Epilogue

THREE NIGHTS LATER, Nancy, Penny and I were sitting with our shoes off and our feet up on my big ottoman, having Japanese takeout in my den.

Nancy maneuvered several grains of white rice onto her chopsticks. “I made an appointment for you to see my financial guy at two o’clock Monday afternoon,” she told me. “You’ll be getting eight million dollars in a few months, so we have to figure out how to keep as much as possible away from the tax monster.”

“I haven’t decided whether or not to take the money,” I said.

Penny looked up from her salmon teriyaki, horrified. “You’ve got to take it,” she insisted. “Even if you don’t want it for yourself, you could use it to help people.”

With so much happening, I hadn’t really considered this, but Penny’s idea appealed to me. Maybe I should take the money.

Nancy speared a piece of shrimp tempura. “Two o’clock Monday at my office. Had to rearrange my whole schedule to be there.”

“All right,” I said. Then, partly to get Nancy off the subject of the money, I added, “I’m having dinner with Chet this Sunday night.”

Penny frowned, and put down her chopsticks. “Matt better get off his duff.”

“It’s just a casual dinner,” I told them. “I’m not going to do anything rash.”

“Please don’t,” Penny said, “because Matt really likes you.”

Nancy flashed her “I win” smile at me. “I’m proud of you, Morgan—you’ve got two hunky guys to juggle, and you’re finally wearing clothes that fit.”

Aiming my chopsticks at one of the last three shrimp on the tempura platter, I tried to make my tone sound casual. “At the age of thirty,” I said, “I’m finally beginning to date.”

I was more excited at the prospect than I was willing to admit.