Silence.
Lee eyed Kit. “Did you know there are seven gorgeous, naked redheads walking this way?”
“That’s nice,” Kit said.
“One of them is carrying a sign. It says, one dollar a lookie, five dollars a feelie, ten dollars a dooie.”
“Dewey who?”
“Fredriksen,” Lee answered.
Kit blinked once and turned to Lee, now watching him with a clear look on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“Obviously nothing of interest. I should have made them tall blondes,” Lee muttered before he pointed to Kit’s empty glass. “Do you want another round?”
Kit glanced at the empty bottle in Lee’s hand. “Oh hell.Why not?”
Lee banged the bottle on the table. “Hey, more rum over here!”
An hour later Kit lifted his head from the table and stared at his half-empty glass. “I’m an ass.”
“Me too,” Lee agreed.
“I can’t keep my hands off Hallie,” Kit announced.
“You are an ass.”
“I know.” Kit lifted his glass and swilled down the rum. “You know this whole thing is my fault.”
“Yup.” Lee poured more of the dark rum into Kit’s glass. Half of it poured onto the table.
“I should have contracted Jan’s cargo sooner. I was greedy.”
“Yup.” Lee closed one eye to better his aim and tried again to fill Kit’s glass. He poured the rum into his friend’s smoldering pipe instead.
“I lost the fortune he intended for his children’s future. I have to take care of them. They have no one else.” Kit sighed.
“Do you like rum tobacco?” Lee asked.
“Sure. That’s the blend I smoke.”
“Good.”
“Why?”
“Just checking,” Lee said as he scrutinized the mouth of the rum bottle.
“Hallie’s really changed,” Kit stated.
“She sure has.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen hair that shade. Have you?”
“Never.” Lee gave up on the glass and brought the bottle to his lips.
“She really is lovely.”
“Gorgeous,” Lee agreed, wiping his mouth with his sleeve before handing Kit the bottle.
