Page 11 - Connecting Obsessions.indd

He’d grab her, get her into the automobile, and then he could

concentrate on the rest.

* * *

“Wish me luck, Sam.” Rachel picked up her purse and props bag

and then checked in the mirror yet again. She flicked a stray strand of
her dark brown curls into place. “I’ll be back by four thirty”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam, the owner of the burger bar, drawled. How
many times had he heard her wild estimates on when she’d return? “Or

five thirty or six.”
The young woman gave an infectious chuckle and planted a playful

kiss on his cheek. “You’re very good to me, Sam. I really appreciate it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he drawled again. “See you later—and don’t be late,

gal.” By then, she had swept out of the door and down the sidewalk.
Sam shook his head slightly, but smiled. Then he noticed his wife

in the kitchen area, trying not to show she had heard the exchange, and
his smile changed to a grin.

He and Annie had somehow drifted into the role of surrogate
parents to those in their employ, especially the young women, doing

what they could to keep their feet on the ground and to ensure they
were safe. Eventually, they would leave, often saddened, but hopefully

not too disillusioned.
Annie asked him once, “Why do we worry so much about them?”

“Because, after nine years of marriage, the third for both of us and
no kids, your mothering instinct needs something to do,” he told her,

gruffly.
She simply laughed and then retorted, “Of course, and you’re

never just an old softie with them, are you?”

5 | Neil Mavrick