She grabs her purse from the table I set it on, and I tried to tell her not to worry about it. She just gives me this Look, and says "Jim, regardless of the other things that happened, you DID drive me home in your cab. I owe you the fare for that. Now shut up and accept it."

It wasn't a huge fare, or anything, and actually getting paid for it would help keep my budget happy, so I took the money she offered – only to find out that she'd given me ten times the usual. Not just tip, but the entire fare and tip; it was a nice chunk of change. I tried to give the extra back, but she wasn't having any; neither was Denise, who told me "Take it, Jim. What you did tonight, not just getting her back here, but keeping that animal away from her, you deserve that, and more. She's my best friend – we've known each other since both of us were in second grade, and I'm going to give you a reward, too. Not just money, but something as personal as what you did for me by protecting my friend."

I look at her, wondering what she's talking about, when she shows me.

She stands up and tells me "Edith and I talked about it while I was checking her just now, and we decided that BOTH of us want to show you just how much we appreciate what you did. She still needs some time to get herself together, so I'm going first; but she'll be showing you her gratitude, too."

With that, she grabs the bottom of the baggy sweatshirt she's wearing and pulls it up and over her head before she drops it at the end of the couch – showing me that she isn't wearing anything under it. Like I said, Edith is a looker – but Denise isn't too far behind her in the looks department. Short blonde hair, kind of curly. Beautiful green eyes, pretty face with a wide mouth. She kinda looks like an older and slightly bigger Meg Ryan in "Top Gun".