Rick paced back and forth in front of the glass wall. Hed already made the decision to let Josie into his life, and he didnt regret it. Hed already made the decision to trust her and be good to herit was a done deal. But those decisions werent based on his feelings for Josie alone.

He also had reams of information about everything in her lifeher relationships, her credit score, her family and friends, her driving recordthere hadnt been a single thing untouched by those man hours Teeny mentioned.

But what did Josie know about /him/? She knew what he told her. And even if she Googled him, shed only find old newspaper clips about the accident, the charges that were dropped, and the pending civil case.

Unfortunately, the juicy details would have to come from Rick himself, details he feared would send a woman like Josie out the door.

Teeny rubbed his hands together in agitation. Shell see youve changed.

If she cares for you, shell keep the past where it belongs.

Rick scratched at his beard stubble, then let his hand run down his throat. It reminded him of all the kisses hed left on Josies neck last night. How warm and soft she was. How damn good she smelledlike cinnamon rolls from the bakery, like sweet, hot woman flesh. And that laugh of hers! He hoped that hed hear that joyous, free laugh a million times before his time on earth was done.

Rick?

Huh?

Damn, dude. You werent joking.

About what?

Teeny got up from the chair and joined Rick at the glass wall. You know, one of the things Ive always admired about you is that when you set your mind to something, you make it happen. No hemming and hawingyou just do what you have to do to get it done. Celestial Pet is a perfect example.

Youve built it from nothing to a successful company in just six years.

Its amazing.

Thanks. But its not like I did it aloneyou were with me. And so were my fathers resources.

Teeny put his hand on Ricks shoulder. What Im saying is youve taken the same approach to Josie.

Rick looked sideways at him, shoving his hands into his shorts pockets.

How so?

Teeny smiled. Well, my friend, once you made your decision to deviate from the plan, you deviated the living fuck out of it.

Rick chuckled.

I think youre already in love with this girl.

Rick didnt say anything, mostly because there wasnt enough air in his lungs to speak. He coughed instead. And blinked a few times.

Youve gone from zero to ninety in a matter of days, Rousseau.

I know I have.

No more crashes for you, got it? Thats all Im saying.

Rick looked up into his tall friends face and saw moisture forming in his eyes. Teeny, I wouldnt have survived without you.

No shit, he said. Same for me. Teeny wiped his cheeks and took a deep breath. Okay. So while were on the subject of friends, we really should talk about the dog ladies.

Rick was baffled. The /who/?

Josies friends, you knowthe girls gym teacher, the movie star from /Gilligans Island,/ and the young Demi Moore.

As I recall, they have names, Teeny.

Yeah, well, they were hanging out under a tree next door to Josies place last night, waiting on you to come out. And I spotted them earlier at an outdoor table at Bikos. More importantly, they saw me see /them/. So theyre probably scratching their heads right about now, trying to figure out why the chauffeur for Josies new boy toy has been spying on them.

Rick grimaced. This could be awkward.

Mark my word, Rousseau. Teeny gave Ricks back a friendly slap. The dog ladies are going to start yanking your chain.

Why would they do that?

Because you just busted up their all-girls club, man! And besides, they got nothing better to do.

The sound of the door opening made Rick and Teeny turn in tandem.

Instinctively, Teeny reached for the semiautomatic pistol tucked inside his waistband.

Its just little ole me, Gwen Anders said, her golden hair spilling over her shoulder as she peeked in the door. She smiled at both of them. Hope Im not interrupting.

Good afternoon! Welcome to Wal-Mart!

Bennett Cummings wasnt certain of the protocol here, due to the fact that hed never set foot in a big-box discount store in his life, let alone this particular establishment in Worcester, Massachusetts. But he smiled at the man in the vest, said thank you, and carried on with his mission.

Hed come for clothing and a few necessities for the road. Within seconds of entering the huge structure hed spied a pharmacy, a hair salon, a floral shop, an optometrists office, a bank, a tax preparation kiosk, a McDonalds, and a manicure shop, not to mention the giant supermarket operation in the other half of the building. /My God,/ Bennett thought, /the Waltons of Arkansas will own the country outright within five years./ In the mens department he selected a cheap vinyl belt and two pairs of dungarees of dubious quality, plus a plaid overshirt with a polyester quilted lining. He chose a baseball cap that proclaimed GOD BLESS THE USA! in red, white, and blue script. He selected a few T-shirts, one of which featured something called a monster truck, which had the most grossly ill-proportioned tires hed ever seen on a vehicle. He chose some sneakers, socks, and undershorts.

He grabbed a first-aid kit from the camping department. He selected a small cooler that would fit a few cans of soda and a sandwich or two. He found a pine-scented air freshener in the auto department and a Rand McNally Road Atlas in the aisle of books and magazines.

Somehow, as the purchases began to fill his cart, he felt jubilation.

Perhaps it was because he was finally moving forward. Regardless of how it would end, the process had begun.

Im gonna knock your fuckin ass to kingdom come if you dont put that shit down! /Now!/ Bennett stopped and spun around in his tracks at the sound of the shrill female voice. The object of her scorn was a child no more than five, who was clutching some kind of action figure in his hand, eyes wide from the harsh scolding.

Put it down, you moron! Didnt you hear what I said?

Bennetts heart cracked. He couldnt help but recall Margot at that age, all golden perfection and smiles, one hundred percent human potential.

In essence, no different from the little snotty fellow whose own mother just called a moron.

The woman caught him staring.

Take a picture, why dont you?

A pitiful wail rose from an infant car seat perched precariously on the handle of the womans shopping cart.

Bennett continued to stare at the trio.

Look, asshole, dont fuck with me. Im not exactly having the best day of my life.

We all have bad days, Bennett said softly. But we should do everything in our power not to take it out on the children.

The woman was so offended she nearly spat. She rested a fist upon a roll of flesh that may have once been her hip, then gave him a fierce once-over, from his four-thousand-dollar custom-made lambs wool sport coat to his Gucci moccasins.

What the fuck do you know about bad days?

This was exactly why Bennett had come to Wal-Marthe wanted to tone down his look. He wanted to be just another person on the road, sitting in a rundown Buick, going somewhere or nowhere with his sodas and his sandwiches and his USA baseball cap, not registering in anyones memory for any reason, whatsoever.

Pardon me for intruding on what is clearly a private matter, Bennett said. Its just that I recently lost my daughter. Its been difficult.

The mother, who was hardly more than a child herself, gave her neck a few back-and-forth rotations, then huffed. She die or something?

Yes.

She get the cancer?

She died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.