Page 24 of Floodgates

“I’m talking about you and the walking, talking Ken doll.”

“He’s a doctor,” I said, feeling compelled to defend my ex. “He’s fucking brilliant.”

Matt tried again. “Guys.”

Eric made a jerking-off motion. “Yeah. A guy that fucks around on you is a goddamn genius.”

“One has nothing to do with the other,” I told Eric.

“And he’s not,” Matt chimed in gently, soothing me and then reaching out to put a hand gently on Eric’s cheek. “A genius. Not by a long shot, which is the real point.”

I was scowling; Eric had his arms crossed, glaring back.

“Let’s just drop it. I see the girls.”

I was going to argue with Eric some more—and he looked more than ready to keep going—but Matt told us both to shut up and plastered on a big smile as Courtney and her two best friends, April and Jennifer, crowded around us.

“Hey,” I greeted Courtney as she leaned in to hug me.

“Oh, honey, are you sure you should be out? Aren’t you hurt?”

I didn’t know the other two girls well enough to make a judgment yet, having only met them once before, but Courtney I truly liked. She was so good for Ira—his champion, the whole wind beneath his wings and all that. “I’m fine,” I promised her. “You remember Matt and Eric, don’t you?”

“Of course,” she cried happily, and I saw Matt thaw when she was so obviously delighted to see him again.

“So,” Matt said conspiratorially, playing it up with an evil smile, “how big of a drink did you need after going to meet Mrs. Kohn?”

Courtney choked. “Ohmygod, no, she was lovely. Really.”

Eric’s smile turned even more sinister. “You can dish, g’head.”

She was laughing and shaking her head. “No, you don’t even know. She was so nice to me. Ira had me so nervous, and it was nothing like he said it would be.”

“Ira can be a little… what,” Matt said thoughtfully, searching for the right word. “Overzealous in his descriptions?”

“Oh yes,” she assured us, giggling. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“Well, you’ll help him with that.”

Courtney threw her arm around Matt’s neck, which, I could tell, both surprised and pleased him. It was always fun to watch his cheeks flush when he was happy and see the shy smile, the real one, come out.

“Oh my,” Jennifer gasped.

“That was over a guy. I used to make that sound,” Matt said seriously, leaning close to Jennifer. “Who are we looking at?”

“Right there,” she answered, “in the red Henley. Jesus.”

“Where are you looking?”

“With the shoulders and the muscles and—damn.”

“Honey, what’s red to you?”

“Right there,” she squeaked out. “Okay, I’ll be right—Oh, never mind, here he comes.”

When we all finally saw who had captured her interest, Matt and I groaned loudly.

“No, no, no, that is not pretty,” Eric said dryly. “That’s related, as in brother.”