Completely (New York 3)

“I didn’t think you could.”

“All I can tell you is that woman won’t hurt you, not like Merlin hurt me. You’ll have trouble. Everyone does. But you won’t go through what you went through with your father again.”

“I wasn’t worried I would.”

But maybe he had been, a little, in the back of his mind. Maybe he’d believed the more serious things got with Rosemary, the more likely she would become a source of extraordinary pain. As though love mostly meant letting someone hurt you.

That wasn’t right.

“So there’s nothing to worry about,” his mother said. “Be with her. Make me some grandbabies.”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself there.”

“I had five children, and I don’t have any grandbabies. It’s very annoying. Your brothers are never going to figure out how to marry a woman unless you show them first. They’re not smart like you.”

This was unfair to Tenzing and Tashi, but it was flattering to him, so Kal let it slide.

“You don’t have to take care of me, Kalden.” She took one hand off her purse and put it on top of his knee. “By the time Patricia is Sangmu’s age, I’ll be ready to retire. Patricia can run the businesses.”

“She might not want to.”

“If she doesn’t want to, we’ll sell them. They’ll be worth plenty by then. I think I’ll enjoy being famous from this book Rosemary will write, and the movie Beatrice will want to make when she reads it. I’m going to insist on a percentage of royalties and subrights.”

“You sound like a Hollywood agent.”

“You think you’re the only one who can work Google?”

Kal rolled his eyes. His mom gave him a pat and took her hand away. “Men and boys are never good at work anyway,” she said. “They’re too easily overwhelmed by all of their big feelings.”

“You’re being kind of sexist.”

“There’s no such thing as sexist against a man. Men have all the power.”

“Sure. Can I ask you something? Why’d you want to come to Wisconsin?”

“I read about Nancy on the Internet. I thought we’d have things to talk about. I was right.” His mother glanced at him. “Also, I wanted Rosemary to meet Jigme before I told her my story, so she could hear both stories at the same time. For you, I wanted more time with her, to keep her from getting on the airplane.”

“I fucked that up.”

“Yes.”

If he put the car in gear and sped back to the airport, could he catch Rosemary before she was gone for good? Or should he text her right now and tell her, Wait, don’t go, we need to talk?

“You think I should call her, or—”

Just then, his phone buzzed. Rosemary’s name on the screen. He swiped to the message.

Change of plans.

Any chance you’re still available to be my chauffeur?

Chapter 22

Every five seconds, the windshield wipers cleared a fine mist from the glass.

The road stretched out in front of them, four lanes of divided blacktop, a truck passing on the left, nothing to see anywhere but twilit farmland and the headlights illuminating mile markers, green exit signs, blue amenities.

Rosemary’s stomach rumbled. Hungry. Her eyes didn’t like the fading light, and her limbs felt heavy from too little exercise and too much caffeine.