“I could do it forever.”
“I know. Reckless abandon and iron will are a powerful combination. I’m glad you’re not hunting me.”
“What makes you think I’m not?”
“Uh-oh.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t threaten your precious bachelorhood.”
“What makes you think it’s so precious?”
“Well, you’ve created this perfect existence for yourself. You’d never let anybody disturb that, would you?”
“You’ve created a pretty perfect existence for yourself, too.”
“Yeah, but since Jackson’s death, it hasn’t been the same. And I’ve already told you I’m bored with the work.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Lance has offered me something.”
“What? When?”
“At Elaine’s, the last time, when you were in the john and Dino was on the phone.”
“What did he offer you, exactly?”
“He was vague but intriguing. He said I’d have to do some training at a place called the Farm, in Virginia. Four months, probably.”
“I thought those guys recruited from the bottom.”
“You mean, not middle-aged, retired soldiers and policemen?”
“Middle-aged, you?”
“Sure. You, too.”
“Well.”
“It might be fun.”
“The training would be a pain in the ass.”
“I like that sort of thing. I did a lot of it in the army, training and retraining, then passing the training on to others.”
“Maybe you’re cut out for it then. But would the work be fun?”
“Lance seems to enjoy it.”
“Sometimes I think he enjoys it too much.”
“I know what you mean. Still, he’s serving his country, so what does it matter if he enjoys it too much?”
“I hope I never find out. So, you want to go work in an embassy somewhere?”
“No, the work he’s talking about is domestic and mostly urban. The Agency has a new role in homeland security now, and the change has made them understaffed. The money is no better than decent, but I’ve got my military pension, and I’m fully vested in my police pension, too. Plus what Jackson left me.”
“Sounds like I should marry you for your money.”