The Museum of Desire: An Alex Delaware Novel(27)
“Thousand or hundred?”
Both kids cracked up. Leventhal said, “You get a place for hundreds, let me know.”
Milo said, “See what you mean about bank.”
Amadpour said, “But we really basically do it for fun. And basically for practice.”
“Practice for what?”
“The future. I’m going to be an event planner and Todd’s going into finance.”
Leventhal shot her a peeved look. “You don’t know for sure what I’m doing because I don’t know for sure, I might be a sports agent.” His eyes dropped to his phone. An index finger tapped the side lovingly before touching the screen and lighting it up.
Milo said, “How about holding off for a sec.”
“Why?”
“We’re having a conversation.”
“That what this is?”
“Taw-odd! Be nice to them!”
Leventhal said, “What? They’re not being nice to us. They think we know something about what happened.”
Amadpour said, “No, they don’t.” To Milo: “You don’t think that, right? All we did was throw a party.”
Leventhal huffed.
I said, “Any problems at the party?”
Shirin Amadpour cocked a hip. Black hair swooshed. “Nope, it was totally perfect.”
Leventhal said, “We don’t have problems. We get the right people.”
“As staff or guests?”
“Both.”
Milo said, “How do you build your invitation list?”
“List?” The boy snickered. “Yeah, we make a stone list. Like the Babylonians with their hydroglyphics.”
Amadpour said, “We use the Sosh-Net. Like two days before.”
Leventhal said, “Everyone who comes, we want. We don’t, we use football players from the U. to tell them bye-bye.”
“We’re careful,” said Amadpour. Pouting. “We try really hard.”
Leventhal shot her a peeved look. “We don’t try, we succeed. The money keeps out you-know-who.”
Milo said, “Who?”
“Ha.”
I said, “Forty for guys, twenty for girls.”
“We might go forty-five next time. Even fifty.”
Amadpour said, “But probably keep the girls at twenty.”
Leventhal said, “Maybe twenty-five.”
I said, “So nothing unusual happened Friday?”
“Nah, Friday was easy-peasy,” said Leventhal. “Agency said no cars, there’s too much dirt on the property, which was cool, made it easier, the football players could filter at the street.”
“Anyone argue with them?”
“Nope.”
Amadpour said, “Where did the…you know happen?”
“Behind the house,” said Milo. “In a car.”
“Proves it,” said Leventhal, doing a little jig. “We didn’t have cars so we’re not responsible for what happened later.”
I said, “When was the party officially over?”
“Officially and unofficially is the same, dude. Two. Then me and her looked around and we were outta there by two thirty.”
“What were you looking for?”
“Anything,” said Leventhal. “There was nothing.”
Amadpour frowned. “It was kind of creepy. Being there, dark, the house was like a…it’s big.”
“The football dudes were also there,” said Leventhal.
“But then we were there by ourselves, Todd.”
“Whatever. There was nothing freaky.” His hand rose and grazed thunderbolts.
Amadpour said, “I thought it was creepy. That house, big and ugly and cold-like.”
“Whatever.” Leventhal hefted his backpack and looked at Milo. “We’ve got no responsibility except overall safety and security at an event we initiate and manage competently.”
Milo said, “That sounds pretty legalistic, Todd.”
Orthodontic grin. “My dad’s a lawyer and so is hers and they told us. Even though they still give us shit.”
“About what?”
“Making our own bank.” He nudged Amadpour. “They’re scared we’ll make so much we won’t need their asses.”
She said, “I’ll always need my parents.”
He said, “You never know. We could be kings of the world.”
“I’d be a queen.”
“It’s a metaphor.” Another grin. “From a movie.”
“Which one?”
“Forget.”
Milo said, “So what’d you guys do after you left?”
“We ate,” said Leventhal.
“Denny’s,” said Amadpour. “In Westwood.”
“Waffles and links,” said Leventhal.
“Tuna salad,” said Amadpour.
“Okay?” said Leventhal. “Can we go live our life?” His hand brushed Amadpour’s cheek. She colored at the jawline. Lifting his backpack, he began walking toward the gray house.
Milo said, “None of this seems to bother you, Todd.”
The boy stopped. Turned. “Why should it bother me?”