Maybe Baby Read Free Page A

need to. You seem to have entirely blotted out the Antichrist portion of the program.”
    Nick started wiping down the bar, even though it was clean. “No, I got it. Hair down. Mark of the beast.”
    “Did I mention the toads that fall out of the sky when she walks down the sidewalk?”
    He tossed the towel over his shoulder. “Not today.”
    “And this latest manipulation about taking over Dana’s winery is just nonsense. Dana hasn’t said anything to me about being in trouble.”
    “Dana hasn’t said much to you about anything.”
    Babs picked up her espresso cup and balanced it between the fingertips of each hand, but didn’t drink. Nick instantly regretted what he’d said. This was one of many reasons he didn’t like talking about Dana with Babs. Too many land mines, for both of them.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
    Babs sighed and put the cup down. “Not your fault. I know Dana and I aren’t exactly close. But still, if it were true—”
    “It doesn’t matter if it’s true,” Nick said, cutting her off. “I didn’t accept the job just to keep Melanie away from Dana.”
    Babs narrowed her eyes at him. “Then why?”
    “It’s just time for me to move on,” he said abruptly, leaning back against the wall as the all-too-familiar guilt washed over him. He’d had enough of the guilt. Guilt over not listening to Dana closely enough before the wedding, not fully understanding her qualms about marriage, not giving her more time, not waiting for her to really be ready. Guilt over being so angry that he’d let Dana believe he’d slept with Melanie that night. Guilt that by the time he’d gotten over the anger, he’d been too much of a coward to go see her and tell her the truth. It was guilt that prompted him to spend six years looking after Babs in some subconscious attempt to make it up to Dana, and now that he knew it wasn’t ever going to be right, he had guilt over abandoning Babs. Now, he was so desperate to get it all behind him that he’d made a flimsy deal with Melanie Biggs just to get out. As noble as it might have seemed on the surface to accept the job in exchange for Melanie’s solemn vow to keep her mitts off Dana’s winery, the reality was, he wasn’t doing it to save Dana.
    He was doing it to save himself.
    “Well, of all the people to move on with,” Babs said after a thick silence, “I don’t see why it has to be her.”
    “It doesn’t have to be. It just is,” Nick said, suddenly operating under a strong desire to change the subject. “So, you gonna tell me why you called me or what?”
    Babs’s mouth screwed up to the side in a small smile. “Like I said, I wanted to have a quality visit before you run off and—”
    “Babs,” Nick said in a warning tone.
    “Oh, fine,” Babs huffed. “I don’t mind telling you, Nick, you’re not as much fun as you used to be.”
    “Probably because I’m not as stupid as I used to be,” Nick said, relieved finally to be moving the topic away from Melanie Biggs, although he was wary of what was coming next. “Now, out with it, lady.”
    Babs opened her purse and began digging inside. “It’s my friend Vivian—”
    Nick sighed. He knew it. “Another favor?”
    Babs pulled out a piece of paper and smiled up at Nick. “She needs her bird picked up.”
    “Then she can pick it up.”
    “She needs you to get it at midnight, at this address.” She stuffed the paper into his hands. He glanced at the scribble, which indicated a ritzy neighborhood on the Upper East Side. He pushed the paper back at her.
    “Can’t. Stuff to do. Thanks for stopping by. Don’t let the door hit you in your big fluffy hat on the way out.”
    Babs ignored him with a bravado he had to respect, even if it drove him nuts.
    “You’ll need to damage the windows,” she said. “Make a bit of a mess. It should look like a robbery.”
    Nick watched her for a moment. “Christ, Babs. Where do you find these