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‘Wow,’ Doriclose ‘Your friend has lots of friends’

John doesn’t have friends as much as he has a network of useful acquaintances, and those acquaintances are all not-so-slyly eyeballing us the in to h the crowd I follow the sound of John’s laughter over theDori’s hand clamped to mine like our palms are permanently bonded

‘Reid – hey, dude Where’s –? Oh, there she is,’ he s her behind uest ofthe ht of her life – if not the only inebriated night of her life She srip on my hand doesn’t loosen I bend that arm behind her back so I can pull her closer She ht, she feels small tucked to my side

‘Hey, John Lots of people here,’ I say pointedly We’d agreed on twenty or so, and there’s easily two or three ti on to the balcony

He shrugs and grins ‘What can I say? I’ne flutes from the bar’s countertop, he hands them to us ‘Welcome, Dori I hear you’ve lass while Dori shakes her head infinitesi her frolass into her hand ‘Just hold it You can sip it Or not’ His hand at her lower back, he says over his shoulder, ‘I’ll return her in a bit, dude Maybe’ His broaggle and I glare at hiat the first huddle of people, he asks, ‘Claude and Nichole – have you rad, way too s for her to wise up so I can swoop in’

Eyebrows rise, eyes widen, and a couple ofwith the repetition of the word girlfriend and speculations of Who is she? John is strategically blocking Dori’s view of a couple of girls whose eyes run over her, one whispering to the other, their joint scorn palpable I’m pretty sure I’ve slept with at least one of theh, s actors, each patiently awaiting a turn in the spotlight, and it’s standard John to keep his eye on up-and-comers like that Just as he did with me

‘Oh! Dori? So nice tothat glass of chaot her opposite arm tucked into the crook of his elbow

‘I didn’t know Reid had a girlfriend,’ Claude says, addressing her with curiosity ‘This is recent?’

‘Not only recent, but virtually unprecedented,’ John answers, proud to be the one to divulge this newsflash As he escorts her to the next group, she throws an alance over her shoulder, and I’

6

BROOKE

Kathryn offered to drive in and pick ht, and I have a don appointment at 9:00 am There’s no reason to trek out to the sticks just to turn around in a few hours and coht back, in rush-hour traffic, no less I set up car service and a hotel with an open-ended checkout instead – soer would nor LA, let alone the reason why They’d freak out and blow up o

What’s that thing they say about apologizing later instead of asking permission now? That could be the official Brooke Ca first class is that I’m first on and first off – which ers That’s a luxury I’ht, nize hiendary lead-les nizes uht attendant over whether or not he can be served alcohol (‘But this is first class!’ he whines, as if she isn’t aware of that), and my short perusal leads to the conclusion that he can’t be a day over sixteen

I slip nore hiae

By the time we land, all the airport shops are closed and the linked seating outside every gate is e thein the n under a colourful collection of guitar art declares my hometown the ‘Music Capital of the World’ Pieces of this collection stand watch over ee carousels, all but one of the, so I don’t have to stop I’e, nearly unpopulated place, and ory video gahtail it through the nearly deserted airport to the appointed exit, where a car waits at the kerb to transport me into the city I used to knoell I’ve only been back three tiive birth to River, the second to fil the filed since I lived here, whether elcoht be able to retrace o back and choose an alternate path Far too late for that