Josh and Gemma Make a Baby(54)

“He looks nice,” I say.

Brook snorts. “Yeah. I don’t do nice guys, my husband is a hard-ass.” She grins at me. “You see the guy he’s talking to?”

The man next to her husband is tall, tanned and outdoorsy looking. He’s wearing a linen suit and has a beard. “That’s Hannah’s husband. He’s currently telling my man how icing his testicles three times a day for six months straight will send his sperm count through the roof.”

“Really?” I look at the two men. Now that Brook mentions it, her husband does look like he’d rather be chewing on a lead pipe than having his current conversation.

“Really. I left when my husband growled something about icing his balls when hell froze over. He’s pissed. I guarantee you that tonight we’ll be having a fight. Then hopefully the cuffs will come out and I’ll finally get some hot sex.”

I look between her and her husband, then back to her again. “Uhhh.”

She snorts. “I told you we’d been having a dry spell. We used to have the best sex. All that stern cop, naughty lawyer role play. Yeah. I miss that.” She sighs. “You’re lucky you’re not having sex. You’re not, right?”

I give her a look that says none of your business.

“So Josh Lewenthal, huh?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say. Or how you know him, I don’t say.

She holds out her hands and the sparkles on her dress reflect the light of the chandeliers. “He’s the FF right?”

“Who’s the FF?” Hannah asks as she joins us. She has a tall glass of juice, with slices of orange and strawberry on the rim. Her hair is in a braided coronet on top of her head and she’s wearing a beautiful flowy Grecian-style gown. Apparently, everyone had a fancy dress but me.

“Josh Lewenthal,” Brook says.

“Really?” Hannah asks. She turns to me with a look of surprise.

“I didn’t say he’s the FF,” I say.

They both stare at me, identical expressions of disbelief on their faces.

This is ridiculous. “Are you two serious? How do you even know him?”

Hannah gives me a surprised look. “What do you mean? He’s famous,” she says, like it’s obvious.

Brook gives me a funny look and says, “Duh.”

I look back at Josh, thirty feet away. He’s made it to the front of the line, he’s chatting up the bartender, and I can see his shoulders shaking in a laugh. I’m just making sure he’s still Josh because I don’t know if we’re talking about the same person.

“That Josh?” I point at him. The Josh that grew up down the street, took my virginity, is my brother’s best friend, and loves my mom’s pot roast…that Josh? “He’s not famous,” I say.

“If he’s not your FF, he should’ve been,” Brook says. Then she frowns. “Do you even know him? Are you here with him?”

“Yes, I know him,” I snap, suddenly feeling irritable and exasperated, because why is she looking at me like I don’t know him at all and why does that bother me so much?

“Maybe they just met,” Hannah says. “Have you seen his aura, all orange and yellow and full of creativity. Just like I thought it’d look.”

Brook gives me a hard stare and I imagine she’s cross-examining me in her head.

But before she can say anything, Josh walks up and moves in next to me. “Got you more, double limes.” He hands me the sparkling ice water. The outside of the glass is already dripping with condensation.

“Thanks,” I say slowly. I study him and try to see what the heck Brook and Hannah are talking about.

Josh gives me a funny look. “What? What is it?” He brushes at his cheek. “Something on my face?”

I shake my head and he gives me a smile.

He turns to Brook and Hannah. “Hi. I’m Josh.”

“We know,” Brook says. “You did a signing at my douche cousin’s shop. There was a line half a mile long. All those freaks in their costumes, waiting to get their comic books signed.”

Oh. Ohhhh. That’s how they know him. He did a comic book signing at Clive’s Comics. That makes sense. The world hasn’t been turned upside down and inside out. Josh is still Josh.

Even though I only learned recently how good he is at drawing, at least I knew this. That’s why they think he’s famous.

I look over at Josh to see if he’s taken offense at Brook’s description of his fans as freaks in costumes. He doesn’t seem to mind, in fact, I think he finds her funny.

“My husband and I love your work,” Hannah says. “Especially Grim. His unrequited love for Jewel, it’s amazing.” Hannah leans forward and I’m surprised at the hero-worship expression she has. “I know you probably can’t say, but will they ever get together? I mean, it’s been years.”

It looks like Hannah is holding her breath, and even Brook edges closer to hear the answer.

Josh gives them his devil-may-care, the-world’s-my-playground smile. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

“You don’t know,” Hannah says. It’s crazy, but she actually sounds upset. “I thought you knew what happens. It’s been so long.”