Jeff wrapped his arms around her again. She felt safe, like everything would be okay. “Don’t worry about this show,” he said. “We’ll just explain that we never had feelings for each other until… after. It’ll be fine. People will understand.”
It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to explain the timing of their relationship. Her parents. Their friends. The familiar story they told was that their feelings developed after Amanda disappeared. It wasn’t the truth in my case, she thought. I was desperately in love with Jeff. But there was no reason anyone ever needed to know that.
Meghan could lie just as well as her old friend Amanda.
22
When they left Jeff’s apartment, they went directly to the Gotham Bar and Grill. The host greeted Alex with an enthusiastic handshake. “Good evening, Mr. Buckley.”
Alex introduced the man to Laurie as Joseph. She had been to the restaurant several times, but was not on a first-name basis with the staff and surely would not have been able to get a reservation on ten minutes’ notice with a phone call from the car.
Once they were seated, a sommelier arrived with three Cabernet selections for Alex to consider. He certainly was a regular. But she already knew that.
As Alex’s chosen wine was being poured, Laurie checked her cell phone. There was a text message from her father, responding to the one she had sent from the car. Timmy’s thrilled with the pizza we ordered. Stop worrying, and have a good time at dinner.
She knew that her father was more than happy to spend time with his grandson, but she still felt a pang of guilt. There was no way she’d be home in time to say good night to Timmy.
“Is everything okay at home?” Alex asked. Of course he would know that’s where her thoughts had drifted.
“All good. It’s amazing what a pepperoni pizza can do for a nine-year-old boy’s happiness.” Determined not to spend the entire night talking about Timmy, Laurie asked Alex what he thought about Jeff. “Did you notice that he was the one who brought up Amanda’s will?”
“He struck me as a smart guy, so he knows why people are suspicious.”
“Tell the truth, you just think he’s smart because Alex Buckley is his idol.”
“You love to get a rise out of me,” Alex commented with a smirk. “So did you believe him when he said he never wanted Amanda’s money?”
“I think so, actually. You saw that apartment. It was modest but comfortable. If he wanted more, presumably he could earn it by leaving his public defender job. Or he could have Amanda declared legally dead so he could inherit.” Since speaking with Sandra, Laurie had learned that New York law gave Jeff the option of filing in court to have her declared dead without waiting a full seven years. A judge could evaluate all of the circumstances of the disappearance and conclude that the person is almost certainly dead.
“He may not know that, Laurie. Criminal defense lawyers don’t know all the ins and outs of wills.”
Whether Jeff was aware of his ability to seek to inherit Amanda’s trust fund with no body having been found was the kind of detail they’d need to explore before production. Their usual approach was to use a soft touch with the show’s participants at first, as they had in the apartment. Once they finished their research, Alex asked the tough questions on camera.
“Alex, thank you again for going to Brooklyn with me.”
“You didn’t even need my help. If anything, Jeff seemed eager to sign on. He sounded confident that he’d be able to persuade his wife, too.”
“He certainly was right when he said I was surprised. I nearly fell out of my chair.”
“Was it only because he’s a lawyer that you were expecting him to be so uncooperative? Not all of us are so difficult.” He smiled wryly.
“Amanda’s mother, Sandra, made him sound like a money-grubbing ladies’ man. Apparently his two best friends are flashy bachelors. Jeff, in contrast, seemed quite sweet and earnest.”
“I hate to tell you how many guilty clients I’ve had who can put on an act when necessary. I should start handing out Oscars in my office.”
“I’m sure you’re right. But I have to wonder if Sandra may have jumped to conclusions. This is why I’m very careful about taking cases submitted by the families. It’s too easy to get steered into one person’s opinion.”
“I know you, Laurie. You always keep an open mind.”
A waiter appeared and began describing the new additions to the menu. Laurie nodded along, even though she already knew what she wanted. She hoped that Alex was right about her ability to remain neutral. What she hadn’t told him was that something about Jeff reminded her of Greg. She realized the similarity when Jeff mentioned that he’d walked into a press conference wearing two different shoes. Greg had once come home from the hospital sporting mismatched loafers after too many hours on call. But it wasn’t just that one anecdote. From the second he’d tossed his keys out the window, Jeff had struck her as easygoing and warm.
Could that really be so easily faked? Laurie doubted it.
But how was he going to react when Alex started pinning him down?
23
Twenty-four blocks north, a waiter carried three pounds of rare porterhouse to a table at Keen’s Steakhouse. Nick Young gazed at the perfect char on the outside of the meat and signaled his approval. Once their martini glasses were refilled and the waiter had left, he held up his for yet another toast.
“Oh, why not?” Austin Pratt agreed.
“Here’s to ‘yucks’ and yachts!” They both laughed.
Last year they had both signed with an upscale international boat charter service. From now on in many locations where they might be staying near water, they could request a boat to be delivered for their use to the local dock. Both men really liked small yachts with sleeper cabins, crafts they were licensed to pilot on their own. They had been doing it since the past summer, sometimes together and sometimes separately. They had already taken three boating vacations in the Caribbean.
Nick had a custom-made sign he put over the railing of whatever boat he chartered. It read LADIES FIRST, and he meant it. More ladies than clients set sail with Nick.
Austin had found that the boat was a great way to entertain potential clients, inviting them out for a lunch or dinner cruise. When he took clients out, he hired a captain to run the boat and a waitress who passed drinks and prepared the meal. Following Nick’s lead, he created a sign for his boats, too. The name he chose was LONESOME DOVE.
Austin watched as his old friend downed his martini in one long gulp and signaled for another. Nick’s movie-star looks had obviously attracted the attention of two young ladies seated at the next table. But he worried that Nick was drinking too much.
There was a time when he never would have questioned Nick’s drinking. But he was no longer the small, shy, nerdy kid who moved in across the street when the two of them were seven years old in Baltimore. Even though they were the same age, Nick had become like a big brother, looking after him in grade school when Austin was smaller and less secure than the other children.
It was no surprise to anyone when after Nick applied to and chose to attend Colby College, I had done the same, Austin thought. Nick, naturally popular wherever he was, made sure to include me in his activities. The friends Nick made became my friends.
He did not realize that Nick was eyeing him with some envy.