The Fifth Avenue Story Society

by Rachel Hauck

  “I’m still on for the weekend,” she said after Coral confirmed three large pizzas were on their way. “If you want.”

  “Yeah, sure, why not? By the way, it’s black tie.”

  “Black tie? I don’t have a formal dress any more. Got sort of torn up when I hit the pavement.”

  “I told mom our high school buddies weren’t going to rent a tux for a funeral, but she insisted. The wedding is black tie.”

  “Can I dress just for the memorial?”

  He grinned. “Do what you want. She’s not your mother-in-law anymore.”

  “Who are we talking about?” Coral said. The circle was small, close. Even whispers were heard.

  “My mother is getting married. Black tie. Lexa is going up with me and she doesn’t have a dress.”

  “My one gown has tire tracks on it.”

  “Lexa, girl, I have a hundred gowns. You can borrow one. Come home with me after the society.”

  “You’re a size nothing, Coral. I’m a size something.”

  “I have all sizes. Trust me. My driver will take you home when we’re done. Or stay over for a girl’s night.”

  Lexa’s timid smile swept through Jett, nearly making him choke up. “Really? I’d like that.”

  She always told him she was never good at girlfriend relationships, but she wanted girlfriends very much. After hearing her Carnie story, and, knowing how much she’d moved around, he understood her struggle.

  Coral was perfect for her.

  “What’s your pleasure? Alexander McQueen? Armani? Jenny Packham? Melinda House?” Coral rattled off the designer names with a fluid tongue. “Melinda designs those beautiful country-chic gowns for Princess Regina, the Grand Duchess of Hessenburg. I can call my seamstress to make any adjustments. She’s a genius.”

  Somehow the flow of conversation moved Lexa to Chuck’s chair, and Chuck to hers. When he plopped down, he tapped Jett’s arm.

  “Got something for you.” He fished a card from his pocket. “I gave a ride to an agent the other day and she went gaga when I told her I knew you. Said she loved your book Rites of Mars and something about how your publisher did you wrong.”

  Jett took the card from between his fingers.

  “Lucy Hughes? You met Lucy?” Good news flowed among the dark and sour reality of Lexa leaving. “I queried her right after I finished Mars, and she not so politely said, ‘Move along.’”

  “She’s hot on you now. Said give her a call if you needed advice or anything.” Chuck sat back, stretching out his long legs. “She also liked an idea of mine.”

  “You have a book idea?” Jett tucked the card into the side pocket of his backpack.

  “Book, no. Story, yes. About this magic book that takes kids on fun adventures. I made it up for Riley and Jakey when they were little guys. I drew a big book on the side of an old cardboard box and we’d pretend to jump in and go on an adventure.”

  “I want to try.” Lexa entered the conversation.

  “How do you go on the adventure, Chuck?” Ed, as interested as any kid.

  “Well, you just dream of where you want to go, or who you want to be, and jump, sort of like in Mary Poppins. Is that right? Where they jumped into the sidewalk? Anyway, I’d ask the kids what they wanted and boom, we jumped.”

  Coral stood. “I want to be out of this mess at CCW.” She jumped into the middle of the circle, the silly move making them all laugh.

  Ed went next, wishing for his Esmeralda. Then there was a short standoff between Jett, Chuck, and Lexa.

  “I’ll go.” Lexa rose up, eyes closed. “A great new job.” She jumped and if possible, Jett sensed the earth shift beneath him.

  She was leaving. Not just his apartment but this city. His bones knew it.

  Before he or Chuck could take a leap, pizza arrived, and hot pizza trumps everything.

  When the society had consumed one and a half large pies, Jett refilled his drink cup with Mountain Dew—he’d be up all night—and asked if anything exciting had happened since their last meeting.

  “I get to see my kids.” Chuck, with a nominal level of excitement, sat forward with his plate in one hand and a folded slice in the other.

  Chapter 24

  Chuck

  After Lexa’s confession last week, he’d decided to be a bit more forthcoming about himself. After all, maybe that’s why the society existed.

  The gang was excited. Though they had no idea what kind of monster he’d been.

  “Chuck, I’m so thrilled for you.” Coral’s tone shot an arrow straight to his heart. But he yanked it out before it sank too deep. “How’d this come about?”

  Chuck detailed the tale of seeing his son at the schoolyard, then visiting his ex-mother-in-law.

  “She gave me two minutes. I mostly begged for her to talk to Trudy. Let me come to the twins’ parties.”

  “Good for you. Standing up for what you want.” If he didn’t know better, he’d think Coral was his personal cheerleader.

  “I got a text right after I met the agent. I have one hour on Saturday for Jakey’s party and one on Sunday for Riley’s.” His voice dropped as he pressed his fist to his mouth, coughing and clearing, batting the sting from his eyes.

  “Can I ask why you can’t see your kids?” Ed said in a tender, fatherly tone.

  Chuck reached for more pizza, then dropped back into his chair with another plate full of slices. “I, um, may have—” He set his plate on the floor and ran his hands over his knees. This was the part he dreaded. “I don’t want you guys to hate me.”

  “Hate you? We’re not going to hate you!” The others heartily agreed with Lexa’s declaration.

  “You don’t know what I did. In today’s world, if we horsewhipped people, I’d have been tied to the post and ripped up.”

  “Chuck.” Coral recoiled at the image he painted. “What on earth?”

  “I lost it, you see. Blew up.” He couldn’t tell the story sitting down, so he jumped up. “Saw her with that adulterating hedgie and lost my mind. I had no idea . . . She never said a word to me. I thought we were happy, you see. I threatened her, tore up the house, threw things, broke things, shouted, maybe threw a punch or two.” He raked his big hand through his hair, so the ends stood like exclamation points over his story. “Then I grabbed one of the kids.”

  As he anticipated, the gasps echoed through the old library, his story tainting the others here.

  “By the time I realized what I was doing the cops had me in cuffs.” With the story out, he deflated and sank slowly into his seat. “Trudy got the restraining order, and I haven’t talked to my kids since. Not until I went by the schoolyard, and that was a big dumb risk.”

  Coral’s touch on his arm electrified him, zapping his next thought. “You were hurting.”

  “No excuse.” He pulled away from her touch. She didn’t know the power of her feminine wiles.

  “But your son wasn’t afraid of you?” Lexa said.

  “No. Which means Trudy’s not talking me down. Can’t say the same of myself.”

  “This is your chance, son,” Ed said. “Make up for lost time. Prove you’re not the wild man they last saw.”

  “I don’t even know what gifts to get them. And I’m half afraid I’ll show up, see the boyfriend playing the daddy role, and explode again.”

  “I can go with you.” Coral’s offer burst into the Bower like a cool rain.

  “What?” Chuck glanced at her, his heart on fire. If he walked in with Coral Winthrop on his arm . . .

  “I love birthday parties. Didn’t you say Trudy loves CCW products? I’ll bring her a gift box.” She winked at Chuck. “Win her over.”

  Lexa raised her hand. “I want a gift box.”

  “I-I don’t know, Coral. Trudy can be a bit of a—No, I can’t let you do that, Coral. You’re good to offer, but—”

  “But what? I’m not afraid of a mean-tempered woman. If I backed down every time someone barked at me, I wouldn’t be taking back control of CC
W. And I’d love to help with the kids’ presents.”

  “Coral, you’re busy, I can’t ask you to trouble yourself.” He couldn’t use her for his advantage. It’d be wrong.

  However, the idea of spending two hours with Coral Winthrop made him feel clammy and jittery. In all the good ways.

  “Please, it will be fun. I don’t get to shop for children very often.”

  Chuck exhaled, allowing a smile to rise from his gut. “Really? You want to go with me to my kids’ parties?”

  “I offered, didn’t I?”

  “Then okay, sure, I accept.”

  Friendship and pizza in a room full of books. Wasn’t entirely Chuck’s jam, but right now, this place, with these people, was his happiest place on earth. His Monday-night addiction was growing.

  Well, talk of birthdays got them all sharing stories. Ed grew up in the old days where kids just had dinner with the family and got one gift.

  Chuck, the same. Coral had birthday weekends and trips abroad. Lexa celebrated with her family and maybe her one good friend.

  “In whatever city or country we lived in. Mom went out of her way to make our birthdays fun.”

  “What about you, Jett?” Coral dropped another slice of pizza on her plate. “I’m realizing you’re the one who talks about himself the least.”

  “I agree,” Chuck said. “Out with it, Wilder. Tell us about your birthdays.”

  “I’m the listener of the group.” Nice try, but he wasn’t getting off that easy.

  “Or the avoider,” Ed said. Chuck popped him a low five.

  “Okay, well, I don’t remember ever having a birthday party. Mom left when I was twelve and it was just us guys. Dad, Storm, and me. We didn’t have traditions or do sentimental stuff. When I was sixteen Mom was back working for Dad, so on birthdays she made an effort. Maybe we’d go out to dinner or something. Otherwise she gave us a present. My birthday is in the spring, and usually she and Dad were filming somewhere. Dad wasn’t into shopping, so he’d just hand us money. A fifty when we were in high school and a hundred in college.”

  “I feel a party coming on.” Coral tapped on her phone. “When’s your birthday?”

  “No, please, I’d just feel stupid.”

  “March twenty-first,” Lexa said. “But don’t bother, Coral. I tried to throw him a party once and he was so grumpy everyone left within the hour.”

  “Only because I had a mountain of work to do.” Jett wiped his hands on a wad of napkins. “I was finishing grad school.”

  “Are we going to be here in the spring?” Ed said.

  Good question, old man. Chuck glanced around. “Are we?”

  “We still don’t know exactly why we’re here now.”

  Coral announced her assistant would collect birthdays and if they were still a society, they’d celebrate.

  “Are we agreed?”

  Heads bobbed, lips muttered agreement.

  “Come on. This is fun,” Coral said.

  “You’re chipper,” Ed said. “I thought you was losing your company. Wanted out of the mess a few minutes ago.”

  “True, but there’s good news about the bad news.”

  * * *

  Coral

  She wasn’t going to share about Teddy’s discovery, but when Ed asked, the words flowed.

  “My new tech guy, the one who came into my office as you left, Chuck, found a—”

  “You went to see Coral?” Ed said.

  “Yeah, I was in her neighborhood, saw her office.”

  “—second database.” She glanced at Ed, then Chuck.

  “Coral, no.” Lexa tossed her plate in the trash.

  “The forensic auditor started today and found even more data. My CEO and CFO are embezzling. Pink Coral is not dying, it’s selling lights-out.”

  “I knew it.” Lexa popped the air with her fist. “But why would Blaire Boreland steal? She’s a genius. Brought Glitter Girl back to life.”

  “I’m as perplexed as anyone. Sad, too, because I really liked her. And please, everyone, what’s said in the society stays in the society.”

  “Of course.”

  “My lips are sealed.” Ed threw his pretend key over his shoulder.

  “What’s your next move?” Jett said.

  “Call the authorities. I should have enough data and evidence by the end of the week. They don’t know we’ve discovered the second database. They are logging in all day, sometimes at night.”

  Chuck whistled and swore softly, his exclamation accented by a soft knock on the Bower door.

  “Time, children.” Gilda peered inside.

  Coral sighed. She was never ready to leave the society’s company. Especially now that she enjoyed Chuck’s company a bit more.

  Jett thanked the effervescent librarian and along with the rest, Coral tidied the Bower.

  Chuck closed the fireplace doors and Jett shut off the lights.

  “Next week?”

  “Same time, same place?”

  “Please remember, don’t speak to anyone of what I’ve discovered.” Chuck aided Coral with her jacket with one hand while balancing the leftover pizza box in the other. “I really need this to be a secret until I’m ready to move.”

  Jett and Chuck muttered they wouldn’t know who to tell, and Lexa whispered for Coral to call her if she wanted to talk.

  “I will.” She linked her arm through her friend’s good arm and walked out. “I have this gold and peach Melinda House gown that would be perfect for you.”

  * * *

  Lexa

  “Got a sec?” Jett stopped her before she arrived at Coral’s car. “I’ll be quick.”

  “Take your time, Lexa.” Coral dipped inside the black sedan with a low word to the driver.

  “Jett, if this is about me moving home, then—”

  “It’s not. It’s about the birthday party.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry. And, by the way, thank you. After everyone left I felt horrible. You were trying to do a good thing for me and I acted like a jerk. Even worse, I heard you crying but I told myself you’d get over it. I had work to do. I’m sorry. Truly.”

  Tears collected in the corner of her eyes. She hadn’t thought about that party in a long time. Not until she mentioned it tonight.

  “You’re forgiven.”

  He held her gaze for a moment, and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to break away.

  “You’d better go. Coral’s waiting.”

  But she couldn’t move from the sweet tension between them.

  “Everything’s going to be okay with your book, Jett.”

  “What about with me? When I’ve convinced myself I’ve done the right thing, doubt creeps in again.”

  “What would Storm do?” She’d not referred to his brother since the accident. But they used to challenge themselves, in those good, early days, to be more bold and brave like Storm.

  He reared back and regarded her through the streetlight. “What would Storm . . . He would—” A slow smile brightened his countenance. “He wouldn’t give a flip about a hidden manuscript and would be on top of the world he helped bring in ten million dollars.”

  “Exactly.” She brushed her hand along the cold plane of his cheek. “You’re a good man, Jett Wilder. Never doubt yourself.”

  “Would a good man let you go, Lexa?”

  “Now that,” she said, backing toward Coral’s car, “is a question for another day.”

  Chapter 25

  Ed

  He was nothing if not faithful. Every October twenty-fifth, Ed Marshall donned his best suit and tie, purchased flowers from a street vendor on Eighty-Sixth and Broadway, then hailed a cab.

  This year, however, he thought he’d try Uber. Chuck set him up after giving him a ride home last Monday.

  If he was unsure about the story society in the beginning, he wasn’t now. The oddball group felt like friends. It’d been a long time since he’d had a good friend, let alone four.

  Finding his
reading specs, Ed opened his Uber app and selected a driver, typed in George Washington Bridge as his destination, collected his flowers, and headed for the elevator.

  When Holly had popped by Wednesday evening, he showed her how he was up with the times. She grabbed hold of the counter to keep from fainting away. Every once in a while, he liked to blow her socks off.

  He had purchased the flowers earlier when he went out for a bite of lunch. Roses, daisies, and lilies. All Esmerelda’s favorites.

  He hit the down button again. Dang elevator was slower than molasses in winter.

  “Don’t you look nice.” Mabel leaned against the door frame, arms folded over her waist. She wore a pretty floral housedress. “Flowers? Ed Marshall, are you going on a date?”

  “Not exactly.” He rammed his finger at the down button again. He’d just had the elevators serviced. They should be flying through the shafts.

  “Well then, do you have time for coffee and a brownie? I just took a batch out of the oven. I thought I’d take some down to the Canfields. They just had another baby.”

  “I know. Installed the baby monitor for them.” He didn’t mean to sound so gruff, but she was messing up his process. He needed to be focused. Her deflated expression almost made him apologize, but the elevator arrived and saved him. “Good night, Mabel.”

  “Good night, Ed.”

  His conscience nipped at him. Fine, he’d apologize later. Next week. If he saw her on his way to somewhere.

  She meant no harm. Just being neighborly. But tempting him with brownies was not the way to his heart.

  At the first floor, he exited the elevator and answered the driver’s text asking for a description.

  Handsome gentleman in a suit holding flowers.

  Chuck had shown him how to see the driver’s name, but he preferred to see the license plate so he could confirm he wasn’t about to be kidnapped.

  When the blue Honda Accord pulled up, Ed slipped into the back. “George Washington Bridge.”

  “Ed, it’s me, Chuck.” The man’s broad face peered at him through the rearview.