Death Before Facebook

the encounter—but still, it didn’t feel good.
    Tricia came by again. “Sorry. It’s a madhouse in here. In about an hour it’ll let up, probably.”
    “I think I better go. Can I have your phone number?”
    “Sure. Would you mind getting it from Darryl? I don’t even have time to find a pen.” She was off before Skip had time to answer. Skip felt oddly snubbed.
    “Darryl, I think I better go.”
    He turned away from the blonde. “Awww. You just got here.”
    “Yeah, but it’s not my kind of place.”
    “Hey, I’ll walk you to your car.” He signaled the other bartender. “Roy! Mind if I take five?”
    Roy slammed down two beers, nodding as he did so, not even looking Darryl’s way. Darryl turned to Gigi: “Back in a flash.”
    Skip said, “You don’t have to. I’m fine.”
    “Of course you’re fine. I know you’re packing heat in that.” He touched her purse. Gigi’s blue eyes got big.
    He leaned over and whispered. “I just want to see you a minute.” His breath was hot on Skip’s neck.
    As soon as they were outside, he took her hand. “I just want you to know how much I appreciate your coming down here.”
    “You do? Really?”
    “You don’t know what purgatory that place is.”
    “Then why do you do it?”
    “I told you—the money.”
    “You really need it that bad?”
    “Skip, I’ve got a kid.”
    “You said you didn’t!”
    “Uh-uh. I hedged. I don’t usually tell people until I get to know them a little.”
    “Well, I see the point of that.” She paused, taking it in. “You were married?”
    “Nothing resembling it. I was in high school.” He gave her a look at his dental wonderland. “The Boucrees nearly shat. I think it’s the real reason they sent me off to New Haven. For years and years, I didn’t even think about it. Then out of the clear blue, Kimmie looked me up, brought over the kid.
    “She’d just gotten divorced. She was trying to get through beauty school, and there I was with an Ivy League education I wasn’t even using. Talk about feeling shitty.” He let her hand go and spread his palms. “So I had to do something. She gets all the Monkey Bar money.”
    The man’s a saint.
    No, wait—only the devil could be so handsome. Therefore he’s lying.
    But she couldn’t convince herself. She said the first thing that popped into her head: “Darryl Boucree, you are one nice dude.”
    They’d gotten to her car.
    He kissed her, pushing her up against it. It wasn’t a long kiss, or a particularly serious kiss, but it enabled her to feel his chest and take in his scent. “Good night,” he said, and though she had a hand on the back of his neck, he pulled away and went back.
    She thought it strange that he hadn’t waited till she was in the car, but if the kiss had affected him as it had her, it was just as well. She realized she was shaking a little.
    Oh, shit,
she thought as she released her emergency brake,
I am really attracted to this man.
    He’s got a kid, has he?
    Is there no end to his little stories of helping out the human race? He’s got to be lying. Cindy Lou’s right—he’s way too good to be true.
    But once again she couldn’t convince herself. She floated into her house and flung herself on the bed, engrossed in fantasies run amok.
    She was imagining the child she was going to have with him, a little girl, half black, half white, with long, long legs and a probable career as a movie star, when Steve called.
    “Skip. I’m so glad I got you.”
    “Oh. Steve.”
    “Is this a bad time?”
    Why should it be?
she thought. She was in a great mood. “It’s fine.”
    “Are you still mad at me?”
    “A phrase I’ve always hated, Steve Steinman—as if it’s my fault. Oh, sure, just give her a little time, she’ll be all right. You just don’t get it, do you?”
    “A phrase
I’ve
always hated. It kind of leaves you without an answer.”
    I could try to explain to him what’s wrong, but what would be the point? He really doesn’t get it. He’s not coming here and so there’s no point arguing.
    “Look, you’re not coming and that’s the end of it. Let’s not prolong this; it didn’t work out. Good-bye.”
    “Good-bye?” He sounded utterly bewildered. “What about all our plans? I thought we were committed to each other.”
    An icy calm had come over her. Now that she was actually talking to him, telling him how she felt, she could feel nothing, was all detached observer. “You keep stealing my lines,” she