Surely buying the Mercedes couldn’t have been any more obvious, even to Marjorie. Against his better judgment, he’d decided he wanted to see her again. He’d planned on getting a luxury car someday, and now seemed as good a time as any. Besides, he wanted her to have this sale. He remembered her telling him once how she lived on commissions alone. This was his way of helping her through what was sure to be a difficult month, since the first three weeks had been spent recuperating from surgery. Because of that, he had even decided against negotiating the price.

While Sam was with Lydia, Marjorie stood on the showroom floor, pacing back and forth while she waited for him to finish. Her hands felt damp, her throat dry, and yet from all outward appearances she was as cool as a pumpkin on a frosty October morning.

When Sam was finished, she approached him with a grin and handed him the keys to his shiny new E350 sedan, which she’d arranged to have waiting for him in front of the dealership.

“That didn’t take long,” she said, as if surprised, but it was just a means of starting a conversation. From experience, she knew the paperwork didn’t take more than ten or fifteen minutes.

“Have you got time to take a spin with me?” Sam invited.

She nodded, hoping she didn’t appear as eager as she felt. “Of course.”

Like the true gentleman he was, Sam held open the passenger door for her, and she gracefully slipped inside. He joined her a moment later, inserted the key into the ignition, and paused to inhale the fresh scent of new leather and study the dials in front of him.

It was on the tip of Marjorie’s tongue to give him another sales pitch and quote what Car and Driver had to say about the E350. She knew her stuff, but the sale had already been made, and he only had to drive the vehicle to be impressed.

Wordlessly Sam eased the sedan into the busy Tacoma traffic, quickly acquainting himself with the mechanics of the car. They rode past the digital signboard above the Puget Sound Bank.

“Actually, you being able to pick up the car this morning works rather well,” Marjorie said.

“How’s that?” Sam looked away from traffic long enough to glance in her direction.

“I can treat you to lunch.” As soon as the words slipped from her lips, she was flabbergasted. She didn’t know where the invitation had come from.

“Marjorie…”

“That is, unless you can’t…I mean, if you’re due back at the office…The reason I asked is that I always treat new customers to lunch. It’s my way of showing my appreciation for your business.” She was convinced her lies would someday return to haunt her.

“But I was thinking of taking you out.”