Jack eyed the food on Dennis’s plate. Waffles smothered with sliced chicken and gravy, applesauce, and skinny string beans on the side. “How can you eat that for breakfast, Dennis?”

“I grew up on it, that’s how. My grandpa said it would grow hair on my chest, and he was right. Soon as I started eating it, I got hair on my chest. Also, it is delicious. My question is, How in the hell can you eat a stack of pancakes that’s a foot high?”

Jack stuck his finger in the mound of scrambled eggs and decided they were cool enough for Cyrus. He set the plate on the floor and tucked into his pancakes. He ate them all. Cyrus licked his plate clean, and Dennis polished off his food in record time.

“Now all I want to do is go to sleep,” Jack grumbled. “I’m stuffed, and it’s all your fault, Dennis. This was your idea. We should have just gone with coffee and toast and waited for Charles to make something.” Cyrus growled deep in his throat to show what he thought of that particular idea. Dining out meant he got a real meal as opposed to what Charles fed him—a skimpy, lean, and mean meal on Dr. Pappas’s orders.

Jack dug around in his pockets for money to leave for the waiter. Then he signed the check, knowing the hotel would pick up the tab. Thank God for Annie and her generosity. “Dennis, let me see those pictures again.”

Dennis took out Jack’s phone, which Jack had given him earlier; clicked it on; and scrolled through the apps till he found what he wanted. “If you dare tell me that isn’t Zack Meadows, then I am a monkey’s uncle. That’s him! The lighting isn’t all that good, but you can still make out his features. Charles will have to agree, Dennis.”

“You know what, Jack. I bet if we went to wherever it is that Meadows lives and broke into his car, we’d find that damn beard he ripped off back there at Happy Village. You wanna go for it?”

“Nah. These pictures are good enough. I caught him ripping it off, so that’s just as good. C’mon, I want to take a shower and wash the stink of the night off me. I’ll meet you up at the penthouse when I’m ready.”

“Works for me,” Dennis said, pushing his chair back under the table. “Do you want me to take Cyrus out for you?”

Jack looked down at the big dog. “You need to do anything?” Two short woofs. No.

“Thanks for a fun night, Jack,” Dennis said, a wicked grin playing around the corners of his mouth. “Let’s just not make a habit of middle-of-the-night trysts.”

Jack laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Dennis demanded.