“Wait until I—” His reply was cut short by his phone ringing. He grabbed it, irritated at the interruption, but when he saw Ilana’s name, he quickly unlocked the screen. A request to FaceTime popped up, and in a second they were connected. Without a word, he hurried out of the store to stand on Rivington Street.
“Ilana? Are you okay?”
“Of course. I just realized we haven’t spoken in a while, and I wanted to say hi.”
Jude couldn’t keep the smile off his face at the sight of her obvious joy. “Hi. Having fun?” He leaned against a streetlight. He’d forgotten it had been two weeks since they’d last seen each other. How could that be, when she’d been the center of his world?
“So much. Paris was adream. And Monte Carlo is incredible. We went hiking on this trail Mason told us about. Tomorrow we’re off to Italy and the Amalfi Coast. I’m so excited.”
“You look happy.”
“I am. Incredibly so. I can’t believe I’m married to my best friend, and I love you so much for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Be happy. That’s all I want for you. All I’ve ever wanted.”
“Where are you? I hear cars and sirens.” She squinted, peering at the phone. “Are you outside?”
“Hi.” Mason popped up at his shoulder with candy fangs in his mouth, and when he peered at the phone screen, a smile lit up his face and he took them out. “Ilana. How the hell are you? Where’s my brother? Did you wear him out already?” He waggled his eyebrows, and Jude elbowed him.
“Shut up.”
Ilana giggled. “Mason? What’re you doing there? And what did you have in your mouth?”
Jude tensed. Would Mason with his no-fucks-given attitude reveal they were together? He wasn’t sure he was ready for that, at least not yet.
“Oh, Jude and I were working, and I guilted him into taking a break with me. Much as he wanted to spend the entire day cooped up in the office, I used my powers of persuasion to get him to come, and so we’re at Economy Candy. Look.” He pulled out a stick from a pack of candy cigarettes and hung it on the corner of his mouth. “How cool do I look?”
Ilana’s jaw dropped. “That’s…incredible, Mase. I’ve never been able to get him to take a day off. You’ll have to tell me your secret when I get home.”
“Will do.”
Mason walked his fingers along his back, and Jude wondered if he could kill the man and dump his body in the East River without anyone noticing.
Doug appeared at Ilana’s shoulder. “Jude and Mason? Together? Where are the cops?”
“I see marriage hasn’t improved your attempts at witty repartee,” Jude said dryly.
Ignoring him, Doug spoke directly to Mason. “Mase, Mom and Dad said you found an apartment and that it’s near The Company? We must be paying you too much if you can afford it.”
“Don’t kid yourself.” Jude snorted. “You can barely turn around without tripping over yourself.”
Ilana shot Doug a strange look. “You’ve seen Mason’s apartment?”
Damn. He couldn’t even blame Mason. Jude had gone and stuck his foot in his mouth all on his own.
“Uh, it’s close, so I figured why not take a look?” He hoped he could fake nonchalance across the ocean to fool his sister and best friend.
“Yeah, I forgot my laptop there, so we stopped by before coming here.” Mason’s breezy explanation was enough to fool anyone without a suspicious mind.
Doug slung an arm over Ilana’s shoulders. “You always did need picking up after. Glad to see some things never change. Now I’m going to take my bride for a late dinner and some gambling.Au revoir.”
“Don’t lose the farm, Dougie.” Mason bit the candy cigarette in two and crunched it.
Ilana waved at the screen. “Love you, Jude. I’ll let you know when we get to Italy.”
“Bye, honey. Love you too.” He gazed at the phone, dragging his finger against the now dark screen.
Mason stayed quiet for a moment and said, “You’re upset. What about? That they saw us together?”
