Page 44 of The Irresistible Distraction

BRODY: I should not have pushed on why Sebastian and I could not have an extra game of chess.

Another minute passes as I purse my lips and stare at my now ominously silent phone.

ME: Brody?

BRODY: Sophie?

ME: Now?

BRODY: Oh, I’d love to have our second date now, but—now that Vera’s given me multitudinous warnings about dating a single mother—I do think we ought to chat with Sebastian first, to be clear about my quite serious intentions.

ME: That’s not what I meant.

BRODY: We could stay quiet, of course, though you are a rather expressive lover, which I appreciate. It helps establish a healthy feedback loop.

BRODY: But if you’re okay with my aunt knowing . . .

BRODY: I’ll take your silence as not yet okay with Vera knowing.

BRODY: I could do Saturday? Since you don’t have to be up early Sunday?

ME: Please tell me what Vera said, now.

BRODY: Saturday?

ME: Saturday. Vera?

BRODY: She said she’d cut off my balls and feed one to Spock and another to Kirk if I hurt you. Which was, and I do not exaggerate here, the most graphic thing my aunt’s ever said. Something about you inspires your friends to be fiercely, violently devoted to you.

BRODY: Makes me want the Real Sophie all the more.

BRODY: Thank you for not turning off read receipts.

13

HOLY FANTASTICAL FUDGE

Though I text Jesse to let him know that yes, I’d be happy for us to find time to chat, as is not unusual with my ex, now that I’ve given in, he half ghosts me. He tells me the move is keeping him busy and cancels what would have been a potential overnight with Seba (by telling me, and asking me to tell Sebastian how sorry he is, to cancel).

Debriefing all of this becomes the last conversation I have with Vera before Brody drives her to LAX.

“Ignore Jesse,” she advises.

“Hard to ignore the forever co-parent of my only child. And even though I don’t mean to complain, it does feel sometimes like I never know where I am with him.”

“Despite his theoretically successful career, Jesse has been . . . trying to find himself, for a while now.”

It’s a completely fair statement and something Vera and I have spoken about frequently. But given the way Vera looks at Brody, and the way she looks at me and Brody together . . . “You don’t think Brody is also . . . in that little-boy-trying-to-grow-up phase?”

“Every man is at least ten percent little boy. The difference is Jesse has had over a decade to commit, fully and wholly, to you, whereas—and yes, I understand I am of course biased toward the one I’m related to—Brody has known you for a hot minute and he’s already all in.”

My cheeks flame as I think about how far Brody and I have gone in that hot minute, but all I say is, “I’m a vacation fling.”

“No.” Vera’s one-word answer and the assurance with which she says it is somehow more compelling than if she had given me a list of reasons.

We continue standing there, watching as Sebastian and Brody finish one last chess game before Brody drives Vera to LAX. I swallow and try again. “You speak as though it’s a race and you’re picking a winner. In reality, Jesse is likely engaged and having trouble working up the courage to tell me, while Brody and I are passing ships.”

Vera tilts her head at me but doesn’t say anything, her eyes still on the boys, her voice too low to be overheard. “You know your English teachers would swoon at that level of mixing metaphors, right? But more concretely, if Jesse was engaged to a doctor . . . you told me his girlfriend’s a doctor, right?”