I almost got a smile out of him, and I thought I could see him trying to ask himself if that was really possible.
“But you’ll have time to think of all that later,” I said, resting my face near his neck. “The important thing right now is for you to do whatyouwant.”
He grinned malevolently and said, “I’ll get to work on that.” I screeched as he lowered his head into my chest, reached under my shirt, and started reaching upward, tickling me. Just as he touched my breasts, I heard the door open.
“Guys, the neighbor came down, and…oh. Sorry.”
Mike was standing there on the threshold, gawking.
“Has no one ever taught you to knock on the damn door?” Jack asked. “What do you want now?”
Mike seemed to need a second to remember why he was there. “The neighbor’s at the door. The nasty one. He’s bitching about the noise again. I didn’t know what to tell him. I usually sic Sue on him, but she’s out.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as Jack cursed and got out of bed, walking past Mike, who—thank God—didn’t make his usual dumb, pervy comment about how he could step in while Jack was busy. Instead, he just walked off to the living room, looking lonely.
18
Families and Shots
I was in the bedroom painting, or really just playing with my brushes. I dipped them in different colors, laid down a few strokes, cleaned them off, switched them out, and never managed to even make an outline for a proper picture. I felt I could sit on the edge of the bed staring at the canvas all day and never find any inspiration.
“You’re really going?” I asked. It sounded pathetic.
“Yup,” Jack said unenthusiastically, taking clothing from his dresser and stuffing it in a travel bag.
“Till when?”
“Till Friday, I think. Can you live without me for three days, Michelle?”
I growled at him. “I get that film festivals are important, but isn’t it a little ridiculous, telling you one day before you’re supposed to be there that you’re invited?”
“It is what it is. If it makes you feel better, I’m not pleased with it, either.”
I stared at the brushes sitting there in front of me. I knew why I hadn’t been able to get anything done: I was used to having him there all the time, and I was missing him already. But he had things to do, and I knew that the film promotion was important. And three days wasn’t that long, even if it was hard to deal with, him leaving so abruptly.
You could hide his passport, I told myself.
“I’ll keep you up to date on the goings-on around here,” I said, standing up and carefully folding the clothes he’d tossed to the floor before layering them in his suitcase.
“I’ll do that!” Jack said. “I’m still trying to decide what I’m taking.”
“Be honest with me,” I said. “We both know you’re making a mess because you know I won’t be able to stand it, and I’ll be incapable of stopping myself from cleaning it up.”
He batted his eyes at me innocently, and I put down the socks I was in the process of rolling. “I changed my mind. You do it yourself.”
“I think I love you a little less,” he called after me as I walked into the hallway on the way to the living room.
“Liar,” I answered him over my shoulder.
“OK,” he said, “I am lying. But if you see a photo of me and you don’t like my outfit, you can blame yourself.”
Naya was on the couch reading one of her baby books. Mike was watching TV. Will was pacing in the kitchen, and Sue was in the shower. I dared to sit in her chair, since it was close to Mike’s, and he’d been acting so glum lately. He didn’t even look at me. He just went on flipping through the channels.
“Nothing good on today?” I asked.
“Nope.”
But he stopped hitting the button when he found a show about people who tried to fix their terrible tattoos. He turned up the volume loud.
