She looked at me. “Did you want to go out later? To eat?”
I wanted to ask if we stayed in, did that mean we could lose Frank, but I thought better. “What’s easiest for you? Staying in?”
“We can order food? Light the fire table on the patio? Or go out. Frank can make a reservation.”
“Let’s stay here. Takeout sounds perfect.” I approached Billy, seeing if Frank would notice, and he did.
As I pulled her into my arm and she rested in the nook, whispering, “Perfect,” he lifted an eyebrow.
“Okay, kiddos. You know the rules. Let me know if you go anywhere. Otherwise I’m going home.”
“You should have a drink and put your feet up. We’re not going anywhere. Petey can bring the food up when it arrives. Maybe we’ll get Cecconi’s?” Billy had changed focus and was now looking up at me, her neck crooked.
I gave her side a small squeeze. “If you like it, it’s good with me.”
Frank didn’t say anything more, only saluted and walked toward the condo’s foyer.
“Okay, Miss Billy. I’ll pop the pup back in his digs when I head back up and see you in the morning. Regular time?”
Billy nodded. It was a Tuesday, so I didn’t expect her to be free all day…
“We have a read-through, but I convinced Ford to start at ten, so you can handle some of the household stuff when you come in and I’ll eat a bit later?”
I was trying to keep up with all the nuances of Billy’s life, but it felt a bit like a different planet to me.
Glory dragged me out of my fog. “Bye, Doctor. I mean Cal.”
“See you tomorrow. Great meeting you,” I said, smiling.
The tiny housekeeper who appeared to handle Billy’s world with ease skittered out while Billy slipped from my embrace and started toward the open kitchen.
She took out a bottle of Pellegrino and poured herself a glass. “Want some?”
I nodded but grabbed a glass on my own and snagged the bottle before she could pour for me.
“I can take care of you a little bit.” She rounded the marble island. “Finally, alone…I never get to take care of anyone, so let me fuss. You see how everyone flits around me,” she said, looking up at me, all blue-eyed and beautiful.
“I wouldn’t mind flitting around you either.”
“Come on, Doctor, let me show you the patio.” She set her water down and slid the door open.
The sky, now fading to purple, was laid out in front of us. With the delicate furnishings of Billy’s all around us, it was perfect. “No one bothers you up here?”
She walked toward the edge. “No, I’m at the very top, and the pool is on the other side, one floor below. Petey and the other doorman, Gage, are great. They pretend I don’t live here if anyone asks. And truthfully, my neighbors are cool. If they ever want an autograph for a relative or tickets, they ask and I take care of it. They let me be.”
“They have your phone number too? Now I’m not feeling so lucky,” I partly joked.
She laughed. “No, they usually ask Gage to ask Frank. It’s not a big deal. If we see each other in the lobby, we chat, say hello, or whatever neighbors do. I’m a regular person, you know?”
There she went again with being regular, and I let her do it…
“Truthfully, it was a bigger deal the one time my dad visited. Mom turned it into a major ordeal with the FBI, and a whole security team fell on the building.”
“Your mom does like a big production.”
“She does.”
I was standing behind Billy, my hand wrapped around her hip bone, staring at the horizon when she turned in my arm.
