He laughed soundlessly, shaking. “God, I love you, Genni. Tell me again why I didn’t marry you?”

She reached for his pack of cigarettes, tapped one out and lit it, blowing coils of smoke. A breath. “Probably because I am such an unremitting cunt.”

“Have a cunt, more like.”

“That too.”

He held out his right hand. “Light another, will you?”

“What am I, your servant?”

“I’m having a meltdown.” He wiggled his hand. “Help.”

She snorted, very unappealingly, and lit his cigarette. They smoked for a while, silent.

“I fucked him.”

She looked around at the mess again. “You shock me.” Stretching her long legs in front of her—and flashing the lacy tops of her stockings, the vixen—she sighed. “How exactly did that happen?”

“You curious about the mechanics, or—” He could practically hear her roll her eyes. “Sorry.” He tensed up, then tried to relax. “There was a problem at the school, so I contacted him to discuss it, and—”

“Not so much with the talking?”

“Ha.” He took a swallow of whiskey. “Not so much.”

She stared at him, sighed again—much more heavily—and looked away. “God, this has been a long time coming.”

He couldn’t say anything. He still carried—he wished for a different life.

Genni scowled into her lap. “You should know, I’m saying this entirely against my better judgment.” Turning his head to look at her, he watched her face. She looked conflicted and not a little pissed off. “I think you didn’t notice, when we were looking at the apartment, the way Gardner looked at you.”

A pain in his chest. She ground out her cigarette on the carpet. He frowned. “Nice, Gen.”

“Yes, you so obviously care about the rug.” She lifted an eyebrow, gesturing to the destruction around them.

He laughed, shrugged. “All right. So...”

A growl at the back of her throat, “Jack Gardner. He is the stupidest person I have ever met. He is an utter disgrace to any sense of style, gentility, or culture. Sometimes I think I hate him more than I hated my useless criminal father.”

“Tell us how you really feel.”

She thwapped his knee with the back of her hand, her diamond ring digging into him. “And he is very clearly, in his idiotic, artless, common way, madly in love with you.”

“I don’t think—”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

“You always make me feel so much better about myself.”

“Yes, well.” She took a big gulp of the whiskey, then stuck her tongue out and coughed. “Nasty. Look. As much as I don’t want a permanent Gardner accessory in our glorious Gwynns family...” Theo laughed. “When he looks at you... It’s all on his face, all right? Everything. So damned uncouth.”

“Genni...”

“He loves you. He watches you like he’s never seen anything more—” She shrugged, uncomfortable. “Anything more beautiful. Precious. And you are, Theo.” He looked at his lap, avoiding her kindness. “Don’t forget that, please.