All These Things I've Done (Birthright #1)(25)

‘Worried I’ll get arrested?’

‘It’s sloppy,’ I told him.

Jacks shrugged.

‘Well, I’ll give the chocolate to my grandmother,’ I said in a tone meant to indicate that he should feel free to leave.

‘Aren’t you going to invite me in?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘Leo’s resting, as is Nana. There’s no one here who wants to see you, Jacks.’

‘Why so angry, cuz? I thought you and I were finally making some progress back at Little Egypt.’

I narrowed my eyes. ‘We were. Then you pulled your disappearing act.’

Jacks asked me what I was talking about.

‘I mean, you basically abandoned Leo!’

‘Abandoned him? Stop being such a schoolgirl!’ Jacks shrugged, which seemed to be his favourite gesture. ‘They were shutting down the club. Everyone had to get out. I assume Leo made it home fine, right?’

I realized then that Jacks didn’t know anything about Leo’s seizure and I debated whether to tell him. Would it convince Jacks to leave my brother alone, or would it reveal weaknesses to a person I didn’t particularly think I could trust? I decided to keep my mouth shut. ‘Yeah, he made it home. No thanks to you. Personally, I like to make sure I leave with everyone I came with.’

He shook his head. ‘You’re way too protective.’ He paused to look me in the eyes. ‘But I get it. Life’s made you the way you are, am I right, cuz? You and me are both creatures of circumstance.’

‘Thanks for bringing the chocolate by,’ I said.

‘Fresh off the boat. Tell Leo that they’ll be needing him down at the Pool on Wednesday,’ Jacks said.

‘Could you make it next week instead? Leo caught some sort of cold. Wouldn’t want to pass it to everyone in the bravta.’ I tried to pass this last part off as a joke. This was a mistake, by the way. I never joked with Jacks so, of course, my joking had aroused his suspicions. Daddy always said a person had to present a consistent character in business and that any changes in tone or manner should be carefully considered. ‘Be intentional,’ he would say. ‘Lapses won’t go unnoticed by your friends and especially not by your enemies.’ The funny thing was, I hadn’t understood half of what Daddy meant at the time he was saying this stuff to me. I’d just nod or say, ‘Yes, Daddy.’ But now that I was older, his words came back to me all the time, much more often and easily than Daddy’s face did.

Jacks looked at me curiously. ‘Sure, Annie. Tell Leo next Monday’s fine.’

The second visitor showed up at eleven o’clock at night, far too late for a Sunday. He didn’t call either.

I saw Gable through the peephole and, after everything that had happened only one week earlier, I decided against opening the door. ‘Go away,’ I hissed.

‘Come on, Annie,’ Gable said. ‘Let me in.’

I made sure the chain was on the door before cracking it open. ‘No. I honestly don’t think that’s a good idea,’ I said. ‘You need to start heading home if you’re going to make curfew anyway.’

‘Look, just let me in. I feel dumb standing in the hallway,’ Gable said, leaning his face into the crack of the door. We were so close, I could smell the coffee on his breath. ‘Don’t worry,’ he continued. ‘There’s no hard feelings from my side about what happened. You were upset I broke up with you. I can totally understand that.’

‘That’s not what happened!’ It was like he didn’t even realize he was lying.

‘The specifics are beside the point, Annie. I just stopped by to tell you that I want to stay friends. I still want you in my life.’

‘Fine!’ I said. ‘Now go home!’ How had I tolerated this loser for so long?

‘How about a bar of chocolate for the road?’ Gable asked.

I shook my head. So that’s what ‘staying friends’ really meant, I guess.

‘Come on, Annie. I’ll pay you.’

‘I’m not your dealer, Arsley.’ Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the fresh crate Jacks had brought over. I tore open the lid and pulled out two bars. I slipped the bars through the space between the door and the frame. ‘Enjoy,’ I said as I closed the door.

I could hear him tearing open the wrapper before he even got into the elevator. He was such a pig. Not for the first time, I considered the notion that a significant part of Gable’s attraction to me had been based on my access to chocolate.

I picked up the case and carried it to the safe in Nana’s room. I had just unpacked the last bar when I heard Nana call my mother’s name. ‘Christina!’

I didn’t answer. I assumed Nana was having a nightmare.

‘Christina, come here!’ she said.

‘It’s not Christina, Nana. It’s Annie, your granddaughter.’ Mistaking me for my mother was getting to be a more and more frequent occurrence for Nana. I walked over to her bed and Nana took my hand. Her grip was unusually strong. With my other hand, I flipped on the light. ‘See, Nana, it’s me.’

‘Yes,’ Nana said. ‘I can see that it’s not Christina now.’ She laughed. ‘I’m glad you’re not Christina O’Hara. I never liked that slut mick, you know. Told Leo not to marry her, that she was trouble. She was a cop. The whole thing made him look weak. Stupid, love-struck little boy. Such a disappointment he turned out to be.’