“You’ll never cheat again.”
“I’ll never marry again.”
“Ah, never say never,” Jasper said, shaking his index finger at him. “After the loss of my first wife, I grieved for her and stayed single for a long time. Thirty years, in fact.”
“Man, that’s loyalty. How’d she die?”
Looking Drex straight in the eye, he said, “In pain
.” He held the stare for a beat, then finished his bourbon in one shot, stood, and headed for the kitchen. “How do you like your steak?”
The medium rare rib eye had been seasoned and grilled to perfection. Jasper apologized for serving the meal in the casual dining room, rather than the more formal one, but the table was set a lot fancier than Drex was used to, and he confessed as much.
While they ate, Drex probed his host for more personal information, but in a manner he hoped would seem natural. “This house is really something.”
“Thank you.”
“You hire a professional decorator?”
“Only to consult. Talia knew what she wanted.”
“Talia? That’s your wife’s name? Pretty.” He glanced around. “She has good taste.”
“She has great taste.”
“Expensive taste?”
Jasper only smiled at that, but didn’t respond.
Drex took a sip of the Cabernet he’d brought, blotted his mouth, and then picked up his utensils and cut into his steak again. “You seem to do all right,” he said, applying his knife to the meat. “What’s your line of work?”
“I work at enjoying the fruits of my labors.”
Drex stopped chewing and looked across at Jasper to gauge whether or not he was joking. Jasper’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t even blink. Drex swallowed and laughed out loud. “Lucky you. You retired early?”
“Several years ago.”
“From what? Must’ve been a healthy business.”
“I created some software that proved to be lucrative.”
Or did you accumulate a fortune by rooking women out of theirs?
That’s what Drex was thinking when Jasper smiled at him congenially and said, “I have lemon sorbet for dessert.”
Drex declined the sorbet. And since it was obvious that Jasper didn’t want to elaborate on his former field of endeavor, Drex let the subject drop. He also declined to have coffee, not wanting to outstay his welcome.
Although he offered to help with the cleanup, Jasper refused.
As Drex was about to leave, he mentioned that the apartment didn’t have air-conditioning. Jasper insisted on lending him a box fan. He fetched it from his garage and told Drex to keep it for as long as he needed it.
“Thanks. Thanks for everything.” Drex extended his hand.
As they shook, Jasper said, “Talia texted that she should be home by midnight. We’re taking a boat out tomorrow afternoon. Not too far offshore. Just puttering around. Why don’t you join us?”
Drex was anxious to meet his wife, gauge her, but didn’t want to appear too eager. “Nice of you to offer, but it’s been days since I looked at my manuscript. The move-in and all. I really should work tomorrow.”
“You can’t take off a Sunday? I’m sure the Lord would understand.”