Shiloh held her left hand to her mouth and spat.
“Wrong hand,” Cary said.
She groaned, still wriggling, and spat in her right hand.
Mikey grabbed her hand and shook it. It was wet. Shiloh stuck out her tongue and literally gagged.
Mikey pulled his hand away. Cary was looking at Shiloh, his expression flat.
“Complete the ritual,” Mikey said.
Cary raised an eyebrow.
She held out her hand, still grimacing. Cary looked in her eyes. He took her hand and squeezed it.
“That’sit!” Mikey shouted. “We’re inleague. You suckers are never getting rid of me. I am going to burden you with so many dangerous secrets.”
Shiloh wiped her left hand on her leg.
“Don’t wipe it off!” Mikey said.
“That was my wrong hand.”
“You’ve got to let it dry for the pledge to set. Blood brothers for life.”
“Spitbrothers,” Shiloh said.
Twenty-Nine
“Ryan came to the show last night,” Tom said. “Did he tell you?”
“Tothisshow?”
“None other.”
Shiloh was obligated to see all of the theater’s main-stage productions at least once. She always came with Tom, her second-in-command in the education department and her best friend during work hours. (Which made him her best friend generally speaking, too.)
Shiloh usually brought her kids to the shows, and Tom would bring his partner, Daniel, who worked in marketing at a huge furniture store.
The five of them were sitting in the back row of the theater tonight. Shiloh and Tom were sitting next to each other. The kids were sitting on either side of Daniel because he had jelly beans.
“Why would Ryan come toJacob Climbs the Food Pyramid?” Shiloh asked. The play was an educational project funded by the Department of Agriculture. They’d brought in professional adult actors, but still... it wasn’t the theater’s artiest art.
Tom made a sad face. He had red hair and clear-framed glasses and an MFA in directing from Northwestern. His sad faces were always a little over-the-top. “I heard he’s dating one of the actresses.”
“Ah,” Shiloh said.
“Do you want to leave?” Tom picked up his coat. “Let’s leave. We’ll say somebody got sick—Daniel can make himself puke just by thinking about scrambled eggs.”
“No,” Shiloh said. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Tom made an even sadder face. He’d held Shiloh together with duct tape and baling wire during her divorce (which wasnota part of his job description). He knew how not-fine she could be regarding Ryan. “Are you sure?”
“I don’t mind puking to get out of children’s theater,” Daniel said amiably, handing Gus a jelly bean. “I’ve done it before.” Daniel was Chinese-American. He had a very expensive haircut and always wore beautiful paisley neckties. Shiloh liked him enormously.
“Honestly,” she said. “I’m fine.”
Tom frowned. “Do you want me to tell you which actress?”
