Conflict of Interest

Chapter Forty Six

"Horrible shrink tomorrow?"

"Seven AM."

"Hope you like being told you're crazy."

"After thirty some odd years, it doesn't really affect me anymore."

"Can we go back to the getting the lungs drained?" Allison pleaded.

"Sure," I said bitterly. "Let's relive Carrie's suffering in vivid detail."

"Did it hurt?"

"Oh, no," I said. "It was one of those things that feels really good, you know, like the first shower after a haircut, or turning your pillow to the cold side. Or being run over by a pile driver."

"Okay, one to ten."

"I'm going to need exponents."

"Did you cry?"

"Beckett, I advise you to remember that you're speaking to a winner."

She made a face. "I'll take that under advisement, when you give the things I've told you the same respect."

She didn't have to explain. I knew exactly what she was talking about, even if no one else did.

"As a matter of fact, Beckett, I have."

"Have you?" she lit up, interest effectively piqued. Everyone else looked confused, but I had a dangerous history of not caring about everyone else.

"Yes," I said. "I listened."

"And?"

"And..." I considered, losing my words. I looked to Kim, who obviously didn't get it.

"Things are good," I decided after a moment. "Really good."

I wondered just when I'd begun to speak genuinely to Allison Beckett, no less about the very most personal matters of my personal life, but I didn't say anything about it. It just wasn't the time.

"What are you guys..."

"Nothing," I said all too quickly. "Are you ready to go, Kim?"

"Go where?" Allison interrupted.

"Home," I said before realizing that that didn't sound right. "Our respective homes."

"Grace is letting you go home?" Clapp questioned. Kim just looked at him.

"Shut up, Clapp," she said.

"Oh," he continued. "So by respective homes, we really mean..."

"I am dying to know what I've missed while I was out of town," Allison thought out loud.

With that, Kim stood to go. "I'll text you," she promised. "And fill you in."

***

Kim

"So..." I tried prodding in the car on the way back to Carrie's apartment. "I see you made one friend tonight..."

"You're not allowed to be mad."

"Why would I be mad?"

"You can't be mad," she elaborated, ignoring my question, "Because you used to be extremely easy. And you and I do not have something official going on, I am, for all intents and purposes, single, and even if I weren't, you're still not in a position to judge because you're a cheater. And even if I were a cheater, which I'm not, you would have been a cheater first."

"Oh, no. No way. If you really want to play that game, you and I became cheaters at the exact same time, because you and I made out when you were still with Carver."