“Because you protected him!” Jane fanned the same hand at him. “Aren't you the most adorable thing?”
“She wasn't going very fast.” Ace shrugged. “I knew I'd be fine, but Bruno's still little. If he got under her tire, it could have been bad. So I dove for him. Automatic reaction.”
“Well, no wonder you won the admiration of our fair lady here.” William waved his hand at me. “I knew it would take something dramatic to break through her shell. She all but growled at every eligible bachelor who approached her at our little soiree.”
“Oh?” Ace looked at me.
“That's not saying much.” I grimaced. “The men at the auction were full of themselves and terribly boring.” I waved at Goldring. “Present company excluded, of course.”
William burst out laughing. “I have to agree. I only invited them because the proceeds went to charity, and I knew they had the money to spend. They have to give a certain amount to charity every year for tax purposes, and it's always better to get something in return than to make a straight donation.”
“I don't believe purchasing art counts towards a tax write-off.” Ace leaned forward as if hoping to be proved wrong.
“Oh, but it does if you pay more than 'fair market value' for the piece and if the proceeds go to charity,” William said.
“Oh, here we go,” Jane drawled.
“He's interested, cher.” William shrugged and went on, “And here's the thing about art, young man—fair market value is determined by a piece's current worth. So, if you buy a piece from an up-and-coming artist who hasn't been established yet . . .”
“The fair market value is low.” Ace smacked the table. “But what it goes for at auction will be higher because of all the collectors.”
“Yes. You still might score some art at a great price, but it will be more than the Internet says it's worth. And so, whatever dollar amount more than that fair market price that you pay can be used as a tax write off.”
“What I'm hearing you say is that I need to invest in more art.”
“Give me your card. I'll invite you to the next auction.”
“I'd be much obliged.” Ace pulled out a business card and handed it to Goldring.
I realized then that I hadn't bothered to ask what Ace did for a living. When you don't want to discuss your livelihood, you're less inclined to ask about someone else's.
“You'rethatPouderoux?” William asked in surprise.
“Which Pouderoux?” Jane asked.
“Pouderoux as in the pharmaceutical company, cherie.” William handed his wife the card, then looked back at Ace. “How have we never met?”
Ace shrugged. “I don't care for mucking it up with the upper crust. No offense.”
William laughed. “Son, if I didn't have to, I wouldn't either. I admire you for staying out of the spotlight. You took over from your daddy not too long ago, right?”
“I'm flattered that you know so much about my family,” Ace said. “Yes, I did.”
“If I recall correctly, he didn't much like socializing either,” Jane said.
“Now, my fatherlovedsocializing.” Ace grinned and leaned back in his chair for the server to set down his plate. After a quick thank you to the server, he went on, “But only with his closest friends. People he could trust. He never let a person's bank account influence his opinion of them. I learned that from him. Most of my friends are men I've known for years.”
“Good for you. My closest friends are those I met in school.”
“Yes, except he went to a private school. So all of his friends are rich,” Jane added. “Billy likes to act as if he's come up from nothin', but don't let him fool you. Same as you, he inherited his company.”
“I'm not ashamed of that!” William tsked his wife.
“I dunno,” I said in a sing-song tone. “I recall you saying something to me about working hard in the past, so you don't have to work now.”
“Oh, you wound me, cher.” William held a hand to his heart. “I did work in the past. Just because I inherited my job, it doesn't mean I didn't put my all into it. I worked very hard, and I made Sazerac into what it is today. Now, I'm retired. My children oversee most of the operations.”
“Most,” huffed Jane. “He still sticks his nose in.”
