“Yay!” Margie clapped her hands together.

“What’s the bad news?” asked Claire.

“The bad news is that I behaved like – er, I mean, I was wrong.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I was harsh with you, and I’m sorry for that. I hope you’ll consider my apology.”

Claire smiled. “No apology needed. You were doing your job.”

“But maybe you should work on your listening skills,” added Margie.

They laughed, and a moment later, Lucy emerged from behind a heavy metal door, a broad smile on her face.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Instead of rushing back to the airport, Chip decided he should make the most of his time in New York. His son James had moved back to the city after finishing his journalism degree. Chip always missed him, but seeing Marty, who was so close to James’ age, made it worse.

Like many young people, James was usually busy and impossible to pin down, but he answered his phone on the second ring. “Daddio! How’s it going?”

“Hey James! I’m doing pretty well. How about you?”

“Same.”

“I know this is short notice,” Chip continued, “but I’m in town and thought we could meet up. Dinner, maybe?”

“You know I never say no to a free dinner.”

Chip laughed. “Mom doesn’t let you into her kitchen anymore?”

“She does, but I’m getting old, so that’s starting to get embarrassing.”

“But you’re not embarrassed to get a free meal from me?”

James’ answer was instant. “Nope.”

They met for dinner at a restaurant of James’ choice: a small, Korean joint with space for only four tables. The employees recognized James and immediately started joking with him. It made Chip happy and sad at the same time. Happy that James had built a life for himself here, and sad that it was so far from Orcas.

Chip didn’t even have to bring it up. James admitted he was overdue for a visit. “Work’s just been so busy.”

Chip nodded. “You’re still enjoying it, though?”

“Oh yeah, it’s been great. I mean, I’m putting in long hours, but I feel like I’m getting ahead.”

“That’s good.” Chip smiled. James reminded him of himself at that age, though he’d chosen a far less noble career.

James was different than Chip in some important ways. He had a lot that he cared about. His job was as an investigative reporter, chasing stories about corruption and greed. He had a strong moral fiber, which he must’ve gotten from his mother. Young Chip had only cared about getting rich.

“Are things okay at the hotel?” asked James.

“Yeah, I think so. We had a little run-in with the FBI recently, but that might sort itself out.”

James raised his eyebrows. “Are you telling me this because you’re on your way out of the country?”