Because of the way the car shuffle had worked around, Barry and Petra each had to drive their own cars back to college. That was all right with Barry; it gave him a chance to think.

It was going to be another couple of months before he and Petra could head south for spring break. He was looking forward to that; their time at the water park motel had been very good. Certainly Petra was better in bed than Barbie had been; as expected, he’d scored easily on his old classmate at the beer bust back before Christmas, but it hadn’t been worth the effort since she’d just laid there like a slug as he went after her. The amount of beer she had drunk probably had something to do with that, but still, now that he’d done her, there was no reason to want to do her again.

Still, he felt a little sad to realize that Barbie might well be his last fresh conquest for a while, not that she had been a hell of a lot of challenge. There was always the chance he might be able to score on someone when he and Petra went south on spring break, but that could be a long shot if he couldn’t get rid of her long enough to arrange something. Then, there would be at least part of a month at home after graduating, but there wouldn’t be a drunken blowout like they’d had at Christmas to help out. After that would come marriage; after that it would probably be even harder to get free to add to his victory list.

He hated the thought of having to give up the thrill of the chase, the wonderful feeling of success he got the first time he scored on a strange girl. It excited him in a way that nothing else could.

Not that it was bad with Petra, because it wasn’t at all, but the challenge wasn’t there either, and that took a lot of the fun out of it. Still, they’d had a lot of fun at the water park motel, at least because there was still a bit of realization that they were doing something that maybe they shouldn’t be doing. They’d had fun in bed, sure, but they’d had fun outside bed, too.

Just as he’d expected Petra had showed up with a tiny string bikini, and it had been fun to look at and fun to take off her when the time was right. He remembered the time she’d all but lost her top on a water slide, and they’d both laughed themselves silly about it. What was more, she said she needed to be a little modest at a place like that, with all the kids running around and all, but it would be different on spring break. When they’d worked out the plan for spring break she’d decided that she would get a bikini that would be a lot more fun – and covered a lot less since there wouldn’t be the little kids to worry about. That was something to look forward to.

He still wasn’t sure he wanted to be married to her, though. While Petra was a nice girl, things would change a lot and in ways he wasn’t thrilled about. Petra’s mother could not shut up for one instant about the plans for the wedding, and he had to at least show some interest although he really didn’t care about them. He could see why Petra considered her mother to be a pain in the neck and understood why Petra wanted to get away from her.

One thing he had come to understand was that he was getting in too deep to back out now. Even though the wedding was still months off, it would be hard to get out of it if he changed his mind, so he figured he’d better just get used to the idea.

At least he could look forward to getting back to Mike and telling him about scoring on Barbie, and spending all that time with Petra. Mike had never dated much, and never did anything like as much running around, although he seemed envious of what his roommate had been able to accomplish. He’d had a couple dates with that Tammy chick back before Christmas, but Barry doubted that he’d gotten anything off of her. What a waste; it looked like she’d be good for a good time. It was just too bad, Barry thought, that he’d decided to lay off on the chicks around campus, just like it was going to be too bad when he tied the knot and had to give up some of the good life.

But with any kind of luck, only some of it.

Things settled down around the Pafco Supermarkets headquarters once the holidays were past, but with the extra work caused by the addition of the still unnamed hot dog stand to the program they didn’t settle down much.

Right after the first of the year, Royce and Jeremy had filed the corporate paperwork to set up the RJ Corporation, which would be the parent company for both the hot dog stand and Sandy’s Super Subs. That took the help of the Pafco accountant, so the secret of what they were planning was out a little bit around the office. Still, the two didn’t give a lot of details about it, at least not yet.

The new stores seemed like a bit of an adventure, and there was plenty for them to do. Once the corporation was set up, Jeremy purchased the properties that could be bought and signed the leases on the ones that required that option. That all added up to some big numbers, although Royce was able to finance them out of current accounts.

Royce was, in fact, a lot wealthier than he let on, even to Jeremy. He led a modest life, lived in a small house, and drove a company-owned compact car. For practical purposes he was the sole owner of Pafco Supermarkets, and they were a profitable operation. His pay was quite high, even though he didn’t spend the money but plowed it back into investments, mostly in the stock market. In fact, financially, RJ Corporation was a relatively small deal to him. He would not have had anything like as much if his father hadn’t insisted on the pre-nuptial agreement with Maxine over twenty years before. Although he was a modest man to begin with, he preferred being modest, if for no more reason than to avoid female sharks like his ex-wife.

Things were busy for Jeremy, too. As soon as the properties were in their hands, he had to get some quick architectural work done on what changes the stores would need to serve as sub shops, and to get a unified theme in the decoration. Fortunately, Jeremy had a former college friend who was hungry for work and was willing to do the job on a the-sooner-the-better basis. Almost before the ink was dry on the purchase and lease paperwork Jeremy had carpenters and plumbers starting work on the locations. Within days, the necessary furniture and fittings were on order – nothing special, just straight from the catalogues.

As agreed, Royce took over most of Jeremy’s functions for Pafco. One of the first things he did as soon as things settled down over the holidays was to have a word with the manager of the Upper Avondale store about Maria and the possibility of making her an assistant manager. “I’d thought about it for the next time we have an opening,” the manager reported. “But it doesn’t look like we have an assistant manager position coming up anytime soon.”

“I more or less figured that,” Royce agreed. “The heck of it is that we badly need an assistant manager at the Parker’s Corners store. There’s a position there we really need to fill. They’re stretching to cover everything, but that can’t go on for long. Do you think you have an assistant who would be willing to transfer over there so Maria could take their position?”

“That’s a little difficult to say. Just about everyone lives more or less locally, and I don’t know how they’d feel about having to commute way across town. That includes Maria. On the other hand, I know she’s not happy about the dump she’s living in and that leech of a former boyfriend is still nosing around her, so she might be thrilled to death to move if she could find an apartment close to Parker’s Corners. On top of that, it would get her daughter into a much better school. She doesn’t have a car, so commuting is out of the question for her.”

“Do you think she’d take it if it were offered to her?”

“I don’t know, but we could ask her.”

The manager went out to the registers, had Maria close down for a few minutes, and brought her back to the office. “Mr. Parker,” she said as soon as she saw him. “How nice it is to see you again.”

“I thought we agreed you were going to call me by my first name.”

“That was friends, and something tells me that this is business.”

“It is,” the manager said. “I know Mr. Parker worked with you for a couple days a week or two ago, and he was really impressed with you.”

“I was,” Royce smiled. Her black eye had all but healed now, and as far as he could tell she wasn’t using makeup to cover it up. She was the vivacious, perky, pretty woman he remembered from meeting her earlier. “I think you are the kind of person who does the job of representing Pafco like I want them to. What’s more, I think you’re experienced and qualified for a higher level position.”

“It’s nice of you to say that,” she replied politely. “I just try to do my job the best I can.”

“I think your best is very good, and your manager agrees with me. Now, I have a problem. We badly need an assistant manager over at Parker’s Corners, and we agree that you’d do great at filling the job. It is a big promotion, and might eventually lead to your managing a store sometime in the future. You would get a pay increase of about six dollars an hour on a probationary basis, and more when you prove you can handle it.”

“Mr. Parker!” she exclaimed. “You’re kidding!”

“I am not kidding. I think we have to recognize worthwhile employees by promoting them to where they can do the most good.”

“I . . . I don’t know. Mr. Parker, I have to tell you, I don’t have a car, and it’s a long way to Parker’s Corners.”

“It’s not a problem that can’t be solved,” he smiled. “I know there are apartment buildings within a couple blocks of the store, and when I was over there the other day there were banners out advertising rentals, at what I thought weren’t bad prices. What’s more,” he teased, “there is a supermarket within walking distance.”

“Mr. Parker,” she said, a tear coming to her eye. “You’re too good to me. I’ll do it if I can find an apartment. I so want to move away from where I am to get my daughter into a decent school that isn’t filled with gangs and drugs. She’s getting old enough that it’s getting to be a problem.”

“Then there’s that problem solved. Have you ever been in the store over there?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m not even sure where it’s located.”

“I’ll tell you what,” he smiled. There was some reason he couldn’t put his finger on why he wanted to go the extra mile for this woman. “Go ahead and cash out for the day. If your manager is willing to clock you out at your normal time, you can ride over there with me, since that’s where I’ve got to go next. I’ll get you back here in good order.”

As soon as they got outside, Maria turned and took him in her arms for a big hug. “Royce,” she said. “I can’t believe you’re being so good to me.”

“Maria, you’ve just been good to yourself, and we’re recognizing the fact. This wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t think you were ready for the job.”

“Still, it’s something else I have to thank you for, and I’ll try to do my best for you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

They talked quite a bit in the car on the way over to Parker’s Corners. It did not get deeply personal, but she filled him in on her daughter, who was just getting old enough to be left alone for a while if needed. From what Maria said, Ramona was a good student, but she had worried about the problems endemic in her school, so it would be good to get her out of there. “She’s still a little young to discover boys,” Maria explained. “But it’s not going to be far in the future, and there aren’t many boys in that school I’d care to have her discover.”

“I have a daughter who’ll be getting married in the spring, and I suspect she’s managed to discover the wrong boy, although there’s not much I can say about it.” He changed the subject; getting into the details of that seemed a little too personal to him. “Assuming we can find you an apartment, are you going to have any trouble moving?”

“No, my father and mother have a minivan, and I’m sure they will be able to get my brother to help. I don’t have much to move anyway.”

Maria seemed to have a good impression of the Parker’s Corners store when he led her through it. When they found the store manager, his old co-worker Steve Winsocki, Royce told him, “I brought you a late Christmas present. Maria here has been a cashier at Upper Avondale for years, and she’s the next person in line over there to get promoted to assistant manager.”

“Good deal,” Steve said. “Being understaffed for assistant managers has been starting to hurt and I’ve been afraid someone else was going to quit. Maria, you don’t know how happy I am to see you, and I hope we’ll be able to work well together. How soon can you start?”

She explained that she would have to arrange for an apartment close by, but that she would be there as soon as she could. “The sooner, the better,” she was told.

With that taken care of, they went over to the apartment building Royce had noticed earlier. It was not a bad building, and seemed to be in good shape, only a block and a half away from the store. There was an inside-entry two-bedroom apartment on the top floor available, and it seemed like a good price to him. It did to her, too: “This is less than what I’m paying for that dump I’m in, and it’s a whole lot better. The sooner I’m out of there the better.”

A hitch developed when the rental agent wanted the first and last month’s rent, which was customary, but Maria didn’t have the money. “No problem,” Royce said, reaching for his checkbook. “I’ll cover it.”

“Royce, you’re too good to me,” she protested.

“Maria, this is a loan, not a gift. I expect to get my money back, although I realize you’re going to have other expenses so you can take your time paying it. You can mail your checks to me at the corporate headquarters.”

“Royce, I don’t know what I can do to thank you for all this,” she said when they were done with the apartment manager and walking away with the key to the place.

“Just pay me back and do a good job at the store. That’s all I’m asking.”

“I feel like I ought to do something more for you, the way you’ve been doing things for me.”

“Maria, I think I need to tell you that this is boss and employee, not boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“That’s right. You’re not married, are you?”

“No, not married, not even a girlfriend.”

She stopped and took him in her arms again. “Royce, if you ever decide you want a girlfriend keep me in mind.”

“You never know,” he grinned, “but it might not be appropriate.”

“All right, have it your way. But Royce, once we get moved in, can Ramona and I invite you to dinner sometime?”

“You know, I might have to take you up on that offer.”

A couple of weeks after promoting Maria to the assistant manager position at the Parker’s Corners store, Royce accepted her invitation to dinner at her apartment. It was neat and well kept; the furniture could have been better although he understood why it wasn’t. He halfway expected something Mexican but it turned out to be beef stroganoff, which, while not elegant was tasty, not out of a plastic tray, and something better than he would have made for himself.

Maria’s daughter Ramona turned out to be delightful, a preteen just on the verge of blossoming, and was perky and chatty herself. She seemed to like her new school, in spite of being moved with little notice. “It’s a lot better than my old school,” she reported. “The kids are a lot nicer, too.”

The three of them sat around chatting for an hour or so after dinner, nothing very serious, before Royce felt he had partaken of their hospitality enough, thanked his hostesses, and went on his way. Even so, it was something of a landmark; it was the first time he had dinner with a family in their home in several years.

Though he liked Maria, and liked Ramona for that matter, he didn’t think it was appropriate to even think about getting into a relationship with Maria. Still, it seemed like he now had a couple of friends who weren’t office friends, and that was valuable in itself.

Filling in for Jeremy meant that Royce had to make more store visits, not that he minded. Perhaps he went to the Parker’s Corners store a little more often than elsewhere, but Maria was only on duty for about half of the visits he made there. When she was there, they always greeted each other warmly. Royce never failed to ask about Ramona, who was still settling in nicely.

All in all, things were going well for him, and all of his projects were well on track, especially the one dealing with Maxine and Milt. In fact, there wasn’t much happening there, since the main thrust involved getting the Sandy’s Super Sub stores open on time. Although Jeremy was busy, it wasn’t that complicated a project, so it seemed like everything was ahead of schedule.

Not long after his dinner with Maria and Ramona, Royce returned from store visits in the other direction from Parker’s Corners to find a pink callback note on his desk. From the number it was Paul Meyerson, asking for a return call. Wondering what that was all about, he closed his office door and called the detective back. “So what’s happening?” he asked.

“I’m afraid I have to tell you that the answer is ‘not much.’ Tammy tells me that young Mr. Keller did some bragging about playing around back before Christmas, but whether there’s any truth to it is another question. You know how young men are about bullshitting about sex, so that could be what’s happening. It’s certainly nothing that can be proved. From what she tells me, he keeps his pants zipped around campus, so it’s not likely she’ll be able to catch him in the act there.”

“So you’re no further along on that than you were before,” Royce replied in disappointment.

“That sums it up nicely,” Paul replied. “But there’s still a chance that she can catch him at it. It seems that Keller and your daughter are going to head south on spring break in another few weeks, and there might – and I say might – be the opportunity to do something with him there if he can get free from your daughter for a while.”

“No telling on that, and this is the first I’ve heard of them talking about spring break. Of course I haven’t talked to her since Thanksgiving and then not much. It sounds like a long shot to me.”

“It might be, but if you’re willing to gamble a little money, Tammy thinks that there’s a pretty good chance she can not only catch him at it, but get some good video in the process. I think I told you that she can be a little bit of a cowboy at times, and this sounds like one of her cowboy stunts. On the other hand, she’s been right a lot more often than she’s been wrong. The thing of it is, it’s going to cost. There’s the flight to Florida, hotel room and the like, plus some extra expenses, but if she can get them covered she feels pretty confident of success.”

“How much is this going to cost?”

“By the time everything is said and done, we’re probably going to talk in terms of three or four grand in expenses with the hourly charge on top of it.”

“Does she think she can manage it?”

“I have to say that nothing is guaranteed. There’s always room for error and slip-ups, but if everything goes right she’ll nail him. On top of that, if she can’t that might mean that the young man talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. Like I said earlier, nothing is confirmed. All the information we have so far could be just bragging, rumor, and innuendo.”

Royce thought quickly. Ever since the thing at Thanksgiving he hadn’t thought much of his daughter, but she was still his daughter after all. If he could protect her from a young punk predator, he’d at least feel better about it even if she didn’t. Besides, it wasn’t that much money to him. “Tell your daughter to take plenty of suntan lotion,” he said after only a few seconds. “I don’t think we’d want her to get burned.”

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