Read Last Night at Chateau Marmont for Free Online

the bandwagon. Then Randy and Dad will be able to bond over feeding schedules and naptime. How sweet.”
    She waited for it and wasn’t disappointed.
    Her mother snorted. “Please. The closest that man came to a diaper when you two were babies was watching a Pampers commercial. Men don’t change, Brooke. Your father won’t have anything to do with that child until it is old enough to express a political opinion. But I do think there’s hope for your brother.”
    “Yeah, well, let’s hope so. I’ll call him tonight to congratulate him, but I have to—”
    “No!” Mrs. Greene screeched. “We never had this conversation. I promised I wouldn’t tell you, so act surprised when he calls you.”
    Brooke sighed and smiled. “Great loyalty, Mom. Does that mean you tell Randy everything even when I swear you to secrecy?”
    “Of course not. I only tell him when it’s interesting.”
    “Thanks, Mom.”
    “Love you, sweetheart. And remember, keep this to yourself.”
    “I promise. You have my word.”
    Brooke hung up and checked her watch: five minutes to five. Four minutes to get to her next consultation. She knew she shouldn’t call right then, but she just couldn’t wait.
    She remembered as soon as she dialed that Randy could be staying after school to coach the boys’ soccer team, but he picked up his cell on the first ring. “Hey, Brookie. What’s going on?”
    “What’s going on with
me
? Not a goddamn thing. What’s going on with
you
is a much more relevant question.”
    “Jesus Christ. I told her no less than eight minutes ago, and she
swore
she’d let me tell you myself.”
    “Yeah, well, I swore I wouldn’t tell you she told me, so whatever. Congratulations, big brother!”
    “Thanks. We’re both pretty excited. A little freaked out—it happened a lot faster than either of us expected—but excited.”
    Brooke felt her breath catch. “What do you mean ‘faster’? You
planned
this?”
    Randy laughed. She heard him say, “Give me a minute,” to someone in the background, a student probably, and then he said, “Yeah, she went off the pill last month. The doctor said it would take at least a couple months for her cycle to regulate before we’d even be able to tell if pregnancy was a possibility due to her age. We just never figured it would happen immediately. . . .”
    It was surreal to hear her big brother—an avowed bachelor who decorated his house with old football trophies and dedicated more square footage to his pool table than he did to his kitchen—talk about regulated cycles and birth control pills and doctor’s opinions. Especially when all bets would’ve been on Brooke and Julian as the likeliest candidates to make a big announcement . . .
    “Wow. What else can I say? Wow.” It really was all she could say; she was worried Randy would hear her voice catch and interpret it the wrong way.
    She was so excited for Randy, she felt a lump in her throat. Sure, he managed to take care of himself just fine, and he always seemed happy enough, but Brooke worried about him being so alone. He lived in the suburbs, surrounded by families, and all of his old college buddies had long since had children. She and Randy weren’t really close enough to talk about it, but she’d always wondered if he wanted all that or if he was happy with his single life. Now hearing his excitement confirmed how badly he must have longed for this, and she thought she might cry.
    “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Can you imagine me teaching the little guy how to throw a pass? I’m going to get him a kid-sized pigskin right from the outset—none of that Nerf crap for my boy—and by the time he’s grown into his hands, he’ll be ready for the real deal.”
    Brooke laughed. “So you obviously haven’t considered the distinct possibility that you could have a girl, huh?”
    “There are three other pregnant teachers at school, and all three of them are having boys,” he said.
    “Interesting. But you are aware