“It’s okay. It’s cold and the wind blows a lot.” She took a sip of coffee. Neither looked away.

“So how’s the novel coming along?” he asked, smiling.

“Good. Half-finished and writing every day.”

“Zelda and Ernest?”

She smiled and seemed amused. “No, that was a stupid idea.”

“Quite stupid, but you seemed to like it, as I recall. So what’s the story?”

Mercer took a deep breath and glanced around the room. She smiled at him and said, “It’s about Tessa, her life on the beach, and her granddaughter, and her romance with a younger man, all nice and fictionalized.”

“Porter?”

“Someone very similar to him.”

“I like it. Have they seen it in New York?”

“My agent has read the first half and is quite enthusiastic. I think it’s going to work. I can’t really believe this, Bruce, but it’s nice to see you. Now that the shock is wearing off.”

“And it’s nice to see you as well, Mercer. I wasn’t sure it would ever happen.”

“Why is it happening now?”

“Unfinished business.”

She took a sip and wiped her lips with a napkin. “Tell me, Bruce, when did you first suspect me?”

He looked at her coffee, some variety of a latte with too much foam and what appeared to be caramel squirted on top. “May I?” he asked as he reached for it. She said nothing as he took a sip.

He said, “The moment you arrived. At that time, I was on high alert and watching every new face, and with good reason. You had the perfect cover, the perfect story, and I thought it might be true. I also thought it might be a brilliant plan, hatched by someone. Whose idea was it, Mercer?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Fair enough. The closer we got the more suspicious I became. And, at the time, my gut was telling me that the bad guys were closing in. Too many strange faces in the store, too many fake tourists poking around. You confirmed my fears, so I made the move.”

“A clean getaway, huh?”

“Yes. I got lucky.”

“Congratulations.”

“You’re a great lover, Mercer, but a lousy spy.”

“I’ll take both as a compliment.” She took another sip and handed him the cup. When he gave it back, she asked, “So what’s the unfinished business?”

“To ask why you did it. You tried to put me away for a long time.”

“Isn’t that a risk all crooks take when they decide to deal in stolen goods?”

“You’re calling me a crook?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I think you’re a sneaky little bitch.”

She laughed and said, “Okay, we’re even. Any more names to call me?”

He laughed too and said, “No, not at the moment.”

She said, “Oh, I can think of a lot of things to call you, Bruce, but the good outnumber the bad.”

“Thanks, I guess. So, back to the question. Why did you do it?”

She took a deep breath and looked around again. Her friend was sitting in a corner, checking his phone. “Money. I was broke, in debt, vulnerable. A lot of excuses, really. It’s something I’ll always regret, Bruce. I’m sorry.”