“No, I will,” I said. “As your friend, I feel it’s my responsibility. What time are you meeting up with him?”
“Six.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
Graham was finishing up with a customer when I got there, so I went and got us coffees.
“Look at you,” he said, “with that giant iced coffee at 1 in the afternoon.”
“I know.” I took a big sip. “I’ve got big plans tonight.”
“Oh yeah? What’s going on?”
“I’m chaperoning Tara’s get-together with her psycho ex.”
“You’re what?”
“I’m just going to make sure that everything goes okay.”
“Tara doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who needs a chaperone.”
Unlike yourself, I could practically hear him thinking.
“Well, I’m going to be incognito. I’ve got a baseball cap. And sunglasses.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m just kidding,” I said. “I’m not going to go in a baseball cap and sunglasses. I am going to go, though, but Tara knows it. We’ve talked about it. I’m going to sit at a different table. I’ve met Michael before, but I highly doubt he’s going to recognize me. Not with my new hair, anyway.”
Graham gave me a skeptical look. “And where is all this private eye stuff going down?”
“Stacatto.”
“When are you going there?”
“I think she said she’s going to meet him at 6.”
“You girls should find a better way to spend your time. The guy sounds like an ass.”
“He is. Which is why I feel the need to go, to make sure he doesn’t try anything.”
The skeptical look turned into one of amusement. “Do you have secret kung fu skills you never told me about?”
“I might.”
“Just be careful. I know Tara’s all about making him jealous, but jealous people can do stupid shit, and you don’t want to get caught up in that, trust me.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Everything will be fine.”
He nodded and took another sip of his coffee, but I could tell that he was bothered by the whole thing.
*****
I wasn’t, though. And when 6 o’clock rolled around, I was ready.
I waited a few minutes, able to see them through the big, plate glass window. Michael looked the same as I remembered, which is to say stunningly handsome, but in a very icy sort of way. It was hard to describe, other than there was something about him that had always made me uneasy. Which was why I was here to begin with; not that I thought Tara couldn’t handle herself, but just in case.
I strolled in and went over to the counter and got a hot chocolate and a peanut butter cookie. There was an empty table in the corner, near where Tara and Michael were, so I sat there, with my back to them. There was enough chatter and background noise in the café that I could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, but not the whole thing. I kept my phone in front of me and periodically swiped at the screen, even though I wasn’t looking at anything.