Read The Exposé 4 for Free Online Page B

in,
sorry about the mess. Luca lost his backpack, so he decided to empty
every drawer and cabinet in the place.”
    I
usher Zoe inside ahead of me. The house is small but welcoming as
always: cluttered with toys and comfy furniture, with Luca’s
artwork framed on the walls. The kind of home every kid should have
growing up, but that Maria and I both went without.
    “Hi,
it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Zoe says, looking like
she’s at a job interview. “I’m Zoe.”
    Maria
smiles, and pulls her into a hug. “I know who you are. And
believe me, I have questions. Like how you got this guy to agree to
lunch. I usually have to pull teeth to get him not to work on the
weekend.”
    Zoe
looks relieved. “Well, threatening to withhold sex works pretty
well.”
    Maria
bursts out laughing. Zoe flushes. “Shit, did I really just say
that?”
    “Yes,
you did, and I can tell we’re going to be best friends.”
    She
links arms with Zoe and pulls her through to the open-plan kitchen
area. There’s a tug on my arm. Luca has his car controller in
one hand. “Can you show me how to make it go really fast? The
instructions say it can do tricks, but I can’t figure it out.”
    “Sure
thing.” I heave him up over my shoulders in a fireman’s
lift and stride through the kitchen to the back door. “We’ll
leave the girls in the kitchen -- where they belong.”
    “Hey!”
Maria and Zoe look over from where they’re sitting. “We
heard that.”
    “Just
for that sexist garbage, you get to do all the dishes,” Zoe
adds.
    “You
hear that, kid?” I carry Luca outside. “You’re on
clean-up.”
     
    *
     
    After
Luca and I give his new toy a good try out, we head back inside. Zoe
and Maria are setting out lunch, gossiping a mile a minute.
    “...And
then Tasha says he tipped her a thousand bucks.”
    “No!”
    “Yes!”
    I see
Maria’s face lit up, and feel glad I introduced them. I forget
sometimes how young Maria is, but she’s just a couple of years
older than Zoe. It’s good for her to laugh and have some fun
with friends.
    “What
are you ladies gossiping about?”
    “What
else?” Zoe smirks. “Men.”
    “Uh
oh.” I pretend to cover Luca’s ears. “This can’t
be good.”
    “You’re
safe for now.” Zoe leans up and kisses me lightly. “But
Maria promised to bring out the old photo albums later. I believe I
heard something about a ponytail...”
    “Traitor,”
I laugh at Maria.
    “I
thought you looked super-fly,” she winks.
    We
wash up and sit down to eat. There’s a whole spread of
sandwiches and pickles and chips. “Sorry it’s not fancy,”
Maria apologizes to Zoe.
    “Are
you kidding?” she replies. “PB&J are my favorite. I
swear, I lived on these in college.”
    I sit
back and dig in, relaxed.
    “Where
did you grow up?” Maria asks. “You said you studied
journalism?”
    Zoe
nods. “I’m from Missouri, a town just outside Kansas
City. Nothing fancy,” she shrugs. “My mom is a high
school teacher there, and my dad worked at a chemical plant, until he
threw his back out about five years ago. For college I got a great
scholarship package to Indiana State,” she continues. “Their
journalism program is pretty decent, and honestly I just couldn’t
swing the financing for anywhere else.”
    “Hey,
you got your degree, that’s more than either of us,”
Maria protests.
    Zoe
looks over. “You didn’t go to college?”
    “I
took some business classes at night, while I was working to open my
first bar,” I explain, reaching for another sandwich. “But
I didn’t see the point in spending all that money, I just
wanted to get out there and start working.”
    “Building
that empire.” Zoe smiles. “You’ve come a long way.”
    “So
have you,” I reply.
    She
gives a wry smile. “I’m unemployed, with like a literal
mountain of loans. But thanks anyway.”
    I’m
about to argue -- that she’s got all kinds of skills that
employers should be fighting over -- when there’s a