About that time, Malone texted me. It was simply a pizza emoji along with the one for prayer hands.
“What are you thinking about with that grin on your face?” asked Havisham.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
Now that my client meetings were over, I’d taken my usual seat at the bar, so I knew no one was behind me. No one sat beside me, either, so I was confident I could tell Havisham in a soft voice, “If you must know, I’m close to getting my jollies with my hot neighbor.”
“Good for you, Stark! I have a bead on a playmate myself,” Havisham said. “Corner booth in the cowboy hat.”
I looked over. “A cowboy hat? Really. Is he into philanthropy and also a billionaire?”
Havisham waggled her eyebrows. “More into misanthropy. I like ’em bad.”
Eh, whatever. He looked like a poor woman’s George Clooney, which was to say Havisham could do a lot worse.
She bustled to the other side of the bar, and Salcedo slumped into the seat beside me.
“Hey, kid. What have you been up to?” I asked.
“Went on a quick vacay with the fam. What did I miss?”
“Well, I helped a woman leave six cricket noisemakers behind in the apartment she was being forced to vacate. Hilarity ensued.”
“Oh, I hate I missed that. Anything else?”
“I had a compass sent to a dude who said he was dumping his girlfriend because he needed to find himself.”
She giggled.
“What about you?” I turned my wineglass sideways. This Malbec wasn’t as good as the one Malone had brought me.
Probably because it was Malone who’d brought it.
“The whole vacation thing was a bait and switch. They’re moving to New Jersey, so we spent some time at Cape May and the rest of the time looking at houses.”
“I gather from your scowl that you weren’t a fan of that idea.”
“No. But they want me to move up there with them.”
“Do you want to move to New Jersey?”
“No.”
“Then don’t,” I said with a shrug.
Her mouth fell open with shock. Such an idea had never occurred to her. After a few seconds of analysis, she sighed and said with resignation, “You’re obviously not my mother’s daughter.”
“True.” It was on the tip of my tongue to say something sarcastic about how it must’ve been nice to have a mother who wanted you around, but I didn’t.
Personal growth? Maybe.
Oblivious to the huge strides I’d just made, Salcedo said, “I know she was only sixteen when she had me, but I think it’s pretty unhealthy how close she wants to keep me.”
Havisham slid a cider in front of her. “What’s going on down here?”
“Salcedo’s mom wants her to move with the family to New Jersey.”
