The Last Man on Earth Read online

  “What? The tart?”

  “No, the lamp.”

  Brie shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

  She was right, Madelyn thought. An organizational wizard, Brie had a way of working out solutions, even for seemingly impossible tasks. Still, that didn’t mean she was infallible, especially when emotions were involved. Something was troubling her. It was the third day of her visit, yet the only reason she’d given so far for her unexpected trip north was the need to see a familiar face. New to Washington, D.C., Brie was still making friends, she said. Perhaps loneliness was the only explanation necessary. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t.

  “Do you honestly have room for sweets?” Madelyn laid a hand across her stomach. “I’m still recovering from dinner.”

  “Chinese never sticks no matter how much of it you eat. An hour from now, you’ll be starving again. We’ll split a slice.” She surveyed the sea of shopping bags. “Assuming I can find it.”

  “All right. But make my piece small.”

  Madelyn got up and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on to boil. Millie wandered in, brushing her tail against the backs of Madelyn’s legs before assuming a sphinxlike pose on the multihued rag rug at the base of the sink. A quiet cat, Millie had ways of making her wishes known with a minimum of fuss. She looked up at Madelyn, meowed silently, then resumed her wait. Madelyn knew the routine; Millie wanted to eat.

  Brie strolled in with a white bakery box.

  Madelyn crossed to a quiet corner on the far side of the room, set down the bowl of fresh cat food. Millie padded over to enjoy the offering.

  Wisps of steam began to curl from the kettle. “Is tea all right?” Madelyn asked.

  “So long as it isn’t herbal.” Brie rinsed her hands, then got out plates and a knife to cut the tart.

  Madelyn measured loose tea leaves into a celery green ceramic pot. “You haven’t really said all that much about your new job. Are you glad you took it?”

  Brie paused, considered. “At first I wasn’t sure. Lawyering for the government’s a lot different from private practice. But now that I’ve settled in, yes, I do like it. I’m working on a really compelling fraud case. When it’s over I’ll give you the highlights. Lord knows, I don’t miss staying up until four in the morning writing briefs or scrambling for every billable hour I can find. And it’s nice to have more than Christmas day at home.”

  “Still, you seemed to love it at Mitchell, Brown, and Lovell. From all appearances you were on the fast track to making partner. You never would tell any of us in the family why you left the city so suddenly.”

  Brie went still, the knife poised over the delicate confection. A second later, she made her cut, careful and precise. “It was time to move on.”

  Madelyn snapped off the range burner and lifted the wailing kettle, a thick plume of steam billowing forth. She poured boiling water over the tea leaves, returned the kettle to the stove, and set the lid on the teapot with a tiny clink. “What happened, Brie?”

  “I needed a change. Look, I’d rather not talk about it.” Brie carried their dessert to the table, planted herself on one of the chairs.

  “If you didn’t want to talk about it, you wouldn’t be here. Enough now. Out with it.”

  A long hush fell.

  “She had a baby,” Brie murmured.

  “Who had a baby?”

  “Stephen Jeffries’s wife. A boy, last Tuesday. Connie called to chat, to catch me up on things that have been going on at MB and L since I left, and she mentioned it in passing.”

  Madelyn took the chair across from her. “He’s one of the other attorneys there, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. And the newest partner.”

  “And?” she prompted.

  Brie looked up, eyes bright with unshed tears. “And I’m a fool, a stupid fool who let herself be used, manipulated, deceived. I knew it was wrong, what we were doing, but I loved him, and love justifies almost anything, or so it seemed.”

  She gave a hollow laugh. “I thought he’d come after me once I left. I figured if I took a job in a new city, it would finally push him to divorce her, the way he’d always promised me he would. I still have friends at the firm. I know I could talk my way back in, even now. Then I heard about . . . his son.” She choked over the last word.

  “I still thought he’d show up one day,” Brie went on, “catch me as I was leaving for work or for home. When he did, he’d be a free man, divorce decree in one hand and an engagement ring in the other. That’s when he’d propose, beg me to come back with him where I belong.”

  She paused, swallowing hard. “But he lied; until the very last he lied. Hah, until I actually loaded the last box in my car and drove away, he was pleading with me to stay, to give him a little while longer. And she was already pregnant.”

  Brie mashed a fist against her forehead. “I fell for all the lines. How he hated his wife. How cold she was. How he couldn’t bear to touch her. How they hadn’t been intimate for years and kept separate bedrooms. He stayed with her, he said, for the children’s sake, for appearances. When I heard about the baby, I nearly fell apart. I had to get away. I couldn’t bear to be by myself, so I came to see you.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  Brie met Madelyn’s eyes. “I can see I’ve shocked you. Your little sister involved with a married man. How could it happen? How could I do such a stupid, immoral thing? I’ve asked myself the same things a hundred times and I still don’t know. In the beginning, I believed he was divorced. Then after we’d become . . . involved, he told me he was only separated. He wanted a divorce, he said, but . . . well, you can figure out the rest.”

  “Brie.” Madelyn didn’t know what to say.

  “He never loved me, Madelyn. Out of all of it, I think that’s the worst. It was just a cheap thrill for him, nothing but a meaningless game.”

  “Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe he did love you, does love you in his own small way, and he’s just a coward.”

  “No. He’s a liar and a cheat, a despicable bastard who hides behind a handsome smile and a clever tongue. Three years I gave him, three years. And now I know the truth, that he was sleeping with his wife when he told me I was the only one. I wonder who else he was with. I wonder if he cheated on me too. Oh God, how could I ever have done such a thing? How could I let myself love him?”

  Madelyn reached out a hand. “Don’t torture yourself. You don’t choose love; it chooses you. You made a mistake, but you’re out of it now. You left him, remember, on your own terms.”

  “And tossed aside my career, my reputation, my pride, in the process.”

  “You still have all those things; they’re only a bit bruised. Oh, sweetie, I hate to see you hurting like this.”

  “It’s my own fault. I’ll get over it.”

  Eventually she would, Madelyn knew, but at what price? Would her sister ever truly trust any man again? Love another man again? Mustering the most cheerful smile she could, Madelyn suggested, “Why don’t I pour us both a cup of tea and we’ll try this tart? It looks delicious even if it’s not chocolate.”

  “Malynn.” Brie stopped her with a hand. “About your relationship with Zack. I think you should consider where it’s going.”

  “It’s going just fine. We’re happy, both of us, the way things are.”

  “And you don’t want more? You don’t want permanent? I can tell your feelings for him run deep. How deep do his feelings run for you?”

  “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “He wants me, I know that. He cares for me.”

  “And love?”

  Madelyn dropped her eyes.

  “If it’s not right,” Brie said, “if your relationship with him isn’t headed where you need it go, don’t waste your time. Don’t waste years like I did, waiting for him to change. He won’t. And then all you’ll be left with is your
loneliness and your regrets. Don’t let him hurt you, Malynn, while you still have a choice.”

  But Madelyn knew she didn’t. It was already too late. Gently, she pulled away. “I’d better get the tea.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Madelyn fanned the swizzle stick through her piña colada and decided that of all possible human emotions, guilt was the worst.

  It was guilt that had led her to avoid a girls’ night out on the town for months, making excuse after pitiful excuse. And it was guilt that had convinced her to let her three stalwart friends, Suzy, Linda, and Peg, drag her out for an evening of fun and celebration. It was guilt as well that was keeping her from relaxing and enjoying herself tonight, far too aware of the lies she’d told them and the ones she knew she would keep on telling them.

  “Happy birthday, Madelyn!” The other women cheered, lifting their glasses high.

  Madelyn raised hers and tapped it to theirs in a toast. She smiled. “Thank you guys for everything. Dinner and the drinks, and of course the presents. I love them all.”

  “You’re very welcome. And there’s cake still on the way,” Peg volunteered.

  Madelyn’s shoulders slumped. “The waiters aren’t going to sing to me, are they? You know I hate that.”

  “This place is way too classy for that. As birthday girl you get a complimentary dessert served with a side of pure silence. No singing allowed.”

  “Thank heavens.”

  Peg finished off her drink. “No, thank me. Suzy here wanted to take you to one of those Mexican places where they clap and sing so loudly you can hear it in the next state. Linda, on the other hand, suggested a strip club.”

  “One with male dancers,” Linda added. “Considering the occasion, I thought it might be fun. It’s not every day a woman turns thirty.”

  “Don’t remind me.” Madelyn groaned. “Besides, I still have three more days left until my actual birthday.”

  “Yes, I noticed you’re taking Monday off from work,” Peg said.

  “I always take my birthday off. You know that.”

  “Are you doing something special? Is James whisking you away to a romantic locale?” Suzy rested her elbows on the table in anticipation of the answer.

  Guilt, the ugly beast, rose inside her again. It had been months now and she still hadn’t told them about her breakup with James. In fact, she’d even told them she’d seen him. Which wasn’t totally untrue. She had seen him—two months ago at her mother’s house, as a friend. And talked to him several times on the phone, as a friend.

  Trouble was, if she told them she and James were no longer a couple, her friends would start trying to set her up. When she refused to be set up, they’d demand to know why, then worm it out of her that she was seeing someone else. Once they discovered she had a new man in her life, full disclosure was all but assured.

  Relentless as hounds after a rabbit, they’d never leave off until they’d uncovered the identity of her mystery man. Better not to tempt fate, she’d decided. Better to continue shamelessly using James as cover.

  “We are going out of town,” she said. “I just don’t know where yet. He’s surprising me.” There, she thought, that hadn’t been much of a lie. Everything she’d said was true, except that the “he” in this case happened to be Zack.

  “Oh, that sounds like fun,” Suzy gushed. “May is such a beautiful time of year to travel.”

  “When your boyfriend’s as rich as hers is, anytime’s a beautiful time to travel.” Linda rattled the ice cubes in her glass.

  Suzy, ever the romantic, ignored the remark. “Maybe he’s going to propose. We’ve all been dying to know when you two are finally going to tie the knot.”

  Peg and Linda hushed her.

  “What?” Suzy protested. “You both said yourselves a woman who wants a family ought to quit fooling around and get on with it by the time she turns thirty. And then only if she’s really into her career. I plan to be married and have two kids by the time I turn thirty.”

  “Linda, did you bring the noose with you? Or should I walk up the street and buy a handgun?” Peg asked as she glared at Suzy.

  “What?” Suzy protested again. “It’s not like she doesn’t have somebody serious. They’ve just got to set the date. Right, Madelyn?”

  Madelyn forced a smile. “Right.”

  Their waiter appeared, bearing a small white frosted cake. “At least someone has good timing,” Peg said. “And the cake’ll do double duty by giving Suzy something to stick into her mouth besides her foot.”

  “Really, everybody, it’s fine,” Madelyn said. “I’m not upset. It’s nothing my mother doesn’t bring up at least twice during every conversation.”

  “You’ll get married when you feel the time is right.” Linda reached over to pat her hand. “I was married, had three kids, and got a divorce all before I turned thirty. Rushing into a commitment can be a terrible mistake, even with someone you think you know. There’s nothing wrong with making sure.”

  “Thank you, Linda.”

  “Just don’t take too much time making sure. James is wonderful, a real catch. He’s far too good to let slip away.”

  Wouldn’t they all just die, Madelyn thought, if they knew she hadn’t just let him slip away but had actually tossed him back? And afterward had allowed herself to become entangled with a charmer who was unlikely to ever get caught? She pasted a happy look on her face, reached for the knife, and drove it deep into the cake as if it needed killing.

  The party broke up less than an hour later, after Madelyn turned down an offer to continue the fun with a round of barhopping. Linda needed to get home to her kids. Peg, known for her endless capacity to party, seemed oddly distracted, as if she had somewhere else to be. And Suzy—well, Suzy at twenty-three was on the hunt for a man and had the annoying habit of latching onto the cutest male available, then disappearing with him for the rest of the evening, abandoning her friends without a second thought.

  The three of them tucked Suzy into a crosstown cab, then decided to walk a block up and over, where they figured they’d stand a better chance of finding rides home for themselves. Halfway to their destination, Peg slowed. “Hey, isn’t that Zack Douglas? There in that restaurant?”

  In a booth next to the window, he sat as visible as an actor spotlighted on center stage. No doubt at all, it was Zack.

  And he was with a woman.

  Even from a distance, his companion had the look of a siren, a dark-haired beauty, lush and steamy, with a touch of the exotic blended in. She laughed and twirled a swizzle stick through a tall, boldly shaped martini glass. She turned her head and for an instant the light caught her eyes, glinting as green as shards from a broken bottle, the lipstick on her mouth a hard slash of crimson.

  Only Zack wasn’t laughing with her, his body held in a posture of displeasure and, if Madelyn wasn’t mistaken, barely veiled contempt. She watched him toss back a finger’s worth of liquor, then motion to the waiter to bring him another. He rarely drank, usually opting for club soda or black coffee. Knowing what she did of his past, she’d never questioned his reasons. But he wasn’t abstaining tonight. Who was the woman? Why was he with her? And what did she mean to him?

  “I wonder who she is,” Peg said. “You don’t suppose she’s the reason he’s been such a good little boy at the office lately? Angie Lewis in media was actually complaining how he barely flirts anymore. Said he walked right by her a couple days ago and didn’t do more than give her a smile and a quick hello.”

  Madelyn glanced away for a moment, even more uneasy than before. She didn’t relish the idea of Zack making time with every female at work, but neither did she want a marked change in his behavior, one that would provoke people’s curiosity—especially people like Peg. She’d have to mention it to him. If she decided to mention anything to him ever again. Who was that woman? She narrowed her eyes.


  “Whoever she is,” Peg mused, “the two of them certainly are striking together with all those dark, sultry good looks.”

  A cruel wave of jealousy rolled through Madelyn as she watched, tempered only by the conviction that he was not having a good time. At least she hoped he wasn’t. The idea that he might be made her already low spirits sink even lower.

  Linda made an impatient noise. “As riveting as Zack Douglas’s love life is, the babysitter clock is ticking and if I don’t get home soon I fear she may turn into a pumpkin. Or eat every last thing in my fridge. So let’s get a move on, you two.”

  Taking one last penetrating look, Madelyn trudged along the concrete sidewalk after her friends.

  • • •

  They had agreed to meet at the house of one of Zack’s friends, someone with no connection to work, who’d offered to let them store one of their cars in his garage over the weekend—so she and Zack could drive together. Zack still hadn’t told her where they were headed, wanting to keep it a surprise as long as possible.

  With last night’s mystery woman fresh in her mind, Madelyn almost decided to stay home—almost. For just as fresh remained the memory of Zack, his unhappy demeanor and the uncharacteristic way he’d been tossing back drinks. The obvious answer—that he was seeing another woman—simply didn’t add up.

  Eyes bloodshot and tired, he looked a bit rough around the edges despite his neat casual clothes and close shave. Expecting a typical show of male pride, she was surprised when he asked if she’d drive. He had a headache. She agreed without commenting on his health, accepting his murmured directions as they left the city behind.

  For late morning on a Friday, traffic was light, allowing her to settle easily in the center lane. After several minutes of silence, she switched on the radio and tuned it to a classical station. The car interior filled with the gentle, melodic strains of Bach.

  Five minutes passed. “Do you actually like that highbrow stuff?” Zack shifted in his seat, unable to stretch his legs their full length even in her well-appointed automobile.