“I read the papers too.”

“Yeah, well, you being from Iowa and all, I wasn’t sure you knew. Anyway, they never got back to me. Not a one. Must have been out of town.”

“They’re busy people. You’ve got to give them more notice.”

“I suppose. But I did stop off to see the Memory Motel—you know, from the Stones song? Walked the dunes. Nothing special except for the size of some of the houses. I guess I’m not much of a beach person.”

“I love the beach. Thanks for letting us come along. It’s such a beautiful day to get out of the city… especially after last night.” She glanced into the backseat where Vicks was still absorbed in her book, then at Jack. “Did you find who you were looking for after you left?”

Jack nodded. “Got his name and address. He’s got a broken leg.”

“Good. What are you going to do?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Last night I wanted to have him strung up by his thumbs and let the Yankees use him as a tackling dummy.”

“Uh, Gia, the Yankees are a baseball team. They don’t tackle.”

“Whoever then. You know what I mean. I’m saner now. Maybe a broken leg is enough.”

“Maybe…” Jack said aloud, mentally adding: for you.

He still intended to pay a visit to Mr. Butler but wasn’t going to be able to work him into the schedule today. Tomorrow for sure.

“Want me to take the wheel for a while?” he said, knowing her answer.

Gia preferred to drive rather than be driven by him—all but insisted on it. Which was fine with Jack since Gia’s license was the genuine article.

Gia shook her head. “Uh-uh.”

“I thought you might want to enjoy the scenery.”

“That’s all right. I know you think you’ve got this perfect depth perception, but you drive too close to things. I’m always jumping, thinking you’re going to hit something. Besides, this is an easy drive.”

“This time tomorrow afternoon will be a completely different story. Bumper-to-bumper for miles and miles.”

Jack rested his hand on Gia’s thigh, leaned back, and closed his eyes, wishing every day could be like this—not just the weather, but the ambience, the togetherness, the peace.

“Where are we going, Jack?” Gia said.

“East Hampton.”

“No, not this afternoon. I mean, in life. You. Me. Us. Where?”

Jack opened his eyes and studied her profile. What a nice little nose she had. “Is there something wrong with where we are?”

She smiled. “No. But sometimes, especially when it’s good like this, I have to wonder how long before something goes wrong.”

“Why does something have to go wrong?”

“Well, with you doing what you do, doesn’t it seem like just a matter of time before a big load of you-know-what hits the fan?”

“Not necessarily. I’m being more careful, more choosy, sticking with fix-its I can handle from a distance.”

“But where does it end? You can’t be Repairman Jack forever.”