son again.”

Shocked at the thought, she lessened her grip on Oliver just enough that Brady scooped their son up out of her arms. He pointed to the garbage bags by the front door. “I packed for you.”

She stared down at them for a moment. As she picked them up, she declared, “Great, sure, I’ll move out. And of course I’ll keep taking Oliver to PHM&T meet-ups. It’ll be a pleasure, now that your girlfriend has been exiled from the club.”

Her declaration knocked the smirk off Brady’s face. “Ally…exiled from the club? Why?”

“Why do you think, genius?” It was Jade’s turn to smile. “Bettina knows all about her little secrets.”

He turned red. “You screwed over
your girlfriend?
” He looked as if he wanted to put down Oliver. Her son, wrapped in his father’s arms, cried out as he reached for his mother. Of course she wanted to grab Oliver and take him away with her. But if Brady’s hands were free, she had no doubt the next thing he’d do is wring her neck.

At that thought, she took a step back. “Don’t you get it, Brady? She’s not my ‘girlfriend’! She’s yours—she even admitted that she…”

Seeing the look of hope in his eyes she quickly thought:
No. Don’t tell him.

Too late, if that glimmer in his eyes was any indication.

For the longest time, neither of them said anything. Finally he pointed to the moving van that had just turned the corner. “It’s over between us, Jade. I’ve moved on, and you should, too. But you’ll still have a roof over your head—that is, if you get moving. Otherwise, I’ll return the keys to the landlord. It doesn’t matter to me, one way or another.”

What he means is that I don’t matter to him,
she thought miserably.
Ally is all he cares about.