A loud vibration against my desk jarred me from my thoughts.
“Hi Davena,” I said into my cell phone.
“Actually it’s Mack, dear.”
“Oh! Well hello Mack, then.”
“Sorry to bother you at work.”
“No problem at all. What’s up?” I asked, standing to close the door.
“We aren’t going to make it to dinner with your friends tomorrow night.”
“Is everything all right?” At his tone, I steadied myself against the desk.
“Things have been better. She’s not well, dear.” I wasn’t sure if I’d heard his voice break. “She insists that she’s fine, but I’d like to keep her home for now.”
“What do the doctors say?”
“Well, she contracted an infection a few weeks ago and has lost considerable weight. This happened once before, during her first round of chemo, and it took months to recover. After what she’s been through, I’m not sure she has the strength to fight it off again.”
“Oh, Mack. I’m so sorry.” I wished I were there to give him a hug. I’d never heard him so distraught, and I realized it was because he’d always had to be strong for Davena. Without her, his distress was apparent. “She’s the toughest lady I know,” I reassured him. “She’ll be fine, don’t you worry.”
“She may not be, Liv. Just keep that in mind.”
I responded with shocked silence. Davena was untouchable – if she couldn’t lick cancer, who could?
“I should go,” his voice cut into my thoughts. “She’ll be wanting some tomato soup just about now, and I’m going to run to her favorite deli. Please give Lucy our regrets.”
When I’d hung up, I sat thinking about their relationship. As long as I’d known them, they’d loved hard and fought hard. In the end, Mack always stood by her, never letting anything touch her. The body that he’d loved so intensely was turning against him, and it was out of his control. I shuddered at the thought.
I wondered how my relationship compared to theirs. How would Bill deal if I were that sick? Would he know how to take care of me? Anticipate my cravings for tomato soup? Mack and Davena had been married over thirty years, I figured. Surely, in thirty years, Bill would know me inside out.
~
“Catch that game the other night?” Bill called to the doorman as we passed through Andrew and Lucy’s lobby.
“Total destruction, man. We on our way!”
“You know it,” he said as we entered the elevator.
“Did I mention that you look handsome tonight?” I asked when the doors had closed.
“Think so? If you play your cards right, you might get lucky.”
“Is that so?” I teased. “Well I have a surprise for you if that’s true.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“What is it? I don’t like surprises.”
“Come on, just - ”
“Seriously, what is it?”
“Okay, I started taking birth control,” I said, grinning. “No more condoms. Although actually, we can’t start for a few more days, and I think I’d like to give it another week just to be safe – what?” I asked when I noticed his expression.
The elevator pinged and he stepped off. “Unbelievable,” he muttered.
“What? I sat down, did a lot of research, talked to the doctor, and I thought you’d be excited. You’re always complaining about - ”
“This is not the time, Liv.”
“I thought I heard voices,” Andrew said as he opened the door. “Come in.” Lucy appeared behind him, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. I wondered quickly if it was the same one David had held against me.
“What’s that delicious smell? This is for you,” Bill said, handing Lucy a bottle of wine. Before she had a chance to answer, Andrew wrapped me in an enthusiastic embrace. He pulled back and squeezed my shoulders.
“Our brave girl. Apparently you have quite the flair for self defense,” he said, smiling, and released me with an obnoxious pat on the head.
“You’re just in time,” Lucy said. “Have a seat, food will be out soon.”
We found Gretchen and her date, an accountant she’d met at Starbucks, snacking on bacon-wrapped apricots in the living room. As I went to sit by her I had the urge, as I always did when I visited Lucy’s apartment, to remove my shoes for fear of getting anything dirty.
Andrew poured Bill and me each a glass of wine as he asked about New York. They laughed about my terrible sense of direction as Bill cited the many times I’d steered us wrong. “She said ‘I’ve been here lots of times, Bill, just trust me.’ I should’ve listened to my instincts and gone the opposite direction.”
“Oh, please, you were even more lost,” I said, playfully shoving him.
“Andrew, can you get everyone seated?” Lucy called from the kitchen.
We took our place around the table as Lucy decorated the table with delicious-smelling food.
“How are things at S&S?” Andrew asked Bill.
“Great. You? How’s business?”
“All right,” Andrew replied, cutting into his steak. I watched as blood pooled on the plate. “I expected things to slow down more because of the economy, but we’re doing fine. We’ve been lucky – our firm in New York has been hit harder. I guess investment banking isn’t so hot there right now.”
“You should see their new building,” Lucy chimed in. “It’s almost finished and it’s incredible. I’m excited for Andrew to be closer to home,” she gushed.
“Oh yeah?” asked Bill.
Andrew nodded emphatically as he chewed. “The place is incredible, like Luce said. My boss owns the building, and I can’t imagine the money he poured into it,” he snorted. “And the architect is brilliant. He’s from here but has studied in Europe and maybe even Asia. Really interesting guy. Plus, he owns a sailboat.”
I stiffened. My mind flitted back to the night of the party, when Andrew had introduced me to David. I opened my mouth to change the subject.
“Interesting,” Bill commented before I could speak. “Maybe he does homes?” he suggested, raising his eyebrows at me.
“Oh honey, I’m sure he charges a fortune,” I replied.
“How’s that going, by the way?” Lucy asked us.
Bill grunted. “We have an appointment with our realtor tomorrow afternoon. We picked the right time to start looking, but nothing has really felt right yet. At least not for this one.” He jerked his elbow in my direction, and I nodded in agreement.
“Well,” Andrew said, “you could always build from the ground up. In fact, David has mentioned something about flipping houses as a hobby. I’ll ask him about it and let you know.”
Oh. My. God. Please don’t do that.
“He was at our engagement party, Liv. David Dylan,” Lucy offered, looking at me. I shrugged and did my best to seem unknowing, but Gretchen visibly perked up. “Oh, come on,” Lucy prodded. “Tall, gorgeous. He’s unforgettable!” I glanced at her wine glass, wondering if she was crazy or if it was just the wine.
Andrew didn’t look bothered in the least though. “Sure Liv, you remember. I introduced you guys in the kitchen,” he said.
“Oh, yes,” I said, seeing nowhere else to turn.
“Bill, this guy is something else. The women in the office go crazy whenever he stops by. I think they even have some sort of pool going to see who can score a date with him.” He laughed with a bellow, and I began to think I might be the one going crazy. Bill just nodded and kept chewing. I pulled my dress down and crossed my legs, trying to get comfortable. “If I were smarter, I’d forbid Luce from working with him.”
Gretchen and I dropped our forks simultaneously. “What’s that?” I asked.
“Oh,” Lucy giggled nervously. “He asked Andrew for my information because he could use a new personal stylist. I doubt anything will come of it, but I have to admit,” she said, looking at Andrew, “he’d be a great client. I think he has money . .
. and connections, too.”
“Sure seems that way, but I don’t know for sure,” Andrew concurred.
Gretchen was noticeably gripping the table at this point, and I stifled a laugh, despite my discomfort. I glanced at her poor date, who just looked bored.