“Working on the Nelson job,” he said.
“At two o’clock this afternoon, I had a call from WCTS-TV, Channel Four, Chicago,” Louise said. “They want me to co-anchor their evening news show.”
“Oh?”
“They want me so bad that they will give me twenty thousand a year more than I ‘m making now, and they will buy out my contract here,” Louise said. “That may be because I am very good, and have the proper experience, and it may be because my father owns WCTS-TV.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’d like to talk to you about that,” she said. “Preferably in a public place. I don’t want to be prone to argue.” He didn’t reply.
“That was a joke,” she said. “A clever double entendre on the word ‘prone.’ “
“I’ve heard it before,” Peter said.
“But if you promise to just talk, you could come here. How long will it take you to drive from Atlantic City?”
“I can’t come,” Peter said.
“Why not?” she asked.
“I just can’t, Louise.”
“Your girl friend down there with you? Taking the sea air? I saw her kiss you this morning.”
“No,” he said. “I told you I’m working.”
“At midnight?”
“I can’t come back to Philadelphia right now,” he said.
“Somebody told your girl friend about me? She’s looking for you with a meat cleaver?” She heard what she said. “That was really first-class lousy taste, wasn’t it? I’m upset, Peter.”
“Why?”
“My father is a very persuasive man,” she said. “And then he topped his hour and a half of damned-near-irrefutable arguments why you and I could never build anything permanent with that lovely WCTS-TV carrot. And seeing good ol’ whatsername kiss you didn’t help much, either. I think it would be a very good idea if you came here, as soon as you could, and offered some very convincing counter arguments.”
“Would you be happy with the carrot? Knowing it was a carrot?”
“I think the news director at WCTS-TV will be very pleasantly surprised to find out how good I am. Since I have been shoved down his throat, he expects some simpering moron. And I’m not, Peter. I’m good. And Chicago is one step from New York, and the networks.”
“Is that what you want? New York and the networks?”
“I don’t know right now what I want, except that I want to talk to you,” she said.
“I can’t come tonight, Louise,” Peter said.
“Why not? I can’t seem to get an answer to that question.”
“I’m in trouble with the department,” Peter said.
“What kind of trouble?”
“Political trouble.”
“Any chance they’ll fire you, I hope, I hope?”
“Thanks a lot,” he said.