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the gall to move to Arizona last year. I really need Ned to come
back from God knows where and rejoin the family,” she said, referring to her
older brother who was currently halfway around the globe, working on some
business deal that Lena didn’t begin to understand. Then deftly changing the
subject, she asked Frank, “Who’s hosting on Saturday?”
    “Trish
and Dan. And you’re down for beer this weekend, so if you can’t make it, just
give me your six-pack and I’ll take it along.”
    “Oh
yeah, and have it gone before you even make it to dinner? I don’t think so. I’ll
be there. Me and my beer.”
    “You
are not a very trusting woman.”
    “And you love a good beer. Now go away. I have work to do.”
    “Don’t
forget to make time for Ed.”
    “Who’s
Ed?” Lena asked as innocently as she could.
    “Lena...”
    She
grinned, leaning back in her chair. “I’m just yanking your chain, Frank. I’ll
find him for coffee, I promise. He’s a weekend warrior?”
    “Yeah.
He said he’ll be in on Saturday morning. You’ll be here?”
    “Yeah,
sure. I’ll be here. And if he’s not cowering in his crate, I’ll even bring Winston.
He’s an excellent judge of character.”
    “In
what way? That dog is afraid of his own reflection. And me. What dog is ever
afraid of me?”
    Lena
laughed. “I figure that if Winston is ever not afraid of a stranger he
meets, I’m either hiring the guy on the spot or marrying him. One or the
other.”
    “How
will you decide which?” Frank laughed.
    “Probably
by the kind of beer he drinks. And if he irritates me even half as much as you
do, it will be a working relationship only. Now go away. Seriously. It’s your
day off. You should be sitting on a park bench somewhere, feeding the birds.”
    “Birds
my ass. I’m taking the Harley into the mountains. See you on Saturday, Lena. Make
sure that you get some park bench time yourself, OK?”
    She
smiled up at him. “Yeah, I’ll make sure. Thanks, Frank.”
     
     
    Across
town, Chase was having lunch with Jared at one of the local delis in between
meetings. Since Jared was not only his best friend, but also a top-notch
corporate lawyer who worked in the building down the block from Chase, it was
not uncommon for them to get together mid-day for a meal and to talk business. But
today, Chase’s mind was not on work. And truthfully, Jared was curious. His
friend had followed through on making some changes in a way that Jared hadn’t
expected.
    “I’m
surprised at your enthusiasm for the homeless shelter,” Jared confessed. “For
some reason, I didn’t expect that you’d find it very appealing.”
    “I
like it,” Chase said thoughtfully as he took a bite of his sandwich and looked
over at his friend.
    Jared
looked puzzled. “So what do you like about it?”
    Chase
shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s anything tangible. But there’s this spirit of camaraderie.
People get along. There’s no competition – it’s all about teamwork and pulling
together to help others. It’s just different from my normal workday.”
    “You’ve
been spending a lot of time there. Have you met anyone?”
    “Yeah,
but not in the sense that you’re asking. All the women are over 40, and most
are over 60. But I like it. And I feel like I’m doing a good thing. So I’ll
keep going.”
    “Don’t
you want to find someplace where there are some younger women around?”
    “I
think there are a few younger volunteers that show up in the evenings and some
weekends. And I’m told that the head of the place is in her 30s. I haven’t met
her yet, but I hear good things about her. She must be a spitfire to put up
with her staff – they are a bunch of crazy people. Crazy in a good way, of
course.”
    “Oh
of course,” Jared repeated sarcastically, but then he leaned back in his seat
and grinned. “This sounds good for you, Chase. You might even forget why you
started this whole stupid thing in the first place.”
    Shaking
his head,