The China Doll (5 page)

"Any time," Martin said with a smile. "And
any time you want to tell me what's going on, I'm a good
listener."

Zainab knew then why Emily had always thought
Jessie and Martin would make a good couple and why Jessie had,
unbeknownst to her, immediately agreed. "I appreciate that." She
sighed. "And if I could put words around it, I'd tell you."

"How about using some of mine? You and
Richard are way too polite around each other. My grandparents
aren't as formal as the two of you are sometimes."

"Well, he's very old money," she
deadpanned.

"Yeah, but he hasn't always been that way."
He paused. "The honeymoon's over?"

She looked away. "I suppose so, but it just
ended…so abruptly." She turned back. "As soon as I started this
job, he started pulling away, which is exactly the opposite of what
I thought…" She bit her lip. "I was so sure that we'd start making
plans for, well, you know."

"The M-word?"

She nodded. "Yes, and not because it was
wishful thinking. He used to talk about it too, but it was
understood I should start my job first. And then…nothing. I thought
it was because he was working longer hours, but they're not any
longer than they've ever been. He used to talk to me about his
work, but now…nothing."

"What do you think's going on?"

Zainab looked down at the table for a moment,
and slowly looked back up. "I think he's seeing someone else."

Martin looked surprised, then abruptly looked
away. "Oh, Jesus."

Zainab leaned forward. "Martin, what? Am I
right? Do you know who it is?"

"What? No. I mean, I don't know. I just…I
wouldn't expect that from him."

Zainab blinked. "From
him
? Martin, is
there someone else you'd expect this from?"

Martin swallowed. "No," he said after a
moment.

"Martin, don't you lie to me."

"It's not lying if I'm only deeply
suspicious."

"What are you worried about?"

Martin blinked. "Someone who doesn't
appreciate how good he's got it, possibly because he hasn't had a
chance to catch his breath in about three years."

Zainab waited a moment. "Should I be worried
about the same thing? Because for the record, neither has
Emily."

Martin took a deep breath. "No. Mitch isn't
seeing anyone else."

"You're positive?"

"Yes."

"You'll tell me if that's not the case?"

"I promise. We're too young to have to be
Hellie's foster parents."

"Fine," Zainab said reluctantly, then took
another sip of her latte.

Jessie was waiting outside of Bobby’s office
door when he showed up at eight-thirty. He smiled when he saw her,
then he remembered himself. "Miss Bartolome—aren’t we up bright and
early?" He unlocked the door. Jessie nodded approvingly at the
small but well-appointed office. It was much better than the tiny
room in the library Emily had used.

"There’s a lot I can do when I’m
motivated."

"Really?" Bobby laughed as he sat in his
chair. "And is any of that applicable to this class?"

"It can be. And, by the way, you’ll find that
I’m actually a pretty good student."

"When you’re motivated?"

"When I’m not bored."

"Do you get bored a lot, Miss Bartolome?"

"How about we agree that I won’t call you
Lester if you call me Jessie?"

"Lester’s a perfectly nice name."

"But it doesn’t quite suit you," she said
quietly. He didn’t say anything. "I think Bobby’s a little
better."

"Just a little bit?"

"Yeah, just a little bit. I’m sort of getting
more Bob off of you though. Actually, I’m even feeling good about
Robert."

"You want to call me Robert?"

"I think I do."

He smiled, looking at his coffee. "Okay, but
only when we’re alone. Otherwise, it’s Bobby or Mister
Lester—okay?"

"Whatever you say,
Robert
," she said
with emphasis. "But if you call me Miss Bartolome again, all bets
are off."

"Fair enough,
Jessie
." He leaned back.
"Now is it really Jessie or Jessica?"

"Jessica," she said quietly. "But no one
calls me that. Well, maybe my aunt, on the rare occasions that she
calls me at all."

"You’re not close to your family?"

"I am very close to my cousin Richard. He’s
sort of like my dad, actually, but don’t tell him I said that. Lucy
is just, well, a little aloof. That’s a nice word for her, at
least."

"Are Lucy and Richard related?"

"Shockingly, they are mother and son. Not
that you’d have guessed that. Richard takes after his dad’s side of
the family, the Hendricksons. He’s tall and dark, whereas I seem to
have inherited the blondeness of the Bartolomes."

"You look like your aunt?"

"I guess I do," Jessie said thoughtfully.
"But that’s one more thing we have to deny."

"No problem. And Lucy is your dad’s sister, I
take it?"

"Check on that," Jessie said, pointing her
finger at him.

"And what about him?"

"My father?" Jessie laughed. "I think we’re
going to have to call in a priest to get the word on him."

"He’s dead?" Bobby asked cautiously.

"Very," Jessie said with a slight laugh. "Has
been since I was three."

"Wow, I’m sorry," he said with an
uncomfortable smile. "I lost my dad too."

Jessie shrugged. "Don’t be. I don’t really
remember him, to be honest."

"So are you close to your mom?"

Jessie took a deep breath. "She’s gone
too."

"Oh, wow!" He looked down into his coffee.
"Okay, I didn’t think it was possible for me to put my foot in my
mouth so much in so short a period of time. I’m really sorry."

"It’s okay," she said softly.

"You were older when she died?" he asked
gently.

She nodded her head. "I was four and a half.
I remember her better than my father. I mean, I remember her."

"What did she look like?"

"She had reddish hair," Jessie said
softly.

Bobby smiled after a moment. "But you went
for blue? Streaks, I mean."

Jessie shrugged. "Yeah, well, they started
out red, but one day I grabbed a blue marker instead of a red one
and I liked it better." She laughed. "My teachers just loved that,
but they didn't dare say anything."

Bobby chuckled after a moment. "I guess it's
good to be in certain families."

"Only because of Richard," Jessie said
bitterly.

"So just you and your cousin, alone in the
big, bad world?"

"Not exactly," she said, happy to change the
subject. "There was Michael, Richard’s cousin on the Hendrickson
side. And he sucked in a big, bad way, but he came with
Miranda."

"Who’s Miranda?"

Jessie sighed. "Yeah, well, her mother and
Michael’s dad died at the same time in a car accident. Long story.
Alex ended up raising them both—Alex Sheldon, another alumnus who
likes to make big donations here on occasion. Michael is a tool,
and Miranda hated him. Then when she found out that her mother was
Alex’s mistress and Michael’s father’s mistress, she sort of lost
it. And by lost it I mean chucked common sense and sanity and
married Michael. But then they found out that Michael is actually
her cousin."

"And, wow again!" Bobby said. "So what
happened?"

Jessie looked at him as if he had two heads.
"What do you mean what happened? They got a divorce."

Bobby opened his hands. "Why?"

"Did you miss the part about them being
cousins?"

"That’s not illegal in this state."

"Eww! Well, it should be. It should be,
because he’s completely disgusting."

"Alright, if you say so. So, where are they
now?"

Jessie opened her mouth to answer, then
laughed. "Hold on. Do you always have these in-depth interviews
with all the students Professor Hazlett sends to you?

He sipped his coffee and shrugged. "Just the
ones I let call me 'Robert'." He smiled. "But don't feel like you
have to tell me anything else. I don't want you to feel
uncomfortable."

Jessie snickered. "Yeah, I can't imagine what
you'd have to do to make me uncomfortable. That's usually my job."
She winked. "But to answer your question, Miranda’s bunking with me
and Richard, when she isn’t dating her slime ball ex-guardian,
almost-step-father. Michael dragged his dissolute ass to Europe and
I hope he dies there."

"I’m getting the sense that you don’t like
this guy. What did he do?"

"Is attempted rape a good enough reason to
dislike someone?"

He sat up straight, no trace of a smile left.
"Yeah, I’d say so. Who did he attempt to rape?"

"Me," she spat out angrily. "I was drunk off
my ass—he got me that way. I was in and out of consciousness, and
the next thing I know he’s kissing and groping me. I don’t know
what would have happened if Miranda and Richard hadn’t walked in
when they did."

"This happened while they were married?"

"No—before."

Bobby made a face and shook his head. "Did
you go to the police?"

"Miranda tried to, but Alex stopped her. Lucy
tried to, but Alex stopped her too."

Bobby leaned on his fist. "How?"

"That is an excellent question. I never
bothered to ask Lucy, because she’d lie to me if she bothered to
acknowledge me at all."

"How old are you again?"

"You first."

"Twenty-six."

Jessie smiled to herself. "Eighteen."

"You didn’t even try to lie."

"I didn’t see the need."

"Are we going to talk about you dropping this
class or not?"

"If I drop the class, are you going to ask me
out?"

"No."

"Then we’re going to talk about setting up a
bunch of office hours, just to make sure I am fully cognizant of
how unqualified I am."

"That could take a while."

"And that is what I’m counting on."

~~~

Emily could hardly understand Jessie over the
phone, but she did get the last part. "Emily, you have to meet me
after work, okay? Please, please, please?" Emily could not believe
this was Jessie on the phone.

Later, Jessie ran into Princess Cappuccino
after her last class, breathless. "You have to help me with this
class."

"Okay," Emily said slowly, laughing. "Which
class?"

"Greek Mythology, of course!" Jessie said
over her shoulder as she ran to get some coffee.

"Since when do you need my help?" Emily asked
when she came back. "Since when do you need anyone’s help with
anything?"

"Since Professor Hazlett’s TA is the hottest
guy I’ve ever laid eyes on!" Jessie almost shrieked. Emily laughed.
Yet more changes.

"Let’s have it then," Emily said. "I want
lots of details."

"Let’s see," Jessie said, biting her lip.
"He’s got red hair, very fair, tall, very nice smile, twenty-six,
seems to like bossa nova—"

"I’m sorry, what did you just say?"

"Bossa nova isn’t that bad."

"Before that. Something about his age?"

Jessie shrugged. "He’s twenty-six. How old
should he be if he’s going to be a TA?"

"Good point. So I think we need a new rule
about dating TAs when you’re a sophomore."

"Sorry, you can’t make rules in the middle of
the game."

"That’s okay, I’m pretty sure there’s a rule
about dating undergrads in your class."

"Are you going to rat me out?"

"Of course not. That’s not what I’m worried
about. I just don’t want this guy to screw around with your
grade."

"Oh, trust me, he won’t be screwing around
with that."

"Jessie!"

"I’m sorry—I thought I was being clear."

"But he’s twenty-six. That’s a big eww, as
far as I’m concerned."

"Did you not get married when you were
nineteen?"

"I was two months away from twenty, thank you
very much, and Mitch wasn’t twenty-six. And why are we talking
about marriage?"

"Oh calm down!" Jessie exclaimed. "Can we
maybe have you redirect your energies into keeping me in the
class?"

"Why is that a problem?"

"Some BS pre-requisite I was supposed to take
that I didn’t."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "The TA gave you a
hard time about that?"

"His name is Bobby. Bobby Lester," Jessie
said with an impish smile. "And no, actually Professor Hazlett gave
me a hard time."

"That’s...weird. Joanna usually let stuff
like that slide."

"Well, the last name didn’t do anything to
endear me to her, I guess."

"Okay..." Emily said, shaking her head. "I
guess that never came up before."

"So will you help me or not?" Jessie said,
suddenly enthusiastic again.

"On one condition: you have to talk to your
therapist about this guy."

"Don’t you think you’re overstepping the
bounds of our friendship a little bit?"

"Are you serious?"

"No, but I thought it might make you feel
bad. And it is kind of a yucky request."

"No, the twenty-six year old thing is
yucky."

"Do you think we’re going to talk about my
daddy-complex and then I’ll suddenly realize that I don’t really
like this guy?"

"I have no idea. I just think it might not be
a bad idea to mention."

"You do know that I have hooked up with
people since my little episode, right? And I didn’t always check
the birthdates on their IDs?"

Emily shook her head. "Did you have to see
them in class a few times per week on top of it?"

"Well, sometimes it was pretty dark, so
anything is possible."

"Jess, that’s my offer."

"Oh fine!" Jessie exclaimed. "I’ll talk to my
therapist about him, you jerk. But how do you know I’m not just
saying that to get what I want?"

"Because I know that deep down inside you
have a little bit more honor than that. Plus, I know you know that
I could always mention this to Richard if I felt like you were
lying to me."