Red-faced, Austin shrugged. “I’m only looking out for my friend. Cort understands.”
“And I told you before, I know what I’m doin’ and why Harlan did what he did.”
“You do?” It hurt to speak. All heads turned to me, but I focused only on Cort. “What do you think you know?” I licked my dry lips.
He swiftly crossed the room and dropped to his knees beside me. “I saw the newspaper article with those pictures. Those were your parents, right?”
Shit.Fuck. Looking into Cort’s blue eyes, I couldn’t lie, no matter how much I wanted to.
“Yeah. The esteemed Roddy and Tish DeWitt. Darlings of the social set.”
“Why?”
My laughter rang out bitter. “Why?How much time do you have?”
“Harlan.” James’s voice cut through all the noise in my head. “You need help. More than Cort can give. I have a proposal for you.”
“Uh-oh. When James says that, what he really means is,This is what you’re gonna do.” The man who came in with Austin laughed, and even Austin’s face softened.
“You got that right, Frankie. I didn’t forget.”
“Are you two finished with your comedy routine? If so, I’ll continue.” James approached and sat on the arm of the sofa. “Like I said, you need help. I’m willing to send you to a thirty-day inpatient rehab up in Westchester. I’ll foot the cost, but you can’t work at Man Up any longer. You shouldn’t be in an environment that runs on selling alcohol.”
“I don’t get it. Why?”
“I don’t believe in tossing people out who have trouble finding where they fit in society. What’s the saying? One man’s trash is another’s treasure?” His gaze shifted to Cort, who sat on his heels, looking as stunned as I felt, then back to me. “Not that you’re trash, but you understand the analogy, I’m sure. Besides, it’s not so much for you as it is for Cort. He’s one of the most levelheaded and purely good people I’ve ever met. He’s seen something worthy in you. So say the word, and I’ll place the call right now and you’ll go tonight. I’ll give you a chance to think about it.” James retreated to the kitchen, where Cort’s two friends waited.
Cort helped me as I struggled to sit up, still weak and a bit disoriented. He kept his arm around me, and I liked it there. It felt real. Necessary.
“You’re gonna do it, right? I ain’t gonna let you turn this down.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“You say yes. Go away and fix yourself up. You’re a little bit bent but not broken. You’re strong. And then you come back. Here. To me.”
That fierceness was part of what made Cort so desirable, and I nodded in agreement. “Okay. But I owe you an explanation as to why I left. Will you make the trip up there with me?” Cort said I was strong, but that was only because from the time I was eighteen I’d drowned myself in alcohol, pills, or anything else that could dull my bleak reality. “I’m a little bit…oh, fuck it. I’m scared shitless.”
His arm tightened around me. “’Course I’ll come with you.”
James watched us from the kitchen, Cort’s friends at his side, speaking quietly between themselves.
“Okay,” I called over to him. “I’ll do it.”
“And once you arrange it, I’m goin’ up there with him to make sure he gets settled in proper.”
“I had no doubt. Let me make the call.”
While James spoke on the phone, Cort’s friends introduced themselves. Then Austin remained silent, letting Frankie do all the talking.
“Just ’cause Austin said it first don’t mean I’m not in his corner. It ain’t that we don’t want you to get well, but we gotta look out for Cort.”
It must be nice to have friends who loved unconditionally. I couldn’t even get Toby to answer my phone calls.
“Okay. It’s all arranged.” James joined the group around me, and I began to shiver, but whether from fear or the drugs wearing off, I didn’t know. “A car will take you up to White Plains and then bring you home, Cort.”
“Thank you. I know it’s inadequate, but right now, it’s all I have to offer.”
“It’s enough.”
