honey. Remember? We went over that. It’s a civil case. A case about money,
not a criminal case. No one’s going to jail, okay?”
“I know,” she
said, her eyes still focused on the menu, not looking up. “But what if they
find that you were responsible for that man’s death? Can’t they come after you
criminally as well?”
Responsible for that man’s death. He
hated hearing her say that, and felt even worse about her thinking it.
“I’m not going to
jail,” he said. “And no one is going to try and put me there.”
She looked up. “I
don’t think you caused his death,” she said after hearing Kyle’s terse
response. “I’m just saying what if a stupid jury does?”
“They won’t,” he
said, looking at the menu, not meeting her eyes. “It’ll probably be settled
soon, and even if it isn’t I don’t even want you to think about it while you’re
up at camp, okay? It’s just a lawsuit about insurance money. That’s it.”
“That reminds me,”
Bree said, digging into her bag and pulling out a box. “Here. This is for you.”
Kyle looked up and
saw what she was holding—an iPhone box.
“Since the iPhone
doesn’t video chat with BlackBerries,” she said, “Greg thought it’d be nice if
you had one too. You know, so we can video chat without you needing your
computer. He even set you up with your own account and new number so you don’t
have to transfer everything over from your BlackBerry. He said he and mom are
taking care of the bill.”
Kyle tried as best
he could to conceal his grimace. They all knew his salary was no match for
Sheila’s and Greg’s. He didn’t have the luxury of carrying two phones,
especially not one just to video chat with his daughter when she only lived a
few subway stops away. But he was used to their over-the-top purchases. The
more entrenched Sheila became in her circle of work and friends, the less in
touch she became with normalcy in terms of spending. First-class plane tickets,
luxury box seats at Yankee games, tens of thousands of dollars to rent a house
at the Hamptons for only one month — it
had all become her new normal. And it had created a rift between them. Kyle
earned a city college professor’s salary, one that wasn’t even supplemented
anymore by the salary he used to draw from his practice. A salary he could
quadruple and it still wouldn’t even scratch the surface of Sheila’s world. He
was sure that was one of the reasons that had caused them to drift apart. She
had to see him as less successful, and maybe even less of a man, than the
industry tycoons she constantly worked with. But he never received confirmation
of that theory as the marriage, from his standpoint, had gone straight from
internal doubt to external confirmation when she told him she was in love with
someone else. The divorce came shortly after.
It was that quick.
But he wasn’t
going to debate the gesture, or purchase, with Bree.
“Tell Greg I said
thank you,” Kyle said, setting the box down on the table and shifting topics.
“Now, tell me why your mom was home so early when I called the other day. She
feeling okay?”
Bree shrugged
again. “Just another checkup about the baby.”
“ Baby ?”
The blood drained
from Bree’s face. “Oh, shit.”
Kyle stared at her
as his mind quickly processed what her answer and reaction meant.
Sheila was
pregnant.
He couldn’t
believe it. He never expected it. But maybe he should have. Having a child at
thirty-nine wasn’t a big deal anymore. And definitely not in the City.
Bree didn’t say a
word, but the pale, nervous look on her face said it all.
“Don’t worry,”
Kyle said, “I’m not going to say anything.” And then he paused and narrowed his
eyes a bit, slipping back into his fatherly role. “And watch your language.”
“Sorry.”
He took a sip of
water. “How many months?”
“Four, I think.”
She was pregnant.
The news shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. He had assumed
not a criminal case. No one’s going to jail, okay?”
“I know,” she
said, her eyes still focused on the menu, not looking up. “But what if they
find that you were responsible for that man’s death? Can’t they come after you
criminally as well?”
Responsible for that man’s death. He
hated hearing her say that, and felt even worse about her thinking it.
“I’m not going to
jail,” he said. “And no one is going to try and put me there.”
She looked up. “I
don’t think you caused his death,” she said after hearing Kyle’s terse
response. “I’m just saying what if a stupid jury does?”
“They won’t,” he
said, looking at the menu, not meeting her eyes. “It’ll probably be settled
soon, and even if it isn’t I don’t even want you to think about it while you’re
up at camp, okay? It’s just a lawsuit about insurance money. That’s it.”
“That reminds me,”
Bree said, digging into her bag and pulling out a box. “Here. This is for you.”
Kyle looked up and
saw what she was holding—an iPhone box.
“Since the iPhone
doesn’t video chat with BlackBerries,” she said, “Greg thought it’d be nice if
you had one too. You know, so we can video chat without you needing your
computer. He even set you up with your own account and new number so you don’t
have to transfer everything over from your BlackBerry. He said he and mom are
taking care of the bill.”
Kyle tried as best
he could to conceal his grimace. They all knew his salary was no match for
Sheila’s and Greg’s. He didn’t have the luxury of carrying two phones,
especially not one just to video chat with his daughter when she only lived a
few subway stops away. But he was used to their over-the-top purchases. The
more entrenched Sheila became in her circle of work and friends, the less in
touch she became with normalcy in terms of spending. First-class plane tickets,
luxury box seats at Yankee games, tens of thousands of dollars to rent a house
at the Hamptons for only one month — it
had all become her new normal. And it had created a rift between them. Kyle
earned a city college professor’s salary, one that wasn’t even supplemented
anymore by the salary he used to draw from his practice. A salary he could
quadruple and it still wouldn’t even scratch the surface of Sheila’s world. He
was sure that was one of the reasons that had caused them to drift apart. She
had to see him as less successful, and maybe even less of a man, than the
industry tycoons she constantly worked with. But he never received confirmation
of that theory as the marriage, from his standpoint, had gone straight from
internal doubt to external confirmation when she told him she was in love with
someone else. The divorce came shortly after.
It was that quick.
But he wasn’t
going to debate the gesture, or purchase, with Bree.
“Tell Greg I said
thank you,” Kyle said, setting the box down on the table and shifting topics.
“Now, tell me why your mom was home so early when I called the other day. She
feeling okay?”
Bree shrugged
again. “Just another checkup about the baby.”
“ Baby ?”
The blood drained
from Bree’s face. “Oh, shit.”
Kyle stared at her
as his mind quickly processed what her answer and reaction meant.
Sheila was
pregnant.
He couldn’t
believe it. He never expected it. But maybe he should have. Having a child at
thirty-nine wasn’t a big deal anymore. And definitely not in the City.
Bree didn’t say a
word, but the pale, nervous look on her face said it all.
“Don’t worry,”
Kyle said, “I’m not going to say anything.” And then he paused and narrowed his
eyes a bit, slipping back into his fatherly role. “And watch your language.”
“Sorry.”
He took a sip of
water. “How many months?”
“Four, I think.”
She was pregnant.
The news shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. He had assumed
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