Page 78 of But For You

“So?”

“Pretty peas, Pa.”

“Please, not peas,” I corrected my daughter.

“Pees.” She started giggling. “Kola pees!”

“Pa! Hannah said I pee!”

“But you do pee. We all do.”

He thought for a second. “Oh yeah.”

“Fine,” I told Dylan, chuckling over my son. “Make sure the ring leader at the circus gives you top dollar.”

Her snort of laughter made me feel normal for the first time all day.

EIGHT

Iwas hiding out on the balcony with the others. “What? What did I say?”

Aubrey Jenner had her hand over her face because wine had come out of her nose when she laughed.

Dane had his head back, and he was counting so he would not crack a smile, even as he held on to the steel railing.

Rick Jenner was standing beside his wife, arms crossed, head down, shaking just enough so you knew that he was going to lose it at any second.

“Holy fuck,” Jude Coughlin, Dane’s oldest friend from back in their prep school days, swore as he walked into our circle. “We’re all gonna have to stay out here in order to breathe since there’s no air left in the entire goddamn apartment!”

Rick started snickering; his wife put her face down on my shoulder.

“Because he sucked it all out!” Jude went on. “Jesus!”

“What are you talking about?” I was indignant. “He has wing tips made out of seagull, for crissakes! That’s the important thing.”

“It’s seal,” Aubrey corrected me, obviously trying so hard not to succumb. “Right?”

Jude threw up his hands.

“Who makes boots out of seal?” I asked her dramatically. “My God, woman, don’t you know anything?”

“Stop,” Dane warned slowly because he, too, was just about to break down.

“I mean,” I went on, “so I like talking about myself. Is it my fault that I’m incredibly wealthy, educated, funny, urbane, and gorgeous? Why wouldn’t you want to talk about me? What else would you desire to discuss, peasant?”

He started smiling. “Peasant?”

“I have a ring you can kiss.”

Jude choked on a laugh.

“I have a house in the Hamptons, a penthouse near the Water Tower, and a Park Avenue residence. You’re just jealous. Perhaps if you spent more time managing your stock portfolio and less time masturbating, you would be rich too.”

That was it. Rick lost it. His head went back, and he howled. Aubrey was laughing so hard that she was barely able to breathe, Dane was chuckling and rubbing his eyes because they were watering, and Jude was clutching Dane’s shoulder as he joined Rick in raucous laughter.

“I will beat you all to death,” Aja announced as she came charging out onto the balcony.

“Not me,” Dane said. “You need me.”