39

THE PLAYER’S CORNER PUB on Washington Street was always Terry Reardon’s restaurant of first choice. The food was simple, blue collar American cooking, large portions on large plates, just the way it always was when he grew up in Narragansett. He never trusted restaurants that spent a lot of money on atmosphere, and no one would ever accuse Player’s of doing that. Besides, for someone who liked kidding around with waitresses who knew how to dish it out themselves, Reardon was right at home. He often felt that the women who worked there were hired for having that special quality.

Terry was looking forward to spending some time at Richardson’s place that Monday night, but Jenna suddenly begged off. She told him she devoted almost the entire weekend to research in the Herald library after Jane Bates’s announcement of her candidacy on Friday. Her time was spent reviewing a lot of the political history involving both Bates and Bruce Singer. Now that there was a contest for governor among the Democrats, she wanted to learn as much as she could about the backgrounds of both candidates. Monday was another hectic day for her, Jenna told him, and she figured she’d be worn out by the time she got home.

Reardon didn’t press her to change her mind. He said she was probably doing the right thing, but that she ought to join him for an early dinner in town. That way, she could avoid shopping and cooking and just fall into bed when she returned to her apartment. Jenna accepted the invitation. She was pleased that he wanted to spend some time with her without sex being on the menu.

They sat opposite each other in a booth along the wall farthest from the entrance. When the cocktail waitress brought their drinks, they reached out and clicked glasses.

“To sleeping alone,” Terry said. He smiled.

“But not too often,” Jenna replied, and nudged his leg with her foot under the table.

“So what do you know today that you didn’t know before you locked yourself in the library?” he asked.

“If I tell you now, you won’t have to buy a paper every day, and I’m supposed to help sell them.” She was being coy. “At least that’s what McMurphy keeps banging into my head.”

“But I’ll send whatever I save to a charity of your choice,” he told her. “Swear to God.”

“Okay, I’ll hold you to that. I don’t even have to think about it. Make the check out to Jenna Richardson.” She paused for only a second, cutting into his laugh. “Seriously, Terry, this whole election campaign is beginning to show some promise. I’m getting excited about it.”

“You haven’t started drafting an acceptance speech for the Pulitzer Prize yet, have you?”

“Of course not.” She hesitated just a beat. “My PR agency is handling that.”

“Touché,” he said, tipping his invisible cap to her. “So tell me what’s happening out there.”

Jenna took a deep breath before answering. “First of all, I think the Bates-Singer fight will be a beauty. He is not going to just walk away with it. That woman is one terrific legislator who hasn’t been wasting her time in the House. Most of the civil rights statutes that have been passed in the last ten years or so have her name on them. She’s a hell of a street fighter when it comes to getting what she wants.

“I’m really looking forward to whatever debates she has with Singer. He’s Harvard Law and she took five years to get through New England Law at night after she won her House seat. But she’s a heavyweight in my opinion. Just look at what she did to Singer in her speech on Friday. If he’s got any brains, he’d better take her seriously from day one.”

“Are you on the women’s bandwagon on this one, Jenna?”

“Nope. I’ll just call ’em as I see ’em. Bruce Singer has a pretty good record and he feels strongly about a commitment to public service. That comes through loud and clear in the speeches he made over the years. But he’s had an easy life and may not be in touch with the average guy in the street. He won going away in both his campaigns for lieutenant governor, but look what happened to him in the primary for governor two years ago. He got whipped by a nobody, a real nobody. Maybe there’s a message there. Still, despite what Bates says about him, the statistics show he’s always been popular with the women voters.”

“How about my boy Richie? Will he have a chance against either of them in the general election?”

“Cardella’s no slouch,” Jenna responded immediately. “He had four good years as AG. He’s handsome, he’s been a successful lawyer and he’ll have Sacco’s republican coattails to hang onto. That’s assuming he wins the primary.”

Reardon looked somewhat startled. “It’s hard to lose when you’re the only one on the ballot,” he said. “Or are you trying to tell me something?”

“Don’t bet the family jewels, Terry, but if my gut and intuition are as good as they’ve always been, we’re going to see some competition for Cardella pretty soon. I’ve asked a lot of people if they expect someone else to get in the race. Too many of their answers are like, ‘It’s still early,’ or ‘You never can tell.’ I’m hearing that from powerful people in the State. By now, they should be able to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ definitely. It’s almost like there’s a conspiracy out there to spring a surprise at the last minute. I’m just about ready to offer McMurphy the usual two to one odds.”

The waitress came over to take their orders.

“Hiya, Pauline,” Terry greeted her. “Any chance of getting tomorrow night’s special tonight?” he asked.

“You sure are lucky, Mr. Reardon,” she answered. “They moved it up a day.”

“Great. What is it?”

“The same as last week.”

“Sounds good. I’ll take it.”

“I’m sorry. We just sold the last one.”

Reardon burst out laughing. “That was beautiful, Pauline. We ought to put together a routine. We’ll be the next Abbott and Costello.”

Pauline grinned broadly, revealing several missing teeth. She was about fifteen years older than him. “You’re a devil, Mr. Reardon.”

Jenna listened to their fast paced repartee in amazement. She smiled for a few seconds and then looked serious. “If that’s gone, is it a good time to order the Wednesday night special?” she asked.

Pauline winked at Terry. “I like your daughter,” she said.

He laughed first, followed by Jenna. Pauline waited a few seconds before joining in.