Chapter 17

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by djastuart

by djastuart

I know I would get overwhelmed by Clément's stay. I'd also started feeling more and more resentment about being a glorified servant. My cell rang.

"Hey Jack, how's it going?"

"Lion?"

"We're back—after our big worldwide tour, two whole clubs."

"How did it go?"

"Oh, a few hundred people in Marseilles. Cannes, a thousand."

"Oh."

"Barry's paying for the party—he's the one that saved his money, unlike me, the spendthrift brother. Caterers will be swarming in around by ten in the morning. Can you let them in?"

"What party?"

"Gar and Chloe's 'Going-away-to-darkest-Africa-party.' They'll set up in the garden—Ethel used these people a million times. They know what to do—food, booze, silver, tables-the works."

"Okay."

"It's going to be a cookout. Barry's been on the horn inviting forty or fifty folks.

"Okay."

"You're the man. We told people to show around seven. You should invite your guy too."

"He's just a friend."

"Well, got to run. Ciao, Bella."

"Uh, ciao." Click.

Gar figured out I was gay, and his brother invited Clement to the party, thinking they were doing me some giant favor. I guess I had to ask him. Sometimes I wish I was a real asshole and could say, "No, sorry, I'm not inviting him because I killed him." I punched the digits for Clements's phone the next day.

"Bonjour?"

"Clement—it's Jack."

"Oh?"

"There's a party at seven o'clock at Gar's house tonight. They'll be some famous people--the leads from "Hellbound."

"Oh my God! They were my favorite band when I was a teenager. Oh, my manager is coming—I need to get off the phone. I will come, Jack." Click.