a deal on the pieces I ordered for the bathroom chandelier?” I forged ahead. “It’s going to be beautiful. I think we’l definitely want to use them
again.” I added, smiling hopeful y.
She final y sighed and leaned forward with a cat-that-ate-the-canary-and-went-back-for-the-feathers-to-play-with grin.
“Jil ian, did you have dental work done this morning? Are you trying to show me your new dentures?” I asked, and she final y flinched.
“As if I would ever need dentures, pffft. No, I’m waiting for you to tel me about your neighbor, Mr. Parker. Or should I say Simon Wal banger?”
She laughed, final y sitting back in her chair and giving me a look that said I would not be al owed to leave my office until I told her everything she
wanted to know.
“Hmm, Wal banger. Where to start? First of al , you can’t tel me you didn’t know he lived next door. How the hel could you have lived there as
long as you did and not know he was the one thumping away every night?” I inquired, looking back at her with my best detective sneer.
“Hey, you know I hardly ever stayed there, especial y the last few years. I knew he was in that neighborhood, but I had no idea it was next door
to the apartment I was subletting! When I see him, it’s always with Benjamin, and we usual y go out for drinks or we have him over to our place.
Regardless, it’s the beginnings of a great story, don’t you think?” she tempted, grinning again.
“Oh, you and your matchmaking. Simon said you’d mentioned me to him before. You are so busted.”
She held up her hands in front of her. “Wait, wait, wait, I had no idea he was so, wel , active. I never would have suggested you if I’d known he
had so many girlfriends. Benjamin must have known…but it’s a guy thing, I guess,” she replied.
I was the one to lean forward now. “So tel me, how does he know Benjamin?”
“Wel , Simon isn’t original y from California. He grew up in Philadelphia and only moved out here when he went to Stanford. Benjamin has
known him most of his life—he was real y close to his dad. He’s kind of watched out for Simon—favorite uncle, big brother, surrogate father, that
kind of thing,” she said, her face growing soft.
“Was real y close to his dad? Did they have a fal ing out or something?” I asked.
“Oh, no, no, Benjamin was always great friends with Simon’s dad. He was the one who mentored him early in his career. He was very close
with the entire family,” she said, her eyes growing sad.
“But now?” I pressed.
“Simon’s parents were kil ed when he was a senior in high school,” she said quietly.
My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh no,” I whispered, my heart ful of sympathy for someone I barely knew.
“Car accident. Benjamin says they went real y quickly, almost instantly,” she replied.
We were quiet for a moment, lost in our own thoughts. I couldn’t even process what that must have been like for him.
“So after the funeral, he stayed in Philadelphia for a while, and he and Simon began to talk about him going to school at Stanford,” she
continued after a moment.
I smiled at the image of Benjamin doing everything he could to help.
“I can imagine it was probably a good idea for him to get away from everything,” I said, wondering how I would deal with something like that.
“Mm-hmm. I think Simon saw the chance, and he took it. And knowing that Benjamin was close by if he needed anything? I think that made it
easier,” she added.
“When did you meet Simon?” I asked.
“His senior year of col ege. He’d spent some time in Spain the summer before, and when he came home that August he came into the city to
have dinner with us. Benjamin and I had been dating for a while by then, so he knew of me, but hadn’t actual y met me,” she said.
Wow, Simon does Spain. Those poor flamenco dancers—they never stood a chance.
“We met for dinner, and he charmed the waitress by ordering in Spanish. Then he told Benjamin that if he was ever stupid enough to leave me
that he would be quite happy to—now what was it he said?—ah, yes, he would be quite happy to warm my bed.” She giggled, her face growing
pink.
I rol ed my eyes. This matched what I knew of him already. Although, as brash as my girls and I were when flirting with Benjamin, it was the pot
cal ing the kettle forward.
“And that’s how I met Simon,” she finished, her eyes far away. “He real y is pretty great, Caroline, al banging aside.”
“Yes, banging aside,” I mused, running my fingertips back and forth across the tops of the flowers.