Read Online Loose Diamonds by Amy Ephron - Free Book Online

don’t know. As long as I’ve known Stephanie,
there’s never been a Mr. Delaney. I think they split up when Cassie was a baby.
Stephanie’s a little overprotective. Cassie’s an only child, so Stephanie’s very
hands-on and she goes to every soccer practice.”
    I couldn’t tell if this was a backhanded dig since
this was the first soccer practice I’d attended. But, as I thought about it, I
might not be going to a lot more of them as this was a little more “up close and
personal” than I thought it needed to be. I was the one who had asked for the
separation but still . . .
    A few weeks later, I got a call from Sam Maddox. I
liked Sam Maddox. Sam was 5’10” and took hikes in the early morning in mountain
boots in remote canyons and told stories about waterfalls she’d discovered and
close encounters with mountain lions. She had a son, who was also named Sam, who
was in Ethan’s class, as well. I always thought it was sort of liberated (kind
of reverse name-ism) that Sam had named her son after herself. Sam was a
photographer who worked some of the time. She did fashion shoots and
occasionally traveled to exotic places for National
Geographic . And I realized I had more in common with Sam than with
some of the other mothers in Ethan’s class because of that common working thing,
which sort of kept the children in perspective.
    “Hi,” said Sam. “I have to tell you something
because I don’t want it to affect our friendship.”
    This is the kind of sentence that can make a person
nervous. I waited for her to go on.
    “I’m”—she hesitated—“sort of going out with Sasha.”
These last four words were said very quickly.
    I didn’t say anything.
    “I hope that’s okay. We went for a hike,” she said,
“and, well . . . well, you probably don’t want to hear the
details. I mean, I figured you wouldn’t mind, right?”
    I waited a minute, holding the phone to my ear, to
see if some version of jealousy would kick in. No, not jealousy. I could feel a
little anger bubbling under the surface. But not jealousy. “No, I guess that’s
okay. I don’t think I want to have dinner with you guys,
but . . .” I took a deep breath. “I guess it’s okay.”
    A few weeks later, Sam called again. “I’ve fallen
in love . . .
    “No, not really, you don’t
mean . . .”
    “He’s Norwegian.”
    “Norwegian?”
    “He’s great. I mean he’s really great. He owns a
record company. I mean, I think it’s really serious. He sort of swept me off my
feet. I feel a little giddy. It was totally unexpected.”
    “I thought you were going out with Sasha.”
    “Oh, that. That was just a little fling. But Adrien
is divine. I would love for you to meet him.”
    “I—I would love to meet him, Sam. I’m really happy
for you.”
    That Friday night, Sasha showed up with a shiner
under his right eye.
    “What happened to you?”
    He didn’t answer.
    I could practically see the indentations where
someone’s knuckle had connected with his right cheekbone. “Don’t tell me you ran
into a door.”
    “Bobby Marks.”
    “Bobby Marks?” Bobby Marks owned a gallery in West
Hollywood. “I didn’t know you were going back into the art business. I thought
you hated it.” But as I said it I realized . . . “Kelly Marks?!
They’re not even separated.”
    “We denied it. The kids were playing. We were
watching TV in the living room and I had my shoes off.”
    “And?”
    “And he found my socks in the bedroom.”
    “And he decked you in front of the kids?”
    “No. He showed up at my office the next morning.
And I decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to hit him back.”
    I went to the refrigerator to get the icepack that
I always kept on tap in case Ethan or one of his friends had a fall. I wrapped
it in a dishcloth and handed it to Sasha.
    He put the icepack on his eye and said sort of
sheepishly, “It was her idea, I swear it.”
    That didn’t surprise me. Kelly Marks walked around
like