“I like it, I like it!” Abraham nodded his head.

“Adrienne, this is my father.”

“Oh my God. He’s adorable.”

Abraham stood up. “Do you want to dance?”

“Dad, that’s okay.” Frankie put her hand on his arm to keep him seated.

But Abraham was suddenly humming “Pennies from Heaven.” He grabbed Adrienne’s hand and began twirling her.

“Dad, stop!” Frankie tried to cut it short but Adrienne wouldn’t hear of it.

“Mr. Weissman, I can tell your daughter gets her bedside manner from you.”

“Every time it rains, it rains / Pennies from heaven.” Abraham began repeating the first line of the melody until Adrienne pulled away.

“Well, I’ve got a personal shopper waiting for me at Hermès, and you know how irritable the French are. But Frankie, if you’re not doing anything tonight, we’re having a few pals on the boat and it would be so fabulous if you came. We never get to spend enough time together. And also, Jessica has this rash that won’t go away. Usually Paul and I never travel without our GP, but he’s with the Chens this holiday, and I’m not sending my daughter to some Florida doctor I don’t know.”

“Thank you.” Frankie was almost stunned by the circuitous nature of the invitation. “I’m probably busy with my dad.”

“Oh honey, you don’t have to worry about him. He’s a real player! If you change your mind we’ve got a little puff-puff bringing our guests back and forth. Just go down to our dock. And you don’t have to bring your medical equipment—we have everything you’ll need. Bye, handsome.” Adrienne gave Abraham a big kiss on the lips and clomped away.

“Nice girl.” Abraham watched as she left and then blurted, “Where the hell is the goddamn waiter? I’m starving!”

“Look, Dad, here comes Helen.” Frankie tried to divert his attention from eating again.

“I was looking for you everywhere.” Helen sat down at the table.

“How was your massage?” Frankie asked her.

“Not as good as my Korean girl in New York and twice as expensive!” Helen grabbed the remaining papaya slice out of Abraham’s hand. “Frankie, he shouldn’t be eating.”

“He was hungry,” Frankie replied.

“He doesn’t know when he’s hungry. You shouldn’t listen to him.”

He turned to Helen. “Dear, I’ve had nothing to eat all day.”

“Stop it, Abraham! Just stop it!” Helen suddenly shouted at him.

“Please don’t yell at him,” Frankie cut her off.

“You think this is easy? It’s not easy.” Helen’s voice broke.

“Helen, I don’t think it’s easy. I just think you should have kept Miss Gee to help you.”

“Oh please, I know these fat blonde women.” Helen pulled herself together. “They’re the kind who marry sick men with no prenuptial agreement.”

“But Dad is married to you.”

“Frankie, you went to Princeton and Harvard. Didn’t they teach you anything? That fat nurse doesn’t care who he’s married to. She was moving in.”

Anticipating another dinner with Abraham and Helen, Frankie decided to accept the invitation to Adrienne Strong-Rodman’s yacht. As much as she knew that she had only been invited to examine Jessica’s rash, she liked the idea of being separated for an evening from her life on shore by a substantial body of water.