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for sale in a week. The homeless of Fort Lauderdale would no doubt be wearing her designer labels within the month.
    Buzz’s eggs were delicious. Melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Must use a ton of butter.
    A few people wandered in while Jennifer ate and all of them knew Buzz and Louise. Adolfo would occasionally peek over the back counter and say, “Buenos días.” There was a man in his fifties who took a quick cup of coffee on his way to opening up his store, the young housewives she’d seen jogging in the park a while earlier who had been suddenly drenched by the rain stopped in and a woman pulled her car right up to the front door and ran in to have her thermos filled. From the conversation, Jennifer gathered she was a Realtor, one not exactly thrilled about showing houses in such weather.
    She noticed the elderly woman, Louise, getting to her feet and shrugging into her coat.
    â€œHey there, Louise. Let Adolfo give you a lift home. It’s still drizzling.”
    â€œI won’t melt,” she said.
    â€œI’m not worried about melting. I’m worried about slipping.”
    â€œWatch your step, then,” she shot back, clearly knowing full well he was worried about her slipping.
    This made Jennifer laugh and say, “You tell him, Louise.”
    â€œYou know what I mean....” Buzz said.
    â€œI walk here to walk, not to ride. I’m not worried about a little rain.”
    Alice lumbered to her feet, stretched almost painfully, and took slow steps toward the door with her mistress taking slow steps behind her, inching along with the walker.
    â€œLouise, I’m pleading here—”
    â€œGet over it, Buzz,” she said, reaching the door and pushing it open. Buzz came around the counter to hold the door, but Louise never looked back. He shook his head as he watched her go, then went back behind the counter in defeat.
    Jennifer had never taken her jacket off. She slipped her arms through the backpack straps and went to the counter. She pulled six dollars out of her pocket and put it on the counter next to the cash register. “Do you have an umbrella?” she asked him.
    â€œSure. But I could have Adolfo—”
    This guy was too much. A meal service, a taxi service, what next? “If you’ll loan me an umbrella I’ll go walk along with her, make sure she doesn’t fall in a big, deep puddle, and I’ll bring it back to you before I’m on my way.”
    He stared at her for a moment, thinking. Then he said, “Adolfo! Bring that big old umbrella out of the golf bag back there, will you?”
    â€œSí. Uno momento.”
    The umbrella was dusty. Obviously Buzz hadn’t played much golf lately.
    It wasn’t difficult to catch up with Louise. Jennifer didn’t even have to run. She was just up ahead in the drizzle, inching along. Once Jennifer was alongside, she held the umbrella over Louise and a little over Alice. The dog looked up at her and, if Jennifer wasn’t mistaken, smiled. She definitely gave a wag of her tail.
    â€œHow about a little company?”
    Louise stopped, turned slightly and looked up at the much taller Jennifer. “That’s nice of you, young woman. Do you have a name?”
    Damn, she hadn’t thought of a name! And it couldn’t be Jennifer or Chaise or anything similar. “Doris,” she said in a pinch, and winced. Where the devil had that come from? Now she was stuck with it for the time being.
    â€œWell, Doris, did you just get out of the army?”
    â€œNo,” she laughed. “It’s just a fashion statement.”
    â€œHmm.” Louise looked her up and down but reserved comment. She resumed walking and they went along in silence for a while. Then she stopped, turned to look up at Jennifer and asked, “What brings you to Boulder City?”
    Another thing she hadn’t rehearsed. She realized she was actually quite bad at this. She’d had the