Ali gestured with her eyes for me to look right. I followed the gesture to Coach Bobby. "Don't you dare fight him," she said.

"He challenged me," I said.

"The bigger man steps away."

"In the movies maybe. In places filled with pixie dust and Easter Bunnies and pretty fairies. But in real life, the man who steps away is considered a big-time wuss."

"Then for me, okay? For Jack. Don't go to that bar tonight. Promise me."

"He said if I didn't show, he'd get satisfaction or something."

"He's a blowhard. Promise me."

She made me meet her eyes.

I hesitated but not for long. "Okay, I won't show."

She turned to walk away. There was no kiss, not even a buss on the cheek.

"Ali?"

"What?"

The corridor suddenly seemed very empty.

"Are we breaking up?"

"Do you want to live in Scottsdale?"

"You want an answer right now?"

"No. But I already know the answer. So do you."

3

I'M not sure how much time passed. Probably a minute or two. Then I headed out to my car. The skies were gray. A drizzle coated me. I stopped for a moment, closed my eyes, raised my face to the heavens. I thought about Ali. I thought about Terese in a boutique hotel in Paris.

I lowered my face, took two more steps-and that was when I spotted Coach Bobby and his buddies in a Ford Expedition.

Sigh.

All four of them were there: Assistant Coach Pat drove, Coach Bobby was in the passenger seat, the other two slabs of beef sat in the back. I took out my mobile phone and hit the speed-dial button one. Win answered on the first ring.

"Articulate," Win said.

That's how he always answers the phone, even when he can clearly see on the caller ID that it's me, and yes, it is annoying.