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of some way to get her way. "Maybe I'll see you at church on Sunday."
    That would be the day. He went to mass every Sunday morning, had done so for as long as he could remember, but Stacy was anything but a church-goer. If she went on Christmas and Easter, it was enough for her. He hoped fervently that she wasn't going to start going regularly in order to have a new opportunity to buttonhole him. "Don't go on my account, Stacy. Much as your immortal soul needs redemption, I think it takes sincerity, along with knees on the kneeler."
    "You want kneeling, Deuce? I can do that. I remember doing it."
    He wanted to growl. "Enough. I'll see you on Saturday. Good night."
    Fuming, he sat at his desk for another half hour and then packed up to leave. Concentration had fled, and all he wanted was to find his way home.
    It was a cold comfort. He knew it would be lonely. Pilar had gone to work at around the same time as Deuce was heading off for the day. They'd agreed to talk on the phone that night, but nothing else had been planned. He was going to miss her.
    * * *
    "I'm sorry, Ms. Peréz, but we can't take payments of less than $200 per month on a bill that large. We have an office policy. I thought I made that clear when you called the last time."
    Deuce put down the chart he'd been making notations on, and listened to the office manager's conversation. The name Peréz had gotten his attention. Was this Pilar? Dr. Stone must have more than one Peréz on her patient roster. But still…
    "I understand that you want to pay, and we appreciate that, but it's our policy. The bill is well into the thousands. It would take quite a while to pay it off." There was a pause and then Joyce went on. "I know your father is uninsured. That's a shame. We can take ten percent off the total, Ms. Peréz, but that's all." She listened, twiddling with a pen and swiveling her head around to watch her receptionist doing her job. "I'm sorry, but Dr. Stone isn't expected back in the office for at least another two weeks."
    Rather than letting it go on any further, Deuce gestured to her to put the call on hold.
    "Can you hold a moment, please? Thank you." She pressed a button. "Yes, Dr. Journey?"
    "Is that Pilar Peréz, Juan Peréz's daughter?"
    "Yes, it is."
    "Look," he said. "I know it's really up to Dr. Stone… What were the payments Ms. Peréz was proposing?"
    "One hundred per month. But that's half of what we'd normally accept on a bill that size."
    He nodded, wondering how far he could take his authority—both with Dr. Stone's practice and with Pilar. "Go with what she's offering. I'll talk to Dr. Stone myself. I'm sure she'll be alright with this."
    "I don't know. Dr. Stone is pretty firm about her payment plans."
    He held up a hand to stop her from going on. "Don't worry about it. I don't plan to get in the habit. Pilar Peréz is a friend of mine and her family could use a break."
    Joyce's gray eyes got a little more interested. "A friend of yours?"
    Deuce frowned. He didn't much need gossip going around. "Just make the arrangements, Joyce. And don't mention to Pilar that I'm doing this."
    "Don't mention…
    "You heard me right."
    "Yes. Of course."
    Despite having a full schedule the rest of the day, Deuce couldn't get Pilar's request for payment assistance off his mind. If things were that tight for them with regard to this medical bill, why didn't she ask him to help out after Joyce had turned down her first request? Oh sure, she'd never actually ask him for money; he could understand that. But she could have asked him if he could organize a payment arrangement. He'd have gladly done so.
    She was too proud and independent by half. She had to let some of that go if they were going to make the relationship work. He wanted to be there for her and help her with this kind of thing, especially in matters he was involved with.
    It made him irritated and disappointed that, once again, she'd kept him out.
    Deuce finished his work for the day and went home.