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“You’re welcome,” Peter said, and Wells laughed.
“Goddamn you, Peter!”
‘ I didn’t teach her to swear like that,” Wells said. “She learn that from you?”
“I’d hate to tell you what she said to Lieutenant DelRaye,” Peter said.
“I know what she said,” Wells said. “If she was a little younger, I’d wash her mouth out with soap.
“I may get to that,” Peter said.
“What the hell is it with you two?” Louise demanded. “A mutual-admiration society? A mutual-male-chauvinist-admiration society?”
“Could be,” Wells said. “I don’t know how he feels about me, baby, but I like Peter very much.”
Louise saw happiness and perhaps relief in Peter’s eyes. Their eyes met for a moment.
“Then can I have him, Daddy?” Louise said, in a credible mimicry of a small girl’s voice. “I promise to feed him, and housebreak him, and walk him, and all that stuff. Please, Daddy?”
Wohl chuckled. Wells grew serious.
“I think he’d have even more trouble housebreaking you than you would him,” he said. “You come from very different kennels. My unsolicited advice—to both of you—is to take full advantage of the trial period.”
“I thought you said you liked him,” Louise said, trying, and not quite succeeding, to sound light and bright.
“I do. But you were talking about marriage, and I think that would be a lousy idea.”
“But if we love each other?” Louise asked, now almost plaintively.
“I have long believed that if it were as difficult to get married as it is to get divorced, society would be a hell of a lot better off,” Wells said.
“You’re speaking from personal experience, no doubt?” Louise flared,
“Cheap shot, baby,” Wells said, getting up. “I’ve had a long day. I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow before I go.”
“Don’t go, Daddy,” Louise said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said.”
“Sure, you did. And I don’t blame you. But just for the record, if I had married your mother, that would have been even a greater mistake than marrying the one I did. I don’t expect you to pay a bit of attention to what I’ve said, but I felt obliged to say it anyway.”
He crossed the room to Peter Wohl and put out his hand.
“It was good to meet you, Peter,” he said. “And I meant what I said, I do like you. Having said that, be warned that I’m going to do everything I can to keep her from marrying you.”
“Fair enough,” Peter said.
“You understand why, I think,” Wells said.
“Yes, sir,” Peter said. “I think I do.”
“And you think I’m wrong?”
“I don’t know, Mr. Wells,” Peter Wohl said.
Wells snorted, looked into Wohl’s eyes for a moment, and then turned to his daughter.
“Breakfast? Could you come to the Warwick at say, nine?”
“No,” she said.
