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buying.”
    “I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty, then.”
    “Looking forward.”
    “So am I.” He hung up feeling much, much better.

16
    S tone and Dino arrived at Patroon and walked into the restaurant together. The owner, Ken Aretzky, shook their hands and showed them to a booth. Their drinks arrived without ordering.
    “Nothing like being predictable,” Dino said to the waiter.
    “We like it that way,” the man replied.
    Dino took his first sip. “You look better than I expected,” he said to Stone. “Are you over the lovely Crane already?”
    “There wasn’t much to be over,” Stone said. “A couple of rolls in the hay.”
    “Well, at least you and the giant ex-husband didn’t get into it again.”
    “The night is young,” Stone said, nodding toward the door.
    Dino followed his gaze to the front door, where Ken was greeting the newly happy couple.
    “How’d they even find out about this place?” Dino asked. “I thought it was our secret.”
    “I brought her here,” Stone said.
    “Doesn’t she understand anything about the male restaurant prerogative?” Dino asked. “She can’t go with another guy to a place you took her to.”
    “Have the rules committee drop her a note, will you?” Stone said.
    “I’m on it.”
    “They look perfectly normal,” Stone said. “Not like a couple with a protection order between them.”
    “If she has a protection order against him, then I can have him arrested,” Dino said. “Just say the word.”
    “I’m thinking about it,” Stone replied. “The idea of seeing him dragged out of here in cuffs is a very attractive one.”
    “Then you could ask her to join us. You could even take her home.”
    “What would we talk about?” Stone asked.
    “What do you usually talk about?”
    “What a rotten ex-husband she has.”
    A waiter stopped at Crane’s table, then came over to Stone and Dino. “Mr. Dugan would like to buy you a drink,” he said.
    “Two large, expensive cognacs,” Stone said. “Tell him to pour them in his lap and set fire to them.”
    “Ah, I’ll tell him you said you already have a drink,” the waiter said.
    “Good idea,” Dino chipped in. The waiter left. “Let’s not start anything.”
    The waiter delivered the message. “Ignore them,” Stone said to Dino. Ignoring them turned out to be hard, but Stone managed.
    “Look, they’re leaving,” Dino said.
    “I’m not looking. Tell me what they’re doing.”
    “Dugan threw some money on the table and escorted Crane out. They’re gone.”
    “Smart move on Dugan’s part,” Stone said.
    Ken Aretzky came over and Stone asked him to join them for a drink.
    “Didn’t I see you in here last week with that blonde?” Ken asked.
    “I apologize for bringing her here,” Stone said.
    “Don’t apologize, she’s very decorative. I hear from the waiter that you and the guy don’t do business.”
    “That’s an accurate report,” Stone said. “He and the woman weren’t doing business as recently as yesterday, when they were divorced.”
    “And he’s taking her out to dinner the next night?”
    “I’m sorry if I’ve cost you a customer.”
    “You’ll just have to come twice as often, to make it up to me,” Ken replied. “I’ll tell my reservationist not to seat the two of you on the same night.”
    “A very good idea,” Stone said, “unless you want a brawl for a floor show.”
    “My china and crystal are too expensive to bear that,” Ken said. “Though it might be entertaining to watch.”
    “It might not be so entertaining,” Dino said. “You saw the size of the guy.”
    “Tell me, Stone,” Ken said, “what’s the secret to handling a guy that big?”
    “You have to throw the first punch,” Stone said. “And aim low.”
    “And it had better count,” Dino added. “You don’t want him getting on his feet again.”
    “I think if I were you,” Ken said, “I’d carry a blackjack.”
    “Good idea,” Stone said. “I’ve got one somewhere.