ton is genuinely different," B

udoir, a riot of

ng, energeti

s. He's not like th

. Wealthy, influential, and, accord

se lounge, fiddli

s, Bea. He even talked about improving

gly perf

perhaps even a kindred

ncouragin

r

y keen," I said,

arms were quie

"perfect setups" ofte

cts intelligence. He said he a

red anything that didn't reflec

earnest, so h

ged lifelong fidelity, his hand

l be unwavering, a bedroc

ere smooth,

lite smile fix

al voice whispe

nd under the table

is was a good thing,

to believ

rket concept to me, something about "leveraged buyo

mount of your own money to control a much larger asset," she trie

to herself, "It' s not l

ath hi

og

between us, an invisibl

s met mine, wide with a s

t a shared fe

d vocabulary,

ir cr

nstructed 1900s

ne who knew Wi-Fi passwords and

I whi

a slow, shaky smile

mation was

nt passed between us, a small crack

ment with my parents, claiming a

slip it was a "personal appointmen

g. Easily ex

r his grand pronouncements

plinter