The Cruel Ever After Read Online Free PDF Page A

her mind. When she thought about him these days, which she rarely did, she still felt, for multiple reasons, that she’d made the right decision in marrying him. Yet a core part of her remained ashamed.
    “I was in too much of a hurry back then,” she said to Mouse, absently stroking his velvety ears.
    She couldn’t recall ever being ashamed of being gay. It was just another human variation. She’d been outraged by the inequity in Chess’s parents’ edict. Still, all the sneaking around, and the fact that she got paid to lie, made her complicity feel sordid.
    “We should head up to bed.”
    Without lifting his head, Mouse raised his eyes.
    “But between you and me, sitting in the dark with you, drinking a brandy, it’s got to be my favorite part of the day. It’s quiet, you know? There’s nobody knocking on my door, or phoning me, or asking me to do something, or expecting me to dig my way out of a crisis.” In years past, that had been exactly what she loved about her work. It was fast and furious. Something always needed her attention. She would lose herself in the energy of it all, and time would disappear. Where had that gone?
    “Maybe I need to learn to meditate. What do you think?”
    Mouse’s tail thumped.
    “Or take up knitting.” She swallowed the last of her brandy. “Nah.”
    As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
    Mouse sat up, sniffing the air.
    Nobody came to her house at this hour of the morning except for Cordelia. Occasionally, she even brought a pizza, a welcome thought.
    “You feel like some pepperoni?” she asked as she headed through the dining room into the front hall, Mouse trotting along next to her. Before she opened the door, she looked through the peephole. “No pepperoni, babe. Sorry.”
    “I’ve been mugged,” groaned Chess, leaning a hand heavily against the door frame. His jacket was ripped and soiled, and he had some nasty abrasions on his face.
    “Come in,” she said, holding his arm and helping him inside.
    “Cordelia told me where you lived,” he said a little breathlessly. “I’m sorry to wake you, but—”
    “I wasn’t asleep.” She helped him to the couch in the living room. Although his legs appeared rock solid—as thick as tree stumps—he was so out of shape that she was afraid he might fall. When his jacket spread open, she could see his belly pushing against his belt. He reminded her of a middle-aged Marlon Brando, before he fell off the weight cliff altogether and ballooned. Chess was still attractive, but he was fast going to seed. “Where are you hurt?”
    “I’m just shaken up.”
    “I’ll get my first aid kit.”
    Mouse, always the gentleman, sat down in front of him and held up his paw.
    “Nice dog,” said Chess, patting his head with little enthusiasm.
    Jane returned with the kit and began to clean the scrapes on his face. Chess winced and pulled away a couple of times but eventually let her finish her ministrations.
    “What happened?” she asked, before telling him to close his eyes as she covered the abrasions with antibiotic spray.
    “I was coming out of a bar. Two guys jumped me.”
    “A gay bar?”
    “What?” He looked away. “Yeah.”
    “You’re lucky all you have are a few bruises.”
    He ran a hand through his hair, dislodging several tiny sticks and pieces of gravel. “They took my wallet. All my money, traveler’s checks, and credit cards. And my ID. Everything.”
    “We need to call the police.” She started for the kitchen to get the phone, but he gripped her arm.
    “No police.”
    “But you need to file a report.”
    “What I need is a friend, a place to spend the night.”
    “Chess—”
    “I know what’s best.”
    She stood looking down at him. “Where did you stay last night?”
    “With … a guy. But I can’t go back there.”
    She wasn’t sure she was getting the full story. She sat down across from him, on the rocking chair next to the fireplace.
    “Can I stay? Maybe I could sleep on the couch. I