Nora Goes Off Script(13)

“Good to see you,” I say, grabbing Leo’s arm and walking toward the deli.

“What’s wrong with that woman? And who’s Ben?”

“Ben’s Trevor. And I don’t talk about him in the supermarket.”

“So it’s a true story?” he asks. “You’re Ruth?”

“It’s mostly true, and I’m mostly Ruth.”

“Badass,” Leo says, nodding his approval.

I’m studying the chicken options. A whole chicken is $3.99 a pound, a whole chicken cut up is $4.25 a pound, and boneless breasts are $3.75 a pound. I swear sometimes the poultry section at the Stop n’ Save feels like the New York Stock Exchange, where prices move randomly and only the most savvy come out on top. I confess that I am a genius at buying chicken.

“Did you have a stroke or something?” Leo is watching me watch the chicken.

“No, just calculating. I think we’ll take these, so we’re not paying for the bones.” I grab two packages of boneless breasts.

Leo grabs a package of ground turkey. “Do you need this for your gross meatloaf?”

“Not on a Friday. Ground turkey goes on sale on Sundays. Almost always.”

“Huh,” he says. “When do we buy steaks?”

“Around Christmas.”



* * *



? ? ?

    Leo doesn’t seem to have a lot of experience with bringing groceries in from the car, but he manages to fake it and carry a few bags up the porch stairs. There’s a black Louis Vuitton rolling suitcase by the front door, along with a large white paper bag.

“What’s all this?”

“Oh, I had Weezie send me some stuff from my place. And she picked up lunch from Louise’s. You like lobster bisque?”

“I don’t usually eat lunch. Why don’t I get this stuff put away and maybe you can go eat in the tea house?”

“Sick of me already?”

“A little,” I say. He gives me a playful salute and lugs his stuff out the back door.

I text Kate. I text Penny. I eventually receive a satisfying amount of shock and awe. Leo Vance is staying the week.





CHAPTER 4





I know everyone knows about Leo the second I get out of my car. Moms in lipstick and brushed hair greet me with disappointment. Kate’s the first to ask, “Where the heck is he? And I didn’t tell anybody, just so you know.”

“We saw Anita Wallingford at the Stop n’ Save, so that news is on the fast track. In a fun twist, she’s super hurt because Ben left me.”

“That sounds about right. Wait ‘we’?” We make our way onto the playground, a safe distance from where the doors will soon open and our kids will spill out.

“Yeah, he wanted to come with me. If I hadn’t snuck out, he’d probably be here too. I think he’s having some kind of a crisis where he wants to pretend to be a regular person for a while. The price of bananas really rocked his world.”

“They are oddly cheap.”

“They are.”

“So, where is he?”

“He’s in the tea house. He brought his lunch in there—lobster bisque delivered from Manhattan no less—and that was two and a half hours ago.”

“I just can’t freakin’ believe it,” she says for the hundredth time. Our boys come out first, drop their backpacks at our feet, and run to the basketball court. Bernadette and Cooper, Kate’s younger son, come out a few minutes later and head straight to us.

“Is it true that Leo Vance spent the night on your porch?” Cooper wants to know.

“It is.”

“See?” Bernadette makes a face at him.

“And he’s going to stay for another week.” I hear myself say it and for the first time realize that my kids might be uncomfortable with this. Having him around might amplify their feelings about Ben leaving. And jeez, how do I even know he’s not a pervert? “If that’s okay with you guys,” I add.

Bernadette jumps into my arms. “Oh, Mommy, this is going to be the awesomest week ever. A sleepover with a movie star.” Once the hug is spent, she turns to Cooper, makes a face, and declares that we need to get home.

When we’re all in the car, I try to explain. Yes, he has another place to live. No, he’s not having a nervous breakdown. Maybe he just wants a little quiet and privacy. Maybe he wants to try meatloaf. Bernadette punctuates each of my sentences with an “ohmigod.” Arthur is silent. He’s silent as we pull into the garage, and as he starts unloading his backpack in the kitchen.

I bite. “Honey, is this okay with you? Are you upset I told Leo he could stay?”

“It’s just weird, Mom. He’s not even . . . Forget it. It’s fine.”

“It might be kind of fun,” I say. “And it’s just a week.”

“It’s fine.” This is all I’m going to get out of Arthur.

Around five o’clock Leo knocks on the sunroom door. Bernadette races over to invite him in. “Hi! What have you been doing out there?” she wants to know.

“I ate some soup and read a little and fell asleep. Perfect afternoon. Am I invited for dinner? I was thinking about trying your weird food.” He makes a face and Bernadette gives it right back to him.