Dr. Stud

Her eyes go from brother to brother, almost beseeching.

“She basically told me the same thing you guys told me. That she wasn’t cut out to be a mother. She wanted to be an actress. She didn’t know how to be a… wife, is the word she used,” she finishes uncomfortably.

We sit in silence for a few moments. Spencer is the first to speak.

“That’s why you asked me about her? Well, I’m glad our stories all line up, at least. We don’t have anything to hide from you, Bunny. We want everything to be on the table, right, guys?”

We all murmur affirmation, but realize we haven’t really put everything on the table until just now.

“Why are you telling us this? Why now?” Sully asks with a pained expression.

She glances at him, startled. “Because… she’s here. In the restaurant. With us.”

My heart stops. As if on cue, Nina materializes in front of us. Her green dress hugs her ample curves. Her hair is half hiding her face in a sort of Jessica Rabbit hairdo.

Placing one hand on her hip, she holds the back of Royce’s chair as she nods at each of us in turn. Royce keeps his gaze down, but I can see the muscle in his jaw clenching.

“Hello, Nina,” Spencer says politely, automatically taking on the duty of spokesperson. “What a pleasant surprise to see you here. I didn’t realize you were in Chicago.”

She rolls her shoulders back proudly and raises an eyebrow. “I’ve got a part on Chicago Criminal Background, have you seen the show? Probably not. I’m the new lead detective.”

I see Bunny duck her head, holding her phone in her lap. I actually feel bad for her. She looks like a puppy who’s been told she’s done something wrong. But this isn’t her fault, not at all.

“You’re looking well,” I force myself to tell her.

Her green eyes slide over to me. Even though we used to be lovers, I can barely remember her. She looks like a stranger. Analytically, I understand that she’s beautiful. But there is no room in my heart to find her attractive anymore, apparently.

Reflexively, I want to take Bunny away from the table. It’s not that I think that Nina is dangerous in any way, it’s just that she doesn’t belong here with us. No one else does, besides us. There is no room in our life for anyone but us and Sophia anymore.

The silence grows longer, until even Nina seems uncomfortable. She glances around again as though expecting more positive feedback for her dress and hair. But we are all closed off. There’s no connection anymore.

And it’s sad. I know it’s sad, or at least it should be. But I don’t have room to be sad anymore either.

“Well, ahem,” she continues with a haughty toss of her hair. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be shooting scenes in town from time to time. Maybe you’d let me come by to say hello to little Sophia if I get a chance to take a break. I’ll be very busy, of course. Very busy.”

Actually, I have a hard time remembering what we ever saw in her. Was she always this self-centered?

“Just shoot me a text,” Bunny offers, looking up and smiling with more sincerity than I think I could manage at this point. “We could get something arranged. She should be sitting up pretty soon. I bet you’d like to see that.”

“Don’t all babies sit up?” Nina asks distractedly. She’s looking over her shoulder, smiling for someone who’s got their cell phone out.

“Well, no. But pretty soon,” Bunny answers, but Nina isn’t listening anymore.

I watch Sully as he glances between them, his eyes narrowed shrewdly. All at once, he seems to make a decision, and his expression shifts. It’s a remarkable thing, because Sully had some very strong feelings about Nina before. But all of a sudden, he looks calm.

“Or you can text me too,” he offers with a nonchalant shrug. “Just let us know what’s going on, Nina. It’s good to see you.”

She flashes him a brilliant, practiced smile and shrugs girlishly. Her hand drifts up to a strand of her hair that she toys with, twirling it around her finger.

“Well, that’s really big of you, Sully. Thank you! I guess I’ll get back to my table. I just wanted to say hello, to touch base. I hope we can all be the best of friends, since we’re practically neighbors again.”

With that, she swoops away, swishing her hips suggestively. But no one’s looking at her. We are all looking at Bunny.

“Also, I invited her to dinner when we were in Nantucket,” Bunny admits in a rush. “I figured I should just get it all out there. But she didn’t want to come then. I wonder why she wanted to come today?”

“Today there are photographers,” Spencer explains simply, jerking his chin toward the two men with expensive cameras at the bar.