"Then let's get you home."
At 2:30 I dropped Reba off at her father's estate, making sure she had both my home and office numbers. I suggested she take a couple of days to get settled, but she said she'd been cooped up, idle, and bored for the past two years and wanted to get out. I told her to call in the morning and we'd work out a time to pick her up.
"Thanks," she said, and then opened the car door. The elderly housekeeper was already standing on the front porch, watching for her arrival. Near her sat a big long-haired orange cat. As Reba slammed the car door, the cat stepped down off the porch and strolled toward her at a dignified pace. Reba leaned down and swept the cat into her arms. She rocked him, her face buried in his fur, a display of devotion the cat seemed to accept as his due. Reba carried him to the porch. I waited until she'd hugged the housekeeper and disappeared inside, cat tucked under one arm, and then I put the car in gear and headed back to town.
I stopped by the office and put in the requisite time returning phone calls and opening the mail. At 5:00, having taken care of as much business as I intended to do, I closed up the office and retrieved my car for the short drive home. Once there, I opened my mailbox and pulled out the usual assortment of junk mail and bills. I pushed through the squeaky gate, engrossed in an ad from a Hong Kong tailor soliciting my business. I had another offer from a mortgage company suggesting ready cash with one simple call. Wasn't I the lucky one?
Henry was in the backyard hosing down the patio with a steady stream of water as fat as a broom handle. With it, he forced leaves and grit across the flat stones and into the grass beyond. The late afternoon sun had broken through the overcast and we were finally experiencing a touch of summer. He wore a T-shirt and cutoffs, his long, elegant bare feet tucked into a pair of worn flip-flops. William, in his usual natty three-piece suit, stood just behind him, carefully avoiding any spatter from the hose. He was leaning on a black malacca walking stick with a carved ivory handle. The two were arguing but paused long enough to greet me civilly.
"William, what'd you do to your foot? I've never seen you with a cane."
"The doctor thought it would help keep me steady."
"It's a prop," Henry said.
William ignored him.
I said, "Sorry to interrupt. I must've caught you in the middle of a chat."
William said, "Henry's feeling indecisive about Mattie."
"I'm not indecisive! I'm being sensible. I'm eighty-seven years old. How many good years do I have left?"
"Don't be absurd," William said. "Our side of the family has always lived to be at least a hundred and three. Did you hear what she said about hers? I thought she was reciting from the Merck Manual. Cancer, diabetes, and heart disease? Her mother died of meningitis. Of all things! Take my word for it, Mattie Halstead will go long before you."
"Why worry about that? None of us are 'going' anytime soon," Henry said.
"You're being foolish. She'd be lucky to have you."
"What in heaven's name for?"
"She'll need someone to see her through. No one wants to be ill and alone, especially toward the end."
"There's nothing wrong with her! She's healthy as a horse. She'll outlive me by a good twenty years, which is more than I can say for you."
William turned to me. "Lewis wouldn't be this stubborn -"
"What's Lewis have to do with it?" Henry asked.
"He appreciates her. If you'll remember, he was most attentive to her on the cruise."
"That was months ago."
"You tell him, Kinsey. Maybe you can get through to him."
I could feel uneasiness stir. "I don't know what to say, William. I'm the last person in the world who should give advice about love."
"Nonsense. you were married twice."
"But neither one worked out."
"At least you weren't afraid to commit. Henry's being cowardly – '"
"I am not!" Henry's temper was climbing. I thought he was going to turn the hose on his brother, but he moved over to the faucet and wrenched the water off with a squawking sound. "The idea's preposterous. For one thing, Mattie's entrenched in San Francisco and my roots are down here. I'm a homebody at heart and look at the way she lives – always taking off on cruises, sailing around the world at the drop of a hat."
"She only cruises the Caribbean so it doesn't present a problem," William said.