31LEO

I first met Vivian Lafferty when Tripp and I were juniors in college. We’d decided to get away from campus for the long weekend and spend it in Manhattan.

“My mom just remarried, and the new place is sweet. She’s out of town with her husband. Let’s crash there and get in trouble in the city.”

“Maybe let’s crash there, but not get in trouble in the city?”

“Fun police. I have a fake ID, and I intend to use it.”

He did make good use of it, but everyone did in those days, so I thought nothing of it. And truthfully, there was nothing to it, though perhaps it was a harbinger. Besides, when Sunday morning rolled out and his mom returned, Tripp was sober, freshly shaven, and showered. Plus, she’d told him she was coming home early, so he surprised her and her new husband with Eggs Benedict, her favorite.

Over breakfast, she peppered me with questions, wanting to know about my parents, my brothers, what I thought of school. By the time she’d finished, she issued a declaration. “I like you, Leo. You’re a good influence on my hellion.”

“Hellion? He’s more like a hell-raiser.” I’d winked, she’d laughed, and we’d proceeded to debate which was worse and which was better—a hellion or a hell-raiser. She was sold on me that day, and Tripp was sold on how well I got along with her.

At the wedding, I was his shield. “Keep my mom and dad apart. If my dad seems like he’s going to make a dig—since that’s his style—say something funny to cut the tension. Promise me?”

I kept that one, playing the referee he needed.

I was some kind of best man.

At the end of the night, Vivian thanked me. “I know it’s not easy for him being around both of us. We’re trying to be better. Well, I can only speak for myself. I’m trying to be better. I’m glad you were here for him.”

That wasn’t the first time she’d say those words to me—I’m glad you were here for him.

Now she’s heading toward me, her lips turned up in a faint smile, a little rueful, as if she’s done something a tiny bit wrong. “Leo. Look what I’ve resorted to. I have to track you down at work. You won’t return my calls.”

I laugh nervously, then wonder why the hell I’m laughing nervously.

Oh, right. Could it be because her former daughter-in-law spent last night in my arms?

That’d be the reason, and I swear I’m made of cellophane and she can see through me.

“Sorry about the phone tag.”

Sorry about fucking my best friend’s ex-wife.

“I’m just teasing.” She drops a kiss to my cheek, her habit. “I actually called your office, and your assistant said you’d be here. I had an appointment nearby, so I thought I would pop over and find you.” Her crystal eyes drift behind me, registering surprise. “And look who I found. Both of you.”

Lulu appears by my side. “Hi, Vivian. It’s so good to see you. You look amazing. Where did you get those jeans? And if you say on sale, I will bow down before you because those are incredible.”

Vivian laughs. “You look fantastic too. I love your T-shirt—Furious Napper. Also, I paid full price.”

“I feel better already.” Lulu wipes her forehead dramatically.

“I haven’t seen you since—” Vivian stops talking, stares at the sky. She collects herself, swallowing the words the funeral. “What have you been up to lately? I didn’t expect to see you here too.”

“Lulu’s working with Heavenly,” I answer, quickly explaining the situation, like I’d explain why my hand was in the secret chocolate stash as a kid.

“How fantastic. I’m thrilled everything is going well for you. I knew it would.” Her graciousness is a sledgehammer aiming, unintentionally, for my lying heart.

“Thank you. It’s a dream come true,” Lulu says.

Vivian turns to me, clasping her hands. “I don’t want to bother you in the middle of work, but I’m organizing a 10K and raising funds for addiction awareness and recovery. I was hoping you could get involved.”

She hoists the hammer over her head.

“In what way?” I ask.

She lifts her chin, like she’s trying so damn hard to stay strong. “Since one of the first 10Ks that you did was for this charity, I thought you could maybe say a few words at the start. Perhaps talk about your friendship. What Tripp meant to you. How things might have been different if awareness started earlier.”

Hello, sledgehammer. Welcome to the glass case where the guilt statuette is stored inside me.

“Just to encourage the participants about what they’re running for. Most have been touched by addiction in one way or another.”

And the hammer comes down, smashing the glass into a thousand jagged shards.

I try to form words, but my tongue is made of cotton. I sneak a glance at Lulu, like maybe she can translate for me. But what can she say? Tripp’s mom isn’t making the request of her. She can’t ask Lulu because Lulu’s bond with her son broke before he died.

But mine?

The bonds between friends don’t die when a person does. They last. Hell, I had dinner with him a few nights before he fell off the wagon again. He’d seemed so different that night at The Red Door.

My mouth is sawdust. “I’d be honored to.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to me. It would have meant a lot to him.”

She turns to Lulu, squeezing her arm. “I walked past your chocolate shop the other day, and I picked up a gift box for a friend. It made me so proud of you. I always wanted to see you become all you could be.”

“Thank you for believing in me.”

Vivian steps back, sighing softly. “It’s good to see the two of you again. It brings back memories. There were good ones, right? They weren’t all bad?”

And now the sledgehammer goes for broke, smashing the shards to smithereens.

“Of course not. Most were good,” I say.

“One of my favorites is when Tripp opened his restaurant and a few nights later, he invited all of us to celebrate. I wish I had a photo of that night. It had seemed then like all his dreams were coming true.”

“Many did. You have to remember that,” Lulu says, comforting her once again.

She stops when voices intensify, and suddenly the sound of people running grows louder. Laughter rains over Strawberry Fields. It’s RaeLynn’s team, and she rushes past then stops in her tracks.

RaeLynn stares at Vivian, studying her, then her icicle eyes sparkle like she’s hit the jackpot. “Hi. Excuse me, but you look so familiar.”

“I’m Vivian Lafferty.”