Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

"Yeah, Peck?"

"Our guests are departing in a Ford pickup with a boat in the back."

"Got it."

Rawlings put the radio away and stuck out his hand. "We'll see you again sometime, Ham."

"Maybe so," Ham said.

"You never know." He offered his hand to Holly. "See you, little… uh, excuse me, Miss Barker."

"It's Holly," she said, shaking the man's hand.

"Bye-bye." Rawlings turned and walked toward the picnic tables.

Back in the truck, Holly called Hurd again and checked in.

"What's going on out there?" Hurd asked.

"I'll fill you in later," she said, and punched off.

"What'd you think of our morning?" Ham asked.

"Funny what Americans do for recreation, isn't it?"

16

Ham drove back to Holly's house, and, once Daisy had been properly greeted and apologized to for her lonely morning, they had some lunch.

"I like a ham sandwich," Ham said, munching away.

"I believe I knew that about you," Holly said. "Hence, the ham in the fridge."

"I knew a woman once who said she liked a Ham sandwich, with a bigH."

"You don't have to spell it out for me, Ham. It's more than I want to know about your life."

"You mean, a father shouldn't have a sex life?"

"No, just not one that his daughter knows about."

"Oh. I didn't know you were so sensitive."

"Funny, you never asked any questions about my sex life," she said. "I mean, when I had one. See what I mean?"

"Point taken," Ham said.

"And anyway, how did this woman make a Ham sandwich, without another woman to help?"

"I wasn't going to bring that up," Ham said, washing his sandwich down with a beer.

"Ham, are you telling me you had a threesome?"

Ham took another swig of the beer. "You said that, I didn't."

"That is appalling," she said.

"What's appalling about it?"