Clay drove over to the park to take Taryn for a walk.
"Look Taryn," he said, holding her hand as they walked along. "You've got to tell Toby."
Taryn stopped. She thought she was going to faint.
"How did you know?" she asked.
"I'm not a dumbass, Taryn," Clay said. "The band members talk right at the bar, your mom talks. Now Toby talks to me and thanks me for driving his girlfriend home. It's starting to get awkward."
"Why?" Taryn asked. "So what? You date more than just me, don't you?"
"I didn't," he said. "But when I realized we were not exclusive, I had to consider myself free. Of course, between work and school there are only so many hours in the day."
"I don't see why Toby wouldn't understand," Taryn said.
"Then tell him."
"How? How do I start that conversation?"
"Who knows? Maybe you can write a letter to Branwyn's column."
"Yeah, right," Taryn said, scornfully.
"What, yeah right?"
"Branwyn is a total innocent in this kind of thing."
"She doesn't need personal experience to know," Clay said. "She knows what happened to her five older brothers and three older sisters, various aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and family friends. That's where she gets her knowledge."
"So one of your brothers or sisters has had this situation?"
Clay laughed. "Probably, somewhere along the line."
"You sure you're not mad? About me and Toby?"
"Not mad. But I think you should probably pick, or at least tell him. He doesn't know, so he's probably going to be ticked off, just for not being in the know and looking like a dork."
"He's the lead guitarist in a rock band. There's no way for him to look like a dork."
"He's still going to feel - used. Out of it. Dumb. Pathetic. Everyone else knows."
"Yeah, and he'll tell Yvonne, and soon she'll have a song about it," Taryn said, ruefully. "I wonder if I can do anything to stop her from doing that."
"Short of killing her? Nothing."
"Wait a minute," she said. "You didn't date anyone else until you realized I was?"
"True," Clay said. "But I think you are doing it to get back at Jeremy. Subconsciously."
"Are you going to be a psychiatrist now rather than a chiropractor?"
"It's just human nature," Clay said. "In fact, maybe you're not all that interested in either of us."
"Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy," Taryn complained. "Everything I do, everyone wants to say it's because of Jeremy. I don't plan on having Jeremy run the rest of my life!"
"Then don't let him," Clay said. "Do you really want to go out with me? With Toby? Would you if Jeremy said he wanted to date you again? Think this one through, Taryn."
"I wish I could ask Mom about it. She has so many of her own problems."
"Maybe yours will be a good distraction," Clay said. "Or maybe you can talk to my sister the counselor."
"There's a Delaney for everything," Taryn smiled.
"Yep," Clay said.
Back at the London Underground, Matt said: "I'd better go, I have to get up for school in the morning."
"Me too," Patti said. "I've got to be at work."
Out in the parking lot, Patti got in her car and tried to start it. The engine made some noise, but refused to turn over.
"Damn," Patti said. She tried it again.
Matt heard her engine stalling. He pulled up next to her and turned off the motorcyle. "Car trouble?" he asked.
"Yes, this dratted thing won't start again," Patti said.
"Pop the hood," Matt said.
"I really should have taken it in," Patti said. "Can you jump it?"
"It's not a battery problem," Matt said. "It's late, you can call a tow truck tomorrow. Let me take you home."
"I still have to get to work tomorrow," Patti said. "Well, I'll figure that out. One of the other secretaries can take me. What a pain. I'm sorry. You don't have to take me home, I'll call a cab."
"That'll take time," he said. "Are you afraid to ride on a motorcycle?"
"No, it's not that. It's just imposing on you."
"Oh, no. I don't mind going anywhere on my bike."
He handed her his helmut.
"OK," she said. In truth, she was a little nervous. She didn't think she'd ever ridden on the back of a motorcycle before. On scanning her memory again, she was sure she never had.
She told him how to get to her house.
At first she felt very vulnerable, as he pulled out into traffic. But eventually she just watched the sights they were passing and relaxed.
"Thank you," she said, when they had reached the driveway of her house.
"Any time," he said, and smiled at her before he drove away.
Back at the London Underground, Ned Ashton was having a drink, after he had performed.
He noticed, after awhile, that Toby Breyer came down.
"Good set, dude," Toby said to Ned.
"Thanks," Ned said. "I would have thought someone your age would have hated it."
"Nah, I appreciate a good riff and a good melody."
"You play?"
"Sure, I have a band," Toby said. He described the band to Ned and told him their name.
"I'll come down some night you are playing," Ned said.
"Cool," said Toby.
Suddenly, Ned's cousin, Skye, was in his face.
"Why did you start playing here?" she demanded.
"It's a venue, and I auditioned," Ned said. "And you had nothing to do with that process."
"I just had a talk with the manager," she said. "About what type of music is played here."
"He must not agree with you," Ned said.
"He wants more variety than I do, true," Skye said.
"You only want less variety so that you can keep me out," Ned said. "How come? What's it to you?"
"I think of this place as my escape from the family, that's why. It's bad enough Emily is always around."
"She is? I haven't seen her."
"Maybe she doesn't like the act booked for tonight," Skye smirked.
"She likes my music just fine," Ned said. "This is a public place. The world is not closed to the rest of your family, Skye."
"It should be," Skye said. She marched off.
"She's your cousin?" Toby asked Ned.
"Yes, on my mother's side," Ned said. "I hope I don't have that many genes in common with her."
"You have some," Toby grinned. "Why does she want to get away from her family so much?"
"Our family's older generation is rather domineering," Ned said. "I hover between the older and the younger generations."
"That sounds like the best place to be," Toby said.