“Of all the ways I imagined this going, this was not one of them.”“Get used to that feeling. It happens a lot with him,” Jack said dryly.“I ...till haven’t heard an offer,” Will shrugged.Jack found herself enjoying the banter. The emotional chaos inside her was diminishing as her entertainment rose. She wished she could see the three in the other tent, but there was something novel about being separated by the cloth. It made the whole thing feel a bit like she was doing something she shouldn’t.. So then for a whileshe was nicer about it. She was calling me Nanci by then, I think becauseshe had gotten to enjoy the daughter thing plus by then I was doing mostof the cooking and cleaning and laundry. She was usually gone to work bythe time I got up and I'd just find notes like "Nanci, remember to cleanthe living room and have dinner ready - I'll be home at 6" and then Iknew that it was a day when I was going to be Nanci and that as soon as Icame home from school I was expected to get. All three of us burst out laughing. Laura went to Kazumi and embraced her as I went to the kitchen to make the drinks. A few minutes later, I came out with our drinks and as soon as I was in my seat Laura joined me with her drink. Kazumi shuffled along the sofa, so she was as close to us as possible. Laura“So, spill,” I repeated. “What was going through your head then Tommy?”“If I had to guess, much the same as you. Everything that has happened this year and even the years leading up to it.. He told me that if I really wanted to work with someone honest, trustworthy, and loyal, then I needed to hitch my wagon to your team and I would be well cared for. He explained that he was semi-retired now, but that he was still a partner in your business. You picked him up when he was just about broke and out of business. You saw something in him that you needed."You saved him from the brink of destruction, and I'll bet even money that you never knew. You breathed new life into him. His wife.