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Excerpt fromWatch Me Disappearby Janelle Brown
Chapter 2
The Claremont Moms are circling.
He sips his coffee and leans against the door of his Prius, pretending not to notice.
With every breath thinking,Too soon, too soon, too soon.
If only Olive actually wanted to spend that time with him.
But at least they have this: twenty minutes in the car together every day.
Forty-five if he can convince her to stop at the Cheese Board for a pletzel on the way home.
Where have you been?
Ive been here, actually.
He points at the asphalt under his sneakers.
Katrina purses her lips into an ovoid of approval.
Whats this I hear about you writing a book about Billie?
A memoir kind of thing?
Yes, he says.
She stares at him, waiting, until he realizes hes supposed to elaborate.
Someone took a video of the speech and put it up on Facebook and it went viral.
Half a million views.
Like a modern retelling ofLove Story,but true.
At first Jonathan was appalled by the idea.
In fact, it seemed to solve a lot of problems in one go.
Whynotpaint a loving portrait of her mother that she would cherish forever?
He called the agent back: OK, Ill do it.
By February, hed emptied his desk atDecodeand settled into the life of a fulltime writer.
I remember your speech!
It had me in tears, Katrina breathes.
Its just wonderful that youre writing about Billie.
God, this must have been such a difficult year for you.
Learning how to speak Chinese isdifficult.
Winning a Pulitzer Prize isdifficult.
Its the fucking end of the world.
Were surviving, he says.
Katrina leans in close enough that he can see mascara flakes in her lashes.
Time heals all wounds.
He nods soberly, as if this is the very first time hes heard this infuriating platitude.
Listen, why dont you and Olive come over for dinner next weekend with Tracy and me?
Im sure its been a while since you two had a homecooked meal.
What a nice offer.
He edges away from Katrina and toward the schools stairs, as if in anticipation of the bell.
Jonathan quickly backs away, but its too late: Shes spotted him.
When that fails to slow Gillespies approach, he attempts diversion: Is something wrong with Olive?
he asks as she comes closer.
No, shes her usual rayofsunshine self, Gillespie says.
But you said there would be a check on my desk this week and .
She lets the accusation linger there.
Well, the funds are still tied up.
If you’ve got the option to give me a little more time?
Gillespies brow draws together, her beaky face going suddenly sincere.
But were three months past the tuition due date, and Ive already given you every concession I can.
We can revisit this in the spring semester, but for now .
Just a few more weeks, he says.
Ill see if I can move some money around.
Now the pain level is more like attempting to remove your spleen without any anesthesia.
Maybe that was a mistake, but now, five years in, Olive is solidly a Claremont Girl.
How can he take that away from her when shes already lost so much?
Claremont is Olives entire life.
Plus, theres a solution just on the horizon.
The Claremont Moms are circling.
If only Olive actually wanted to spend that time with him.
But at least they have this: twenty minutes in the car together every day.
Fortyfive if he can convince her to stop at the Cheese Board for a pletzel on the way home.
Excerpted fromWATCH ME DISAPPEARby Janelle Brown Copyright 2017 by Janelle Brown.
Excerpted by permission of Spiegel & Grau.
No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
