“Thank you.” Her eyes went to Mr. Dolan’s closed door. “Is he in? I’d like to say hello. We’ve known each other a long time.”
“No,” I said. “He had a lunch meeting in Boston today and hasn’t yet returned.”
“Oh,” she said, deflating like a punctured balloon mannequin of herself. She even seemed to turn a little pale with the disappointment. “What time did he say he would return?”
“He didn’t say a time, but he didn’t think he would be back before the end of the day.”
“Oh. Well, don’t rush. We have plenty of time,” she said. “I know Chet McKinney. He’s still in sales, right?”
“Yes, I met him today,” I said. “Among others,” I muttered, too low for her to hear.
“I’ll just go say hello.”
“He might be gone. They close about now.”
“I’ll check,” she insisted, and left.
I knew she was just looking to kill time in the hope that Ken Dolan would return before we left. A moment later, one of the younger salesmen in the appliances section stopped in. He had introduced himself earlier, during the parade. I sensed that they had all taken bets on whom I would favor the most. His name was Bobby Potter, and I thought he was in his mid-twenties at most, because he still had that just-out-of-high-school look, sweet, still innocent and optimistic.
“Hey, how was your second day?” he asked.
“Very good, thanks.”
“A few of us are getting together for happy hour at a place called Cappy’s, and I thought you might want to come along. It’s pretty laid-back, not fancy. It’s a great way to get to know everyone,” he added.
“Thank you, but I’m technically not of drinking age.”
“Oh, that’s no problem at Cappy’s. I’ll buy the drinks for the gang. No one cares.”
“Thank you, but I have other plans tonight.”
“Oh. Well,” he continued without skipping a beat, “we’re there just about every night. Great way to relax after work, let your hair down. What about tomorrow night?”
“I’m really not ready to start socializing yet,” I said. “But thank you.”
“Not ready? None of the girls does anything special for Cappy’s. You don’t have to put on airs with us. What do you have to do to get ready to start socializing?” he asked, now making my reply sound stupid.
I gave him a hard, cold glare. Maybe it was the Ava in me, but I didn’t have the patience. “Brush my teeth,” I said.
“Huh?”
Naomi walked in, glanced at Bobby, and said, “You were right. They already left. Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I rose, gathering my things.
Bobby looked at Naomi, glanced at me, and then, blowing air through his lips, left in a huff.
“What was that all about?”
“Turning on faucets.”
“What?”
“This is a plumbing supply company, isn’t it?” I asked. “You have to speak the language.”
She stared a moment and then laughed. Her attention returned to Ken Dolan’s door. “He hasn’t returned, has he?”
“No. He did say he might be going to dinner with someone,” I added, even though he had said nothing of the kind.