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“Uh, yeah, you too.”
“Were you coming to see John?”
“No, err, my parents, actually.” Can I please complete a sentence in front of this woman without tripping on my words? I point to the house behind me. “They live on the same street.”
Her eyes follow the direction and twinkle—dare I say a little maliciously? “Oh, right, you’re the girl next door. Well, don’t let me keep you, it’s been nice to meet you.”
She waves at me and proceeds up John’s driveway as if she owns the place.
Instead of going inside my parents’ house, I walk down the road where I flag another cab and head home instead. I write two texts during the ride. The first, excusing myself with my parents and saying I won’t make it to dinner and the other, to John, asking him what in the actual hell his ex-wife is doing in New York and why he didn’t tell me.
He never responds.
Instead, he drops by my house unannounced two hours later.
I go to answer the door ready for war, but his disarming smile as I let him in makes me lose some of my belligerent instincts.
Still, I go on the offensive. “What’s going on? Did you know she was in town?”
John removes his coat and hangs it in the entryway. “I was as surprised as you.”
“What did she want?”
“To tell me and Nora that she’s moving to New York to be closer to her.”
My jaw dangles open as I absorb the hit. Then I shake my head and start pacing the living room. “Aren’t actresses supposed to live in LA?”
“Yeah, but now that she’s moved up the call sheet, so to speak, she doesn’t need to go to every audition like she did before. She can live wherever she wants in her off time, and she’s chosen to come here to be with Nora.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Just Nora?”
John closes the distance between us and pulls me into a hug. “I told you, you have nothing to worry about on that front.”
I let his warmth seep into me for a little while before I pull back. “How would that even work? Are you re-opening the custody agreement?”
“No, I’m still going to retain full custody of Nora, but I won’t stand in the way of her spending time with her mother. They’re together now. But we haven’t ironed out all the details yet, and Sierra still hasn’t found a house…”
“A house? Is she looking here in Brooklyn?”
I’m the worst human being because I should be happy for Nora, but instead, all I can think about is how much I would loathe having to share a neighborhood with John’s ex-wife.
John shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s still very much a work in progress.”
“How long is she here for this time?”
“A few weeks.”
It already sounds like forever.
“Okay.” I grab my chin and pace again. “And how would your ex being in town factor in…” I whip a finger between us.
John raises his eyebrows. “Not at all.”
“I don’t know, John, when I met her earlier she didn’t seem…” I search for the right words. “Overly friendly.”
“Are you in the market for a new bestie?”
“No.”
