He told her he would keep her offer in mind.Pat’s routine changed a little when he answered his phone one late afternoon. The caller ID told him the...caller was Paul Conway. Paul was a fellow police officer who had retired two years before Pat.Answering the phone Pat said, “You old son of a bitch. The rumor about you not being among the living is false. All kidding aside, how in the hell are you?”“I am fine and you?”“I am fine too. There must be a reason so what prompts this call to me?”“I don’t. He then climbed up to sit on the table, rather than the seat, and she did the same.“You work on the dock with...” She trailed off, leaving the name unsaid. “It’s Josh - right?” she asked.He nodded.“Can I ask you something?”“Go ahead.”“Does Anthony talk about me? About us?”Josh hesitated, knowing that what her boyfriend said about her probably wasn’t something she wanted to hear. “Well, we don’t really talk much.”“But you hear him, I’m sure,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes. “Be honest.. ” With that, Jill sat on the couch on one side of the room and Abby took my hand and sat me next to her on the other couch across the room. She lay back, flung one leg over my leg and turned and looked at me. “You look so good in those pants Jake. Thanks for wearing them.” “Thank you. I'm glad you like them. I love your outfit, but I bet you look sexy in anything.” “Thanks, I wear leather almost everyday. So long as it's not 100 degrees out anyhow. Even if it is hot, I'll wear a miniskirt or. Met for lunch, feeding me up, permanently hungry now. Robert being kind and gentle. Then squash after work. Robert being unkind and not at all gentle. I'd been lucky to win the odd point. I planned to practice secretly with Barbara and surprise him. Still, the exercise was good after a day in the library. Then we'd walked, damp from the shower, into town to find a place to eat. We'd found a little cafe that neither of us had been to before. It was so good to be sharing something new for both of.