Title: The Dance Is Over
Author: Lucy Mars
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
Chapter #3:
"Mr. Lyman?"
Sighing, Josh leaned over and pressed the button on his intercom. He hated the goddamn intercom, but Lydia was pushing 60 and she didn't have the strength or the lungs to yell for him when she needed to...or wanted too. Donna never needed the intercom. Pushing that thought out of his head, Josh tried to focus on what Lydia was saying. "Yes Lydia?"
"Ms. Piper is on line three." Lydia repeated, with her clipped English accent.
"Thanks," Josh said picking up his phone and cradling it between his head and shoulder as he read the newest memo that the marketing division had sent out. "Yeah?"
"Well hello to you too Josh."
"What do you need?" Josh asked only giving Kathleen half his attention.
"The latest numbers from labor."
"Um, hold on," Josh said digging around his desk and trying to find the folder that Lydia had put on his desk earlier, "I have it around here somewhere."
Laughing, Kathleen leaned back in her seat. "You've got to try and organize yourself a little better, Josh."
"Yeah, sure." Josh mumbled.
"I don't know how you survived in the White House with your organizational, or lack thereof, organizational skills." Kathleen commented playfully.
Her words unintentionally stinging Josh abandoned searching his desk for the elusive report and threw his memo down. "I'll get the numbers to you later."
"Okay," Kathleen replied, surprised by his sudden curtness.
"If you don't need anything," Josh said, positive that his agitation was obvious from his impatient tone.
"You eat yet?"
"What?" Josh asked surprised.
"Have you had anything to eat yet?" Kathleen repeated.
"No," Josh said confused with where this was going.
"All right, I'm coming up and stealing you away for lunch." Kathleen announced already grabbing her purse.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Josh asked warily.
"I know you bitch about the food Josh," Kathleen laughed, "but English food really isn't that bad."
"Oh it is," Josh smiled, "but that wasn't what I was talking about."
"Who cares what the papers write." Kathleen said moving around the spacious office and trying to locate her jacket, "It's all a bunch of crap anyway."
"But..."
"Please," Kathleen scoffed, "it's all rubbish. Since when did you start reading the society pages anyway?"
"Since they started printing our picture."
"It's a nice picture, isn't it?"
"Kathleen," Josh groaned, blindly reaching for the Advil bottle that he kept on his desk.
"What?" Kathleen laughed, "It is a good picture. Now get your ass together, because I'm starving."
"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Josh asked feeling a small smile tug at his lips.
"No, not much, no." Kathleen replied.
"All right, give me five minutes."
"You've got two buster. That's all the time it takes for me to ride up the elevator and walk to your office."
"Okay," Josh laughed grabbing his jacket from his visitor chair, "okay."
"Good boy." Kathleen said hanging up her phone.
Pulling the phone away from his ear when the dial tone shrilly greeted him, Josh hung it up only to have it ring immediately. Laughing, Josh picked it up. "I'm getting ready, keep your pants on."
"Well my pants aren't threatening to fall off, but I'll check if it would make you feel better."
"Toby?" Josh asked feeling his face flush three shades of red.
"Yeah," Toby grinned, "and I happen to be wearing pants. They're nice comfortable jeans that CJ and Lola picked out. Are you wearing pants Josh?"
"Yes," Josh squeaked, "I am."
"Good, good." Toby said ignoring the amused and slightly turned on look that CJ was giving him. "You still there, Josh?"
"If I say no will we pretend that this conversation never happened?" Josh groaned.
"No, oh no Josh." Toby laughed, "This is much to good for me to ever forget."
"Okay," Josh sighed.
"I'm surprised Josh."
"About what?"
"Have you always answered the phone like that?" Toby teased.
"Toby," Josh moaned, lightly banging his head against his paper padded desk.
"Cause really, Josh," Toby laughed, "if I had known that you'd always answered your phone like that I would have..."
"Toby," Josh sighed, "was there a specific reason that you called me, or was it just to bug me?"
"Oh bugging you is just an added bonus."
"Toby," Josh growled.
"Lola wanted to talk to you," Toby laughed picking his daughter up and settling her down on his knee.
"She did?" Josh asked feeling his face light up. "She's a smart kid."
"Nah, she just didn't want to go down for her nap so she decided to wail for you instead."
"How did you know that she wanted to talk to me though?" Josh asked looking at the picture of Lola that he kept on his desk, "How did you know she wasn't wailing for Sam, or even Abby?"
"Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm her father, I know."
"Okay," Josh said still amazed by how easily those words slipped off of Toby's tongue, "Let me talk to Lola."
"Okay," Toby laughed holding the phone against Lola's ear, "say hi to Uncle Josh, Lola. Say hi."
"Hey Lola," Josh cooed, not realizing that Kathleen had slipped into his office unnoticed, "hey baby."
"Baa...baba...ba...bababa..." Lola said, bringing the baby language.
Laughing, Josh responded like he knew what Lola was talking about. "Wow, really? Cool Lola."
"Ahhbaa...bababaaaa.......bbaaa," Lola babbled.
"You're so cute." Josh said feeling a silly grin spread across his face, "So very very cute, Lola."
"As are you." Kathleen laughed surprising Josh.
Yelping, Josh spun around and looked at Kathleen with the, dear-caught-in-the-headlights look. "Kathleen!"
"Hi Josh-ie," Kathleen laughed, mimicking his baby voice, "ready for lunch?"
"When did you get here?" Josh asked holding his hand over his phone.
"Oh long enough to know that you're cute, so very very cute." Kathleen teased.
"Josh?" Toby's voice boomed from the telephone, "You there?"
"Yeah," Josh said turning his attention back to his phone as Kathleen slipped into his visitor chair, "I'm here."
"CJ took Lola up for her nap. I guess talking to you wore her out."
"Oh, okay." Josh said trying to figure out why he felt at a loss all of a sudden.
"Listen, while my wife is out of the room, I need to tell you something." Toby said in a rush.
"Um, okay." Josh said confused with the sudden shift in Toby's tone.
"Donna was here last weekend."
"You saw Donna?" Josh asked feeling his ears peak up in surprise and attention.
"Yeah, she came up for the weekend..."
"How does she look?" Josh asked clutching his phone and feeling anticipation eat away at him the two seconds it took for Toby to answer.
"Older." Toby said truthfully.
"Older?"
"Tired." Toby added feeling a frown spread across his face.
"Tired?"
"And, just...well..."
"Well what?" Josh asked quickly.
"Not like Donna." Toby said seriously.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, she was missing that, you know."
"Yeah," Josh sighed, "I know." He knew. He knew because he saw it start to slip when she walked out of his office 23 months ago.
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that she's going to be at the wedding."
"I knew that already." Josh pointed out.
"I'm just saying, she's going to be there for sure."
"I knew that..."
"I know that you talked to Sam and he told you that he wasn't sure if Donna was going to go or not after she heard that you were coming." Toby replied, "So, you know, now I'm just telling you that she is."
"Okay," Josh said wondering if he could take some more Advil without overdosing, "Okay."
"Listen," Toby started.
"Toby," Josh sighed, "if this is another..."
"It's not." Toby snapped, "I'm not going to lecture you on how you need to talk things out with Donna, that's CJ's thing. I'm just saying, be prepared when you see her, she's changed."
"Yeah?" Josh asked sadly.
"Yeah."
"How so?" Josh asked desperate for information on Donnatella Moss, or as it seemed the new version of Donnatella Moss.
"She's not the naïve and innocent girl that she was two years ago..."
"It hasn't been two years," Josh cut in, "It's been 23 months."
"Yeah?" Toby asked amused by how scarily alike the two of them were.
"Yeah."
"Interesting."
"How is that interesting?" Josh asked confused.
"Donna said that same thing." Toby said recalling how CJ had paced their room that night full of nervous energy and frustration, as she retold her entire conversation with Donna.
"Oh." Josh said dumbly, "Is she still working for Durbin?"
"Yeah. Conrad offered her a job."
"Yeah?" Josh asked, not surprised. Donna was smart. It wouldn't take long for her to claim a place with D.C's elite. "As what?"
"A strategist."
"She taking it?" Josh asked.
"I don't know."
"She's good," Josh said proudly, "I've heard some good things about her."
"She learned some stuff from you." Toby grinned, "I hear she's terrorizing republicans and everything."
"I'm happy for her." Josh whispered sincerely.
"So yeah," Toby said trying to move past the awkward space that they seemed to have walked into, "Donna's changed. She's perfected the thing."
"Which thing?" Josh asked sadly. There use to be a time when he didn't need to go through back channels to find out how Donna was doing. There was a time when he just knew.
"The thing that you do...or did really."
"Why?" Josh asked confused. Why did Donna need to do that? Donna wasn't supposed to do that. She was supposed to stay the way she was...forever.
"Because she's living a life now where she can't afford to let anyone see what she thinks or how she feels." Toby replied, "You know the game. We all do. If she had stayed the way she was, she never would have survived."
"But she's Donna." Josh protested.
"I know," Toby said sadly, "I know."
"Okay," Josh sighed looking up and catching the look that Kathleen was giving him. He'd forgotten that she was there.
"Josh?" Toby sighed feeling the influence that CJ had on his start to work it's through his mouth.
"Yeah?"
"She's like that because she doesn't want anyone to see how hurt she is."
"Okay," Josh sighed rubbing his eyes roughly, "I've got to go."
"Okay," Toby sighed.
"I'll see you in a month."
"Yeah," Toby said smiling as CJ's arm came around him, "we'll see you in a month."
"Kiss Lola and CJ for me?"
"Sure."
"Bye, Toby."
"Bye." Toby said listening to the dial tone.
Taking the phone from her husband, CJ clicked it off and tossed in on the couch. "So?"
"So," Toby sighed pulling CJ closer to him, "I think that next month is going to be quite eventful. Whether we want it to be, or not."
`~`~`~`~`
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kathleen asked watching Josh twist his napkin distractedly.
"About the merger?" Josh asked, knowing full well that that wasn't what Kathleen was referring too.
"No," Kathleen frowned, "about Donna."
"I thought that you agreed to forget about that particular drunken conversation."
"I lied," Kathleen shrugged.
"Well I'm asking you to forget it."
"I can't."
"Why not?" Josh demanded.
"Because I don't like seeing you like this."
"Like what?" Josh asked purposely stilling his hands and glaring at Kathleen pointedly.
"Oh please," Kathleen scoffed, "Save the glare for someone who's afraid of you."
"I'm your boss." Josh tried.
"For two more weeks." Kathleen reminded him, "After the merger is closed and done, I'm a free woman."
"I don't want to talk about it." Josh said gulping his beer as the waiter delivered their food.
Watching Josh silently, Kathleen crossed her arms and waited for the waiter to leave before giving Josh and small piece of information. "I know her."
"Who?" Josh said biting into his hamburger.
"Donna."
Looking up at Kathleen, Josh said through a mouthful of burnt meat, "What?"
"I know Donna." Kathleen repeated calmly.
"You never told me that!" Josh yelped.
"You never asked." Kathleen shrugged, biting into her salmon and pretending not to notice the look that Josh was giving her.
"How do you know her?" Josh demanded, pushing his lunch aside.
"D.C's not that big a town, Josh. It's a company town. She moved up pretty quickly and I need to know who my competitors were." Kathleen said simply, "Anyways, she works for Durbin and I use to work for McKinney. We crossed paths a couple times."
"Yeah?" Josh asked leaning forward, "How is she?"
"Josh," Kathleen laughed, "we crossed paths, as in made small talk about the people at the parties. We didn't exchange deep dark secrets or our life stories over champagne and shrimp puffs is that's what you think."
"Oh," Josh said trying to hide his disappointment.
"Oh Josh," Kathleen sighed putting down her fork and reaching across the table, "why don't you just call her?"
"Why would I do that?" Josh asked, feigning ignorance.
"Because you know you want too."
"I think I know what I want, thank you very much." Josh said curtly.
"I don't think you do," Kathleen said giving Josh's hand a small squeeze, "You say one thing, but you want another."
"I don't want to talk about it." Josh sighed.
"That just means that I'm going to have to get you liquored up again." Kathleen smiled, "You're a sharing drunk."
"Am not." Josh said returning her smile.
"Ah yeah," Kathleen laughed, "You really are. I learnt a lot about you that night, Josh. Besides the whole 'I don't love Donnatella...but, yeah, I do love her' I learnt about your desire for Mike Piazza to call you 'dude'. If I didn't already know that you were I Mets fanatic, I'd be a little curious about your love for Mike."
Laughing, Josh didn't even notice the flash go off.
`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Author: Lucy Mars
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
Chapter #3:
"Mr. Lyman?"
Sighing, Josh leaned over and pressed the button on his intercom. He hated the goddamn intercom, but Lydia was pushing 60 and she didn't have the strength or the lungs to yell for him when she needed to...or wanted too. Donna never needed the intercom. Pushing that thought out of his head, Josh tried to focus on what Lydia was saying. "Yes Lydia?"
"Ms. Piper is on line three." Lydia repeated, with her clipped English accent.
"Thanks," Josh said picking up his phone and cradling it between his head and shoulder as he read the newest memo that the marketing division had sent out. "Yeah?"
"Well hello to you too Josh."
"What do you need?" Josh asked only giving Kathleen half his attention.
"The latest numbers from labor."
"Um, hold on," Josh said digging around his desk and trying to find the folder that Lydia had put on his desk earlier, "I have it around here somewhere."
Laughing, Kathleen leaned back in her seat. "You've got to try and organize yourself a little better, Josh."
"Yeah, sure." Josh mumbled.
"I don't know how you survived in the White House with your organizational, or lack thereof, organizational skills." Kathleen commented playfully.
Her words unintentionally stinging Josh abandoned searching his desk for the elusive report and threw his memo down. "I'll get the numbers to you later."
"Okay," Kathleen replied, surprised by his sudden curtness.
"If you don't need anything," Josh said, positive that his agitation was obvious from his impatient tone.
"You eat yet?"
"What?" Josh asked surprised.
"Have you had anything to eat yet?" Kathleen repeated.
"No," Josh said confused with where this was going.
"All right, I'm coming up and stealing you away for lunch." Kathleen announced already grabbing her purse.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Josh asked warily.
"I know you bitch about the food Josh," Kathleen laughed, "but English food really isn't that bad."
"Oh it is," Josh smiled, "but that wasn't what I was talking about."
"Who cares what the papers write." Kathleen said moving around the spacious office and trying to locate her jacket, "It's all a bunch of crap anyway."
"But..."
"Please," Kathleen scoffed, "it's all rubbish. Since when did you start reading the society pages anyway?"
"Since they started printing our picture."
"It's a nice picture, isn't it?"
"Kathleen," Josh groaned, blindly reaching for the Advil bottle that he kept on his desk.
"What?" Kathleen laughed, "It is a good picture. Now get your ass together, because I'm starving."
"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Josh asked feeling a small smile tug at his lips.
"No, not much, no." Kathleen replied.
"All right, give me five minutes."
"You've got two buster. That's all the time it takes for me to ride up the elevator and walk to your office."
"Okay," Josh laughed grabbing his jacket from his visitor chair, "okay."
"Good boy." Kathleen said hanging up her phone.
Pulling the phone away from his ear when the dial tone shrilly greeted him, Josh hung it up only to have it ring immediately. Laughing, Josh picked it up. "I'm getting ready, keep your pants on."
"Well my pants aren't threatening to fall off, but I'll check if it would make you feel better."
"Toby?" Josh asked feeling his face flush three shades of red.
"Yeah," Toby grinned, "and I happen to be wearing pants. They're nice comfortable jeans that CJ and Lola picked out. Are you wearing pants Josh?"
"Yes," Josh squeaked, "I am."
"Good, good." Toby said ignoring the amused and slightly turned on look that CJ was giving him. "You still there, Josh?"
"If I say no will we pretend that this conversation never happened?" Josh groaned.
"No, oh no Josh." Toby laughed, "This is much to good for me to ever forget."
"Okay," Josh sighed.
"I'm surprised Josh."
"About what?"
"Have you always answered the phone like that?" Toby teased.
"Toby," Josh moaned, lightly banging his head against his paper padded desk.
"Cause really, Josh," Toby laughed, "if I had known that you'd always answered your phone like that I would have..."
"Toby," Josh sighed, "was there a specific reason that you called me, or was it just to bug me?"
"Oh bugging you is just an added bonus."
"Toby," Josh growled.
"Lola wanted to talk to you," Toby laughed picking his daughter up and settling her down on his knee.
"She did?" Josh asked feeling his face light up. "She's a smart kid."
"Nah, she just didn't want to go down for her nap so she decided to wail for you instead."
"How did you know that she wanted to talk to me though?" Josh asked looking at the picture of Lola that he kept on his desk, "How did you know she wasn't wailing for Sam, or even Abby?"
"Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm her father, I know."
"Okay," Josh said still amazed by how easily those words slipped off of Toby's tongue, "Let me talk to Lola."
"Okay," Toby laughed holding the phone against Lola's ear, "say hi to Uncle Josh, Lola. Say hi."
"Hey Lola," Josh cooed, not realizing that Kathleen had slipped into his office unnoticed, "hey baby."
"Baa...baba...ba...bababa..." Lola said, bringing the baby language.
Laughing, Josh responded like he knew what Lola was talking about. "Wow, really? Cool Lola."
"Ahhbaa...bababaaaa.......bbaaa," Lola babbled.
"You're so cute." Josh said feeling a silly grin spread across his face, "So very very cute, Lola."
"As are you." Kathleen laughed surprising Josh.
Yelping, Josh spun around and looked at Kathleen with the, dear-caught-in-the-headlights look. "Kathleen!"
"Hi Josh-ie," Kathleen laughed, mimicking his baby voice, "ready for lunch?"
"When did you get here?" Josh asked holding his hand over his phone.
"Oh long enough to know that you're cute, so very very cute." Kathleen teased.
"Josh?" Toby's voice boomed from the telephone, "You there?"
"Yeah," Josh said turning his attention back to his phone as Kathleen slipped into his visitor chair, "I'm here."
"CJ took Lola up for her nap. I guess talking to you wore her out."
"Oh, okay." Josh said trying to figure out why he felt at a loss all of a sudden.
"Listen, while my wife is out of the room, I need to tell you something." Toby said in a rush.
"Um, okay." Josh said confused with the sudden shift in Toby's tone.
"Donna was here last weekend."
"You saw Donna?" Josh asked feeling his ears peak up in surprise and attention.
"Yeah, she came up for the weekend..."
"How does she look?" Josh asked clutching his phone and feeling anticipation eat away at him the two seconds it took for Toby to answer.
"Older." Toby said truthfully.
"Older?"
"Tired." Toby added feeling a frown spread across his face.
"Tired?"
"And, just...well..."
"Well what?" Josh asked quickly.
"Not like Donna." Toby said seriously.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, she was missing that, you know."
"Yeah," Josh sighed, "I know." He knew. He knew because he saw it start to slip when she walked out of his office 23 months ago.
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that she's going to be at the wedding."
"I knew that already." Josh pointed out.
"I'm just saying, she's going to be there for sure."
"I knew that..."
"I know that you talked to Sam and he told you that he wasn't sure if Donna was going to go or not after she heard that you were coming." Toby replied, "So, you know, now I'm just telling you that she is."
"Okay," Josh said wondering if he could take some more Advil without overdosing, "Okay."
"Listen," Toby started.
"Toby," Josh sighed, "if this is another..."
"It's not." Toby snapped, "I'm not going to lecture you on how you need to talk things out with Donna, that's CJ's thing. I'm just saying, be prepared when you see her, she's changed."
"Yeah?" Josh asked sadly.
"Yeah."
"How so?" Josh asked desperate for information on Donnatella Moss, or as it seemed the new version of Donnatella Moss.
"She's not the naïve and innocent girl that she was two years ago..."
"It hasn't been two years," Josh cut in, "It's been 23 months."
"Yeah?" Toby asked amused by how scarily alike the two of them were.
"Yeah."
"Interesting."
"How is that interesting?" Josh asked confused.
"Donna said that same thing." Toby said recalling how CJ had paced their room that night full of nervous energy and frustration, as she retold her entire conversation with Donna.
"Oh." Josh said dumbly, "Is she still working for Durbin?"
"Yeah. Conrad offered her a job."
"Yeah?" Josh asked, not surprised. Donna was smart. It wouldn't take long for her to claim a place with D.C's elite. "As what?"
"A strategist."
"She taking it?" Josh asked.
"I don't know."
"She's good," Josh said proudly, "I've heard some good things about her."
"She learned some stuff from you." Toby grinned, "I hear she's terrorizing republicans and everything."
"I'm happy for her." Josh whispered sincerely.
"So yeah," Toby said trying to move past the awkward space that they seemed to have walked into, "Donna's changed. She's perfected the thing."
"Which thing?" Josh asked sadly. There use to be a time when he didn't need to go through back channels to find out how Donna was doing. There was a time when he just knew.
"The thing that you do...or did really."
"Why?" Josh asked confused. Why did Donna need to do that? Donna wasn't supposed to do that. She was supposed to stay the way she was...forever.
"Because she's living a life now where she can't afford to let anyone see what she thinks or how she feels." Toby replied, "You know the game. We all do. If she had stayed the way she was, she never would have survived."
"But she's Donna." Josh protested.
"I know," Toby said sadly, "I know."
"Okay," Josh sighed looking up and catching the look that Kathleen was giving him. He'd forgotten that she was there.
"Josh?" Toby sighed feeling the influence that CJ had on his start to work it's through his mouth.
"Yeah?"
"She's like that because she doesn't want anyone to see how hurt she is."
"Okay," Josh sighed rubbing his eyes roughly, "I've got to go."
"Okay," Toby sighed.
"I'll see you in a month."
"Yeah," Toby said smiling as CJ's arm came around him, "we'll see you in a month."
"Kiss Lola and CJ for me?"
"Sure."
"Bye, Toby."
"Bye." Toby said listening to the dial tone.
Taking the phone from her husband, CJ clicked it off and tossed in on the couch. "So?"
"So," Toby sighed pulling CJ closer to him, "I think that next month is going to be quite eventful. Whether we want it to be, or not."
`~`~`~`~`
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kathleen asked watching Josh twist his napkin distractedly.
"About the merger?" Josh asked, knowing full well that that wasn't what Kathleen was referring too.
"No," Kathleen frowned, "about Donna."
"I thought that you agreed to forget about that particular drunken conversation."
"I lied," Kathleen shrugged.
"Well I'm asking you to forget it."
"I can't."
"Why not?" Josh demanded.
"Because I don't like seeing you like this."
"Like what?" Josh asked purposely stilling his hands and glaring at Kathleen pointedly.
"Oh please," Kathleen scoffed, "Save the glare for someone who's afraid of you."
"I'm your boss." Josh tried.
"For two more weeks." Kathleen reminded him, "After the merger is closed and done, I'm a free woman."
"I don't want to talk about it." Josh said gulping his beer as the waiter delivered their food.
Watching Josh silently, Kathleen crossed her arms and waited for the waiter to leave before giving Josh and small piece of information. "I know her."
"Who?" Josh said biting into his hamburger.
"Donna."
Looking up at Kathleen, Josh said through a mouthful of burnt meat, "What?"
"I know Donna." Kathleen repeated calmly.
"You never told me that!" Josh yelped.
"You never asked." Kathleen shrugged, biting into her salmon and pretending not to notice the look that Josh was giving her.
"How do you know her?" Josh demanded, pushing his lunch aside.
"D.C's not that big a town, Josh. It's a company town. She moved up pretty quickly and I need to know who my competitors were." Kathleen said simply, "Anyways, she works for Durbin and I use to work for McKinney. We crossed paths a couple times."
"Yeah?" Josh asked leaning forward, "How is she?"
"Josh," Kathleen laughed, "we crossed paths, as in made small talk about the people at the parties. We didn't exchange deep dark secrets or our life stories over champagne and shrimp puffs is that's what you think."
"Oh," Josh said trying to hide his disappointment.
"Oh Josh," Kathleen sighed putting down her fork and reaching across the table, "why don't you just call her?"
"Why would I do that?" Josh asked, feigning ignorance.
"Because you know you want too."
"I think I know what I want, thank you very much." Josh said curtly.
"I don't think you do," Kathleen said giving Josh's hand a small squeeze, "You say one thing, but you want another."
"I don't want to talk about it." Josh sighed.
"That just means that I'm going to have to get you liquored up again." Kathleen smiled, "You're a sharing drunk."
"Am not." Josh said returning her smile.
"Ah yeah," Kathleen laughed, "You really are. I learnt a lot about you that night, Josh. Besides the whole 'I don't love Donnatella...but, yeah, I do love her' I learnt about your desire for Mike Piazza to call you 'dude'. If I didn't already know that you were I Mets fanatic, I'd be a little curious about your love for Mike."
Laughing, Josh didn't even notice the flash go off.
`~`~`~`~`~`~`