Paul smiled. Knowing Laurie’s curiosity, he was purposefully stringing her along. “I was particularly impressed by Jack riding his bike around the city,” Paul continued.

“Paul!” Laurie intoned with frustration.

“And Lou,” Paul said. “I can’t remember the last time I met a more modest guy.”

“I’m going to flip some of my yogurt onto your silk tie if you don’t tell me what you’re trying to say.” Laurie held the bowl of her spoon back with her left index finger, turning the spoon into a potential miniature catapult.

“Okay, okay,” Paul laughed. He raised his palms in surrender. Sensing trouble, Tom-2 bailed out from Paul’s lap and disappeared into the living room.

“You have five seconds,” Laurie teased.

“The surprise is that we’re going back to Europe this weekend,” Paul said. “We’ll take the Concorde to Paris on Friday, then connect to Budapest. And let me tell you, Budapest has become one of the more interesting cities in Europe. You’re going to love it. I even got us a suite at the Hilton overlooking the Danube.”

Paul stared at Laurie with a self-satisfied smile. Laurie returned the gaze but didn’t respond. Paul’s smile faded. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I can’t go to Budapest this weekend,” Laurie said.

“Why not?” Paul questioned.

“I’ve got to catch up with work,” Laurie said with a half laugh. “I’ve never had so many uncompleted folders on my desk.”

“You’re not going to let work interfere with our weekends, are you?” Paul asked. He was astonished. “You can work all week.”

“I’ve got too much to do,” Laurie said. “I’ve had to let things slide as it is, especially after spending most of yesterday with the FBI over the skinhead case.”

Paul rolled his eyes. “I’ll tell you what: we’ll cut back on what we have planned for the rest of the week. After all, today is only Tuesday. We’ll even scrap the ballet Thursday night even though I had to beg, borrow, and steal for the tickets. It’s not as important as a weekend in Budapest.”

“I can’t go to Budapest!” Laurie said with a tone that precluded debate.

There was a lull in the conversation. Laurie looked at her near-fiancé. He wasn’t returning her stare but rather looking down at his hands while shaking his head in a way that was almost imperceptible. “This is a surprise for me,” he admitted, breaking the silence. Now he was nodding ever so slightly but still looking down at his lap. “I was so sure you’d want to go.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” Laurie said. She softened. “It’s just that I have other obligations because of my work.”