“As long as it’s not another earthquake,” she started to say, following him out of the garage and onto the driveway. Where, most definitely, they now both heard a crashing sound coming from inside Peter’s house.
“What the fuck?” he said. “Maddie?Maddie!”
He charged toward his kitchen door, with Shayla right behind him.
Izzy was on the phone with Eden when Lindsey Jenkins called.
His amazing, beautiful, incredible wife was telling him all about Ben’s tour of Boston College, which the kid apparentlyloved. “Bonus is it’s not that far from Jenn’s brother—the one who lives in Needham.”
“That’s great, sweetheart,” he said, glancing at his phone as Lindsey gave up. “I just…”
“You just want him to go to UCLA,” she finished for him. “So he won’t be far away from home. That’s definitely still in the running. But seeing all of these other schools is important.”
“I know,” he said as Lindsey’s name popped up again on his screen. “Fuck, Eed, Lindsey’s calling me—that’s twice in a row.”
“Take it, take it!” Eden rarely used exclamation points. “Izzy, come on! What if she’s having the baby and needs you? Go! Go!”
“Right! Shit! Love you!” He switched over. “Yo, Linds! You giving birth on the freeway, or what?”
“Yeah, that’s the super-fun part of being ten months pregnant,” she said dryly. “Every time I call anyone, the assumption is I’m popping out a baby in the middle of some arroyo.”
“I believe I saidfreeway.”
“Or whatmeans arroyo, and you know it,” she countered. “And no. Mark’s ridiculously large spawn isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Famous last words,” Izzy warned her.
“Yes,” she said. “I know. I am absolutely and intentionally tempting fate. Please, sweet God, create some crazy hijinks by sending me into immediate labor.” She paused, waiting, but then sighed heavily. “No, apparently it’s not going to happen yet.”
“Well, since you don’t need me to deliver the baby,” Izzy said, “how else can I help you?”
“You wouldn’t happen to be over at Grunge’s right now, are you?”
“I am not,” Izzy said. “Why?”
“I’ve tried calling him, and he’s not picking up.”
“Aha!” Izzy said.
“Aha?”
“Proof that he’s gettin’ it on with the pretty neighbor lady.” Izzy was delighted. “What else would he be doing at eleven hundred in the morning?” As he said the words he realized that 11A.M.was probably theleastlikely time for the LT to be doing the dance of love with his new “friend” Shayla.
“I could think of about a dozen different things.” Lindsey further shot him down. “He could be in the shower, or maybe his phone got set to silent and he doesn’t know it…?”
“La la la,” Izzy said loudly over her. “I prefer to live in a super-happy world where all of my friends get laid regularly. Hey, can I ask you something?”
“With that lead-in, I’m not sure.”
“Different subject. Way less happy,” Izzy said. “Does Eden ever talk to you about…losing the baby?” Lindsey, too, had had a relatively late pregnancy miscarriage. It made sense that she and Eden might’ve discussed it, having the tragedy of that loss in common.
“Yeah,” Lindsey said. “We talk all the time. I still get scared, like if I don’t feel the baby move, and I know Eden gets that in a way that most other people just can’t. Everyone else tells me to relax or lighten up or take advantage of the fact that the baby’s sleeping instead of doing his/her usual gymnastics, and that’s maddening. But I know if I call Eden, she’ll drop everything and just come sit with me—or even take me to the ER, if I get too freaked out. And likewise, she knows I’ve got Pinkie’s birth-and-death-day permanently blocked off on my calendar. You know, in case you’re wheels up with the Team.”
As Izzy drew in a deep and shaky breath, he realized he’d stopped breathing as she’d told him that, and yeah, now he had tears in his eyes, too.
“Thanks,” he whispered. “And you know I’m here, too, while Eed’s out of town.”
“I do know that,” she said. “Oh, my God, these hormones! Please forgive me if I start to sob.”
