Young Jane Young(32)

“That’s very sweet,” I said.

“Thanks for everything,” Wes said. “The wedding was beautiful, and I know your friendship has meant a lot to Franny.”

“It’s been fun,” I said.

He turned to leave. Then he turned back. “Why don’t you like me?”

“I like you,” I said.

“I don’t think you do. Audra overheard you talking to Franny. She said you almost convinced her not to marry me,” Wes said.

“I think Audra’s in love with you. I think she heard half of a conversation, and she’s trying to make trouble,” I said. “Because that’s not what happened.”

Wes nodded. “Is it because I remind you of him?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

“You can play dumb, but I ran a background check on you before we hired you. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t a criminal. You aren’t – technically. But I know who you are. I know your real name.”

Ruby came through the door. “Hi, Mr. West,” she said.

“Hey, Ruby girl. Nice to see you.” He smiled at her and shook her hand.

“I was showing Wes out,” I said.

“Say hi to Franny!” Ruby said.

“Will do,” he said, and I walked him to the door. When he reached the threshold, he lowered his voice. “You don’t have to worry, Jane. I won’t tell anyone. Not even my wife. It’s no one’s business, and the past is past.”

The past is never past. Only idiots think that. I stepped outside and I closed the door behind me. “I don’t know what you think you know, but you don’t know anything.”

“Come on,” he said. “There’re pictures —”

I interrupted him. “Even if it were true, what does it gain you really?”

“I’m not threatening you, Jane. I imagine, though,” he said, “it wouldn’t be great for a wedding business if people knew you had once been the star player in a sex scandal.”

“That’s interesting,” I said. “That’s interesting that you see things this way. Maybe you’re too young to remember – I wasn’t even born yet myself – but in 1962, Robert McNamara, John F. Kennedy’s secretary of defense, gave a speech where he laid out the concept of mutually assured destruction. Are you familiar with it?”

“Sure,” said Wes. “It’s the idea that you’re fine as long as you have more bombs than the other guy.”

“That’s oversimplifying,” I said. “But it’s good that you know it, being that you want to go into politics.”

“What are you getting at?” he asked.

“You think you know something about me. I definitely know something about you,” I said. “I know about Franny,” I said. “Her past.”

“She wouldn’t have told you that.” He looked at me, and then he looked away.

“If you run for office, this is a small town, and maybe it wouldn’t look so great for the future whatever of Allison Springs to have a wife who…”

“Shut up,” he said.

“But if you tell people about who you think I am, what would it do to me? Maybe people would care? Maybe they wouldn’t? I’m a private citizen and I don’t need anyone to vote for me for anything, you know? I can always move and plan weddings somewhere else.” I shrugged.

“You’re a bitch,” he said.

“Probably. Here’s what I think you saw. And the reason I think you saw this is because it is the truth. Aviva Grossman was my roommate at the University of Miami. We were close once, but I haven’t seen or heard from her in years. I’ll tell you, Wes, I do dream of her sometimes. It’s a little embarrassing. What’s even more embarrassing, though, is that you would have made such an error, but I can’t blame you. Who knows what kind of shoddy background check you get for forty-nine dollars online? Your failure to thoroughly research this matter is understandable. You’re a busy man, and I want to assure you I won’t hold it against you. People make mistakes. I don’t see it as some kind of moral failing.”

“Thanks,” he said.

“See, I do like you.” I offered him my hand. “Shake my hand,” I instructed him, and he obeyed. “Good doing business with you. I hope you’ll keep in touch.”

I watched that weasel walk away. Though he did not run, he walked briskly, eager to put some distance between us. I thought, Wes West, you are not one iota like Aaron Levin.

However, this might be unfair. It’s hard to know what I would think of Levin if I encountered him today. Maybe he would seem like Wes West – they were both arrogant and ambitious. In Levin, these qualities were leavened with intelligence and an intense, almost painful empathy for his fellow human beings. Still, it must be said… Maybe, despite everything, I think kindly of Levin because I knew him when I was easily impressed, because I knew him when I was young.





TWELVE





I

n May, just before Ruby’s tenth birthday, I happened to see Wes West leaving his office. He was heading toward Market Square, and I, in the opposite direction, Schiele’s Flowers – I was meeting a wedding couple there, Edward Reed and Eduardo Ontiveros, who went by Reed and Eddie. Reed was a landscape architect – the flowers at his wedding were going to be a serious business; he wanted what he referred to as “architectonic topiaries,” and Schiele would be up to it. Eddie was a teacher at Franny’s school, and Reed and Eddie had both attended the Lincoln-Wests’ winter wedding, and they had liked my work. I think I had also won their favor by not being overly amused that they had variations on the same first name. “People are so annoying about this. Yes, we have the same name,” Eddie said when we were discussing the announcements. “We are men with the same name. This happens. It is not so amazing or hilarious.” The wedding was set for August. The theme was WASP fiesta.