“Do you think there might be something for me at the store? Remember, I worked at a men’s store in college.”

“I don’t know, but I’ll ask at the personnel department. Don’t get your hopes up, they’re very picky about who they hire.”

“Groton and Yale aren’t good enough?”

“Well, that’s not all that’s on your résumé, you know, and you can’t lie to them. I don’t want to lose my job.”

“Nah, I would never do that.”

“Butch, you’ve been a liar all your life, and I don’t expect that to change. Just don’t foul my nest.”

“I put my stuff in the spare room,” he said, changing the subject. “I hope that’s all right.”

“For one week,” she said. “After that, it’s the Y.”

“So, are you the store manager yet?”

“No, but I had the biggest sale of my life this morning—over a hundred and sixty thousand.”

“Wow! How does somebody spend that much in a morning?”

“He buys a complete wardrobe, half a dozen pairs of alligator shoes, and the most expensive luggage in the store. It adds up.”

“How about we go out to dinner tonight?”

“I’ve got some leftover spaghetti sauce in the fridge—how about we eat that?”

“Sure, that would be great. I’ll do the dishes. Are you off tomorrow? I’ll take you to a movie.”

“No, I’ve got to deliver everything from today’s big sale and put it away in the customer’s new apartment. If you want to help me, I’ll pay you for your time.”

“Yeah? How much?”

“Minimum wage, pal, get used to it.”

“I guess I’ll have to, if I’m going to be an honest working stiff. You want to buy a guy his first drink in three years?”

“It’s over there,” she said, pointing to a cabinet. “Get me a scotch on the rocks, too.”

They settled down to catch up, watched the news, then had dinner. By bedtime, she was feeling more confident about Butch. Maybe she really could get him a job at the store.

7

THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE of the lovely weather and walked down to Patroon, Stone’s favorite restaurant since Elaine Kaufman’s death and the subsequent closing of Elaine’s a few months later.

“With whom are we dining?” Laurence asked.

“With Dino Bacchetti and his wife, Vivian. Dino and I were partners on the NYPD a long time ago. He is now the police commissioner of New York City. Viv is the chief operating officer of Strategic Services, the second-largest security company in the world.”

“You were a policeman?”