For the second time, Todd got out his old address book. He looked at his watch. Not too late for a call.

*  *  *

“Todd?” Janis’s voice said.

“Hi, Janis.”

“Todd, do you know what time it is?”

“I know what you’ve been doing.”

“Are you drunk, Todd?”

“I said, I know what you’ve been doing.”

“You don’t answer my calls. You don’t answer my lawyer’s calls. And then you decide to pick up the phone in the middle of the night and—”

“I saw you.”

“What?”

Todd thought he could detect fear in Janis’s voice. Yeah, I got you now.

“You looked happy, Janis, I’ll say that for you.”

“Todd.” Janis’s tone changed, less harsh. “Todd, I am happy. Okay? Shall we just leave it there?”

“You have the nerve to come down on me and Sara when all the time you were—”

“What, Todd? All the time I was what?”

“Seeing someone else.”

“You’re pathetic, Todd.”

“One rule for you, is that it, Janis? One rule for you and another for me?”

“I’m not even going to begin to discuss this with you.”

“I want to speak to her.”

A pause.

“Excuse me?”

“I want to talk to her. I know she’s there. Put her on.”

“Todd,” said Janis. “I literally have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I saw you, Janis. With her.”

“I’m going to hang up now.”

She rang off. Todd had the feeling that the conversation hadn’t entirely gone his way. He went to bed.

*  *  *

At around about four o’clock in the morning, Todd got up to use the bathroom. He studiously ignored the curtained window. He finished peeing, turned out the bathroom light, and was about to get back into bed when ( fuck it, one look won’t hurt) he went over to the window and pulled back the curtain.

She was there.

The bike hadn’t moved but now she was sitting on it, like she was posing for a magazine cover. She was holding something. Todd was not surprised to see that it was the book, All My Colors by Jake Turner. She stuck the book in her jacket, looked Todd straight in the eye and gave him the finger. Then—finger still vertical—she started up the Harley and roared off into the night.

After a few minutes had passed, Todd put on his coat and went outside. He crossed the road to where the bike had been. There was no sign that anything had been there. He went back to his room, where he didn’t sleep at all.

*  *  *

The next day, after a breakfast of chips and soda from the candy bar dispenser in the lobby, Todd called Sara.

“Hey,” she said, someone actually pleased to hear his voice.

“It’s good to hear your voice,” Todd said, and he meant it.

“When are you coming back?” she asked.