know why bad things happen to good people. I really don’t.”
I shrugged. “It is what it is, man. It’s just life.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” he said somberly. “But you know, my man, you can’t do nothin’ about the hard times you’re going through. But you can do somethin’ about how you react to them. And you and Mr. Marino, man … you are both actin’ like fools.”
I pursed my lips and cast my gaze downward, teetering between the need to get defensive and the desperation to agree and demand how to make it better.
“You know, my ex-wife and I—”
“You were married?” I looked up to him, unable to understand why I felt so surprised.
Moe smiled, a hint of sorrow flickering in the golden specks in his brown eyes. “I was. And man, did we fight. I mean, things were good in the beginning, real good. We had it all, man. Good money, good kids, a nice house. But then, one of my kids, my daughter, she passed away. And lemme tell you, it’s truly amazing how quick one horrible thing can take all the good things away.”
“Fuck, Moe,” I muttered, swallowing hard. “I had no fuckin’ idea.”
“Of course you didn’t,” he said good-naturedly. “It’s not exactly something I advertise, you know what I mean? But I’m just sayin’, that one horrible thing made me and my wife fight a lot. I started drinkin’ and shootin’ up. I lost my job, I lost my wife, and I lost my other daughter—man, I lost my whole fuckin’ life. And I know you and the old man are hurtin’, brother, I know. But if the two of you don’t start fixin’ this shit before it’s too late, I’m worried you’re gonna lose a lot, too.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ANDREA
“So, what are you and the boyfriend doing this weekend?” Elle asked, twirling a long strand of hair around her finger.
“Nothing,” I laughed, taking a bite of a taco.
“Nothing? Well, that’s boring.”
I shrugged, swallowing. “He’s going upstate to visit his brother.”
“You could’ve gone with him,” Elle said, lilting her voice in sing-song fashion.
“I have to work!”
Elle rolled her eyes. “Girl, please. You could’ve called out sick.”
“Whatever, it’s fine.”
“Except it’s not, but like you said,” she shrugged, popping a tortilla chip into her mouth, “whatever.”
I knew it wasn’t necessary, but I felt the need to add, “Vinnie just needed some time away. I’ll see him on Monday.”
“Time away from you, though?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m just—”
“Andrea, I’m just giving you a hard time, relax. But seriously, you should’ve gone. You could use some time away, too. Like, you’re always here. Play hooky once in a while and spend a day in bed with your hot boyfriend. Nobody would judge you, believe me.”
The mention of sex left me with an increasingly uncomfortable gnaw in my gut. In the weeks we’d been seeing each other, we hadn’t found ourselves in a position to even think about it. I guess that was just the nature of us both living at home with our parents. At what point would the opportunity arise without us feeling like teenagers trying to sneak in a quickie? That didn’t mean I didn’t want to though, and I was fairly certain Vinnie felt the same. But how could we, given our circumstances? And how the hell was I supposed to bring it up to him without sounding like a horny adolescent?
After lunch, Vinnie texted me when he arrived at Zach’s house. He told me he missed me and asked if I’d call the next chance I could. So, I told my patient and the two silent men lingering in her room that I’d be back to check up on her after my break. I went downstairs and headed outside to sit in the atrium.
“Hey,” I said after he’d answered the phone.
“Hey, Andy.” I closed my eyes at the sound of his name for me. “How you doin’?”
The way he said it would’ve made me laugh months ago, with visions of Friends’ Joey Tribianni in my head. But now, I only smiled, biting my lip and enjoying the warmth that coursed through my veins and settled in the lowest part of my belly.
“I’m okay,” I answered quietly, almost shy. “How are you?”
“Good, good. No. You know what? I’m fuckin’ great. It’s beautiful up here. And my brother just had this gorgeous in-ground pool put in, so you know where I’m gonna be.”
Images of Vinnie in a pair of trunks, wet, shirtless, and bathed in sunlight, clouded the cluster