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She disappeared into the back of the apartment, so Ryan used the time to make an escape. Maybe hanging out with Jolene wasn’t such a good idea after all. So far, every decision, from going back to work to leaving his apartment, had been a mistake. Then he thought of Betsy who he’d ignored all week.
On the way out to his car, he keyed in her number.
“I should have blocked you,” she cried.
“You should have, but I’m glad you didn’t. Do you want to go to Las Vegas with me this weekend?”
“You’re nuts,” she said. “I can’t talk. I’m at work.”
“Call me later.”
“I’m working this weekend.”
“Try to switch. I have to work during the day, but we can party at night.”
“Spur-of-the-moment plans never work for me. Go and have fun,” she said. “I’ve got to say goodbye.”
She ended the call. The ride to the office made Ryan a little crazy, reminding him of being in high school and knowing that after homeroom, he was going to skip the rest of the day. He called his secretary.
“What’s my agenda today?”
“Just going over the tape. You can do it remotely if you want to.”
“That’s great! I’ll do that,” he said. “I’m headed to Babylon, and I’ll call in from there.”
The sense of relief bordered on hysteria. The previous weekend, he hadn’t gotten to his apartment to empty it out. Laura’s treatise on his sexual activities on Sea View had given Jolene enough doubt that she’d said he’d better keep his apartment until the end of the month.
He got on the expressway, where most traffic was headed into the city, not out. He was going to have to give up his apartment that week anyway, so he might as well use it while he could. Or he could keep it and stop being a baby and just commute.
He keyed in Lisa’s number.
“I don’t think we talked this much when you lived here,” she said.
“I’m headed to my apartment. I can work remotely today, and I need it. What’s going on there?”
“The men finished the attic, so I’m furniture shopping and decorating.”
“Oh, wow. I’m embarrassed.”
“Ryan, don’t be. Don’t have regrets. Life is too short.”
“I’m going to commute.”
“What happened with Jolene?”
“She's all about taking it to the next level, but I'm good where we're at,” Ryan said.
“Well, that’s kind of a switch, isn’t it?”
“If she wanted to do a one-night stand, I’m all for that. But something tells me, since I’m living in her apartment, that would not happen. So, no.”
Lisa’s musical laugh rang out, making Ryan happy.
“Ryan, maybe there’s hope for you after all.”
“Maybe.” He laughed. “I’ll let you get back to your life. I guess the big kids are in school?”
“On the way. Andy’s taking them and bringing them home for a while. I guess they figured since I was the chauffer for the past three years, they’d step up.”
