“No. I don’t think so.” Leo heard someone washing dishes inside. Chick took off his glasses and wiped his forehead with the back of his left arm. He kept them off and looked over the rail out at the river and Heywood below, the wooded hills of the national park beyond.

“It’s funny. In the ring I could always take a good shot, but I wasn’t one to take a good beating, comprendo?”

Leo nodded.

“A straight right to my chest here, a good hook to my head there-I could take them if they were spaced apart enough. So I was always jabbing my ass off to keep my man from setting himself for those kind of punches. You hungry? Thirsty?”

“I could use a Coke.”

Chick called out for Tess. His voice sounded reedy and not as loud as it should have. Leo wondered if she’d heard him. The screen door opened. Allie wore cut-offs and one of Chick’s white V-necked T-shirts. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Leo stood up.

“Look who’s here, honey.”

“Hi, Allie.”

Allie looked at Leo’s suit, then at her father. “What did you want, Dad?”

“A couple Cokes on ice? Thank you, sweetie.”

She disappeared into the house. Leo sat down and swallowed. He felt like the biggest fool on earth sitting there in that suit.

“What was I saying?”

“Boxing.”

“Yeah, the hits. They were never a big problem because I could duck and back off if I had to, but that wasn’t my style; I was a headhunter. Anyway, I had a lot of knockouts. My last fight I got the crap kicked out of me though, and that’s why it was my last fight, because I got hurt. This French kid-short and tubby too-somehow he could just hit me at will, all to the head. A straight right, another right, an uppercut, then two left hooks. I was out half an hour that time.” Chick put his glasses back on. He looked at Leo, blinked twice, then smiled and looked away. Allie stepped outside carrying a glass full of ice in the cupped palm of one hand, two bottles of Coke by the necks in the other. Chick took his glass and bottle from her. Allie handed Leo his, though she kept her face pointed at Chick. “Let me know when you want to shave.”

“Thanks for the Coke.” Leo sat up as straight on the stool as he could. Chick glanced over at him, then smiled up at Allie as she walked to the door.

“Sweetie, I’m going to ask Leo to do it if that’s okay. He’s had some practice.” Chick turned to him. “You mind shaving another man’s face?”