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She nodded, rather hoping that their little talk was over. ‘Thanks,’ she said, and stupidly went to stand.
To see him out.
To say goodbye.
But he took he wrist and pulled her back down onto the couch. ‘Why were you crying?’
‘I already told you,’ she said, and pulled back her arm.
‘No...’ He dismissed her excuse. ‘I think it was a bit more than Bernard and Barb, and you’ve made it very clear your tears have nothing to do with me. So why were you crying?’
‘Why do you care?’
‘I’m not sure,’ he admitted. ‘But I do.’
And so she answered in part. ‘Because I’ll never be on Broadway.’
‘Not you as well,’ he groaned. ‘I thought that was Merida’s beef.’
‘No.’ Even in the midst of her tears he still made her smile. ‘It’s more that I could never be. The only real talent that I’ve got is putting babies to sleep.’
‘There are an awful lot of new mothers who would kill for your skills, although, for what it’s worth, I think there’s an awful lot more to you than that.’
‘There really isn’t.’
‘How about that you go into people’s homes at presumably a tumultuous time and make everyone’s lives that much better? You certainly have here.’
‘Thank you.’ She didn’t know what to say now. ‘I think I’m just tired.’
‘Of course you are,’ Abe said. ‘Getting up to other people’s babies every damn night.’
‘It’s my job to do so, and I happen to love my work, though it has been a busy year,’ Naomi admitted. ‘I took on an extra client in the summer when I should have taken time off, but it was her second child and I’d been there for the first. And then there were twins before Ava, but the mother delivered early. I just haven’t had a break. I’m sure that I’ll be fine in a few weeks. I’m taking a decent slice of time off after this,’ Naomi said.
‘How long?’
‘I actually haven’t lined up another job. Deliberately.’ She had told no one her plans. In fact, ‘plans’ sounded a rather too grand a word for the tentative ideas that had been taking shape, but he was such bliss to speak to. He just topped up her glass and it felt as if he stopped the clocks too, for time ceased to matter when Abe was around. ‘I think it’s time to find somewhere more permanent to live. And, when I do, maybe work more locally...’ She shook her head. ‘I’m not sure. I just want...’ She didn’t finish or she’d start crying again, but both knew she just wanted a home. ‘I don’t know where to start looking, though,’ Naomi admitted. ‘I’ve lived in so many places.’
‘You’ll know it when you see it,’ Abe said. ‘I had an apartment, not far from here. In fact...’ He hesitated. It was actually the apartment Candice was in now, but they had never lived there together and it truly wasn’t relevant here. ‘I still have it, it’s on Madison.’
‘Nice,’ Merida said.
‘Perhaps, but it also happens to be ten minutes from my father’s and about five minutes from work...’ He didn’t know how best to explain how confined he’d felt by the exclusive address and the old money vibe of the Upper East Side. ‘I just wanted away. I came across this old brownstone in Greenwich Village and I knew straight away that it was where I wanted to live, though when Jobe got wind of it you’d have thought I was moving out to the slums.’
Naomi laughed.
‘I just needed a space that wasn’t linked to the Devereux name. And a place that was mine. It’s more laid back compared to here,’ he explained. ‘Jobe said I was buying a pile of trouble and admittedly the renovations took a while...’
‘You did them?’
‘Hell, no, but when I walk in that door I know I’m home. You need that.’
She nodded.
And they weren’t talking about fancy addresses, there was no need to clarify that.
‘I go to buy something,’ Naomi said, ‘and I have to think if it will fit in my case, or if I’ll have to put it in storage.’
‘No more,’ he said, and she nodded, relieved to have voiced it, and relieved that she had finally voiced her other thoughts.
