Harry said only two more words before they left: “Thank you.” And the moment they got in the car, he folded himself in half and went back to sleep.
Once they arrived at school, Felix had the pleasure of waking Harry in front of an audience of other parents. Competent parents who slid through the carpool lane like pros and deposited vanloads of little people plus backpacks, lunch boxes, and musical instrument cases in thirty seconds, tops. Parents who didn’t have to abandon their cars to leg it up the school steps after discovering their child’s lunch box sitting on the back seat. Tomorrow he’d forgo humiliation and the carpool lane, and park in one of the designated parking spots.
Felix was about to pull out of the parking lot when his mobile rang.
“Hey, it’s me,” Katherine said.
They were now well enough acquainted to identify themselves as me?
“What time are you going to the hospital today? I thought we could coordinate so we don’t overlap. Nothing personal, but with this killer deadline, I want to visit, chat with Ella, and get out.”
Interesting. He would never have pegged Katherine for someone with a professional work ethic. After all, she wrote bodice rippers. How much self-discipline could that involve? Felix tried not to imagine Katherine typing sex scenes. Did she plot them out or just let them happen? Maybe she got high first. Maybe that was why she smoked pot with Ella. Once, he’d caught them smoking inside the house. He’d never trusted Katherine after that.
“I thought I’d visit Ella now,” Felix said. “Then run errands before school pickup.”
“Excellent. I’ll work till four and go over there before dinner. So, Felix . . .”
Felix ground his teeth.
“You do know Ella’s friends are calling me incessantly, asking how they can help? Have you listened to any of the messages on your landline?”
“No and no.” Really, how did she expect him to know what Ella’s friends were up to? Ella was always reminding him of their names and how their lives intersected, but he’d never been interested.
“We need to come up with a system so people can help out.”
Yes—systems are good. No—people helping out is bad.
“I don’t need help, Katherine. I’ve got this covered.”
“You know that Ella is supermom on steroids, right?”
“Yes, I do know this about my wife.”
“And you know her life is all about Harry, twenty-four seven?”
“Yes, I am fully aware that my wife is a miracle worker. However, I have taken a leave of absence from the office and am confident that I’m more than capable of handling her job.” He glanced in his rearview mirror. “Katherine, I really need to hang up and drive.”
She gave a smoky laugh. Coming from anyone else, it would have been sexy. “How are your cooking skills?”
With a sigh, Felix turned left, drove back into the school parking lot, and parked.
“A bit rusty, but I was a bachelor for over a decade. I can cook.” Scrambled eggs on toast and English trifle counted, right? Tom had taught him the latter one Christmas as they drank an entire bottle of sherry, minus the healthy serving added to the trifle. And he’d just mastered crustless turkey sandwiches. “I’m sure cooking is like riding a bike.” Although he’d never learned how to do that, even at Oxford. Another secret no one knew.
“Then I’m going to organize a list of people to drop off meals every night this week.”
“Katherine, I don’t want—”
“This will give you one less thing to deal with and stop everyone from calling me.”
Ah, so it was really about Katherine. He might have guessed.
“I’ll make sure they know to leave the food in a thermal bag on the doorstep by six and to not ring the bell or otherwise engage with you,” she continued. “How about that? And I made a lasagna for you last night. I’ll drop it off after my hospital run.”
“I don’t eat pasta anymore.”
“Then pick out the pasta. Problem solved.”
“Are you taking the piss?” Wow. Where did that come from? He was reverting to Britishisms he hadn’t used in nearly two decades.