Marty changed his voice in an effort to imitate his ex-wife. It wasn’t like a comedian who just raises his pitch; Marty actually sounded like an annoyed woman. In his odd falsetto, he said, “Marty, I’m going to need an extra twelve hundred dollars for the trainer this month so I can learn how to properly work my arms. Marty, I’m going to New York this weekend to go shopping with my girlfriends, have you paid off the credit card from last month yet? Marty, why haven’t you designed any skyscrapers like John Nelson, a boy I grew up with whose second major building is going up in Seattle?”
All I could say to him was “I’m sorry, babe. It sounds like you’re better off without her. What happened to finally end it?”
He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke. “There’s really not much to tell. She fell for an AC contractor. You know how women love air-conditioning.” He let out a laugh. “Some tall, goofy guy from Boca Raton. I think he was originally from New Hampshire, and whatever he had, she wanted. The hell of it is, I like him. He’s a funny guy. And as much as I try to stay away from both of them, I hear different rumors. Most of them come from the contractors who use me as an architect. I heard he’s taking jobs up in Vero just so he can see her and keep his own wife in the dark.”
“He’s married?”
“Someone’s got to be doing the cheating. I read some stat that claimed fifty percent of married men cheat. That means they’ve got to be finding an equal number of women to cheat with.”
“Does that make it harder for you?”
“That she cheated on me? Yeah, it hurt. The fact that we had no kids made the divorce work its way through the system quickly. No-fault. That’s all I kept hearing. It’s a great idea until you realize your ex-wife gets nearly half of your earnings for the next eight years. It’s brutal. Now I live in a rented condo in downtown West Palm and work my ass off just to stay afloat.”
“I hope you realize you don’t have to spend money just to impress me.”
“I’m having a hard time spending enough money just to keep eating. I figured you were impressed with my sexual skills.” That sly smile of his made anything he said adorable.
I leaned across the seat and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then I couldn’t help but bite his earlobe.
Somehow I couldn’t resist asking, “What’s your ex-wife’s name?”
“Teal. I swear to God my ex-wife is named Teal.”
That made us both laugh.
Marty said, “She told me she’d always supported me emotionally when I was working. She said I only wanted her happy, in shape, and at home. Then, at the last court proceeding, she said, ‘Now I am happy, in shape, and at home, and you gotta pay for it awhile longer.’”
Marty took a moment to gather himself. “You know what else she told me?”
“No, what?”
“She told me I should meet someone, I’d feel better.” He took his eyes off the road to look at me. “You know what?”
“What?”
“She was right.” He had to pull the car to the narrow shoulder of the road in Highland Beach just to kiss me the way he wanted to.
Chapter 6
Once we were past the Lake Worth beach and still heading north on A1A, I told Marty to slow down just a little. I pointed out all the local landmarks I knew so well: the tennis courts at Phipps Park; the condos on Sloan’s Curve; and the big houses that sat just off the road, whose residents I named for Marty.
When we were north of the Bath and Tennis Club and clear of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, I had Marty park in one of the spots next to a tiny beach bungalow, more like a cabana, on the beach side of South Ocean. I knew there was no one inside. It was only used occasionally, and even then, just as a way to shower off after swimming in the ocean. I pointed across the street to a mansion that looked like it was surrounded by a golf course.
“See that castle over there? Twenty thousand, two hundred twenty-seven square feet. I’ve measured it. To the inch. That used to be my house. That’s where I lived and planned to stay the rest of my life. I loved that place. And my dick of a husband took it away.”
“I’ve heard about your husband. Everyone on the island knows Brennan Moore.”
“Don’t get me started on that guy.” Then, without meaning to, I launched into my own imitation. I tried to put on that irritating, fake accent, as if he had gone to Yale. “This just isn’t working out, Christy, dear. I think it’s best we go our separate ways.” Then I returned to my own voice, trying to keep the bitterness out of it without much success. “That was it. No emotion, no anger. Just his assessment of what was going on and how he intended to correct it. Of course he was bold, because he knew he had a prenup and could lock me out of most of his assets. Not to mention, he had the best attorneys, who I’m sure were ready for this for some time before he said anything to me.”
“How’s it make you feel now to look up at that house?”
“Angry. Really, really fucking angry.” I thought it was best if I didn’t go on. I wasn’t proud of this side of me. But the fact was, I didn’t deserve to be in this position. I was a good wife who’d never even thought about straying and always put Brennan’s interests first. I thought that was what couples did. That each wanted the other to be happier than them. Now I was in the real world and I knew that kind of thinking was some part of a fantasy life.
I barely responded when Marty slipped his arm around me to give me a supportive hug. All I could think of was the Italian marble I’d picked out and the true craftsman I’d hired to lay it, and the bamboo wallpaper that set off the study from the rest of the house. That place was mine, and it had been stolen from me.
Chapter 7
It was a short ride back to the Brazilian Court, and Marty was in an odd mood that I couldn’t decipher. He was quiet and perhaps sullen but clearly deep in thought. I hadn’t meant to upset him by showing him the house I used to live in. Maybe he was bothered by the fact that he couldn’t pay the dinner bill. All I really wanted to do was make him feel better. I wanted to see that smile. He had one of those smiles that was so sincere it was infectious. It was like a drug, and I needed a fix.
We had a glass of wine from a bottle I had been saving. Then he pulled out a little multicolored pill and said, “Should we try something really wild?”
“What is that? Is it dangerous?” My experience with drugs consisted of trying pot a couple of times in college and hearing stories about some of my friends using cocaine.
Marty said, “It’s a new version of Ecstasy that’s supposed to completely break down your inhibitions. It’s almost like it relieves you of responsibility for your actions. But it keeps you focused and sane. It might be just what we need to take a step further away from our divorces.”
I thought about it for a minute, considering what could go wrong. Then, without saying anything, I snatched the pill out of Marty’s hand and broke it in half. I didn’t wait or think about it again as I popped my half of the pill into my mouth and took a big gulp of wine.
A smile spread across his face as he did the same thing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another pill as he said, “I have a few of them.”