Grand Passion

“Listen to me, my friend, I am going to give you some words of wisdom that I want you to remember for the rest of your life.”
    Ben sobered and looked at Max with an intent expression. “I'm listening.”
    “It is okay to screw up once in a while,” Max said. “Got that?”
    “Yeah.” Ben started to grin again, but his eyes stayed serious for a moment longer. “I think I can remember that.”
    “He's here, he's here!” Sammy shouted. “I see O'Reilly! He's just getting out of his car.”
    “Wearing his green suit?” Max asked.
    “Nope. He's got a tux on, just like us. And he's carrying a big present all wrapped in shiny paper.”
    “We're all set, then,” Max said. “Let's go.” He picked up his black jacket and shrugged into it. Then he turned to take one last look at Ben and Sammy. He smiled slightly. “We're going to wow the ladies, my friends.”
    Ben and Sammy exchanged grins.
    O'Reilly was pacing back and forth in the lobby and glancing nervously at his watch when Max, Ben, and Sammy arrived downstairs a few minutes later. George, who had come in early to cover the office while the family went to the wedding, smiled.
    “What kept you?” Max asked O'Reilly.
    “Tell you later,” O'Reilly said quietly.
    “Hi, O'Reilly.” Sammy ran up to O'Reilly and stopped short right in front of him. “I was afraid you weren't coming.”
    O'Reilly went down on his haunches in front of Sammy. He grinned. “I told you I'd be here, didn't I?”
    “Uh-huh.” Sammy's eyes reflected his enormous relief. “Ben said maybe your car broke or something.”
    “Nope, I just had some business to take care of. Hey, let me look at you, kid. Aren't you all spiffed up? I can see Max has been at work. He's the only guy I know who actually knows how to tie a bow tie. Mine is pretied.”
    “Max says I have to look good on account of I'm supposed to guard the rings,” Sammy explained.
    “A very important job,” O'Reilly said. He got to his feet and nodded at Ben. “So this is the big day. You ready?”
    “Ready as I'll ever be,” Ben said, but his eyes were eager. “The family is sending me and Trisha to Hawaii. Can you believe it?”
    O'Reilly slanted a glance at Max. “Yeah, I can believe it.” He handed his gift to Ben. “This is for you and Trisha.”
    “Hey, thanks.” Ben gave the package to George. “Put this with the others, okay? Trisha says we'll open the presents when we get back.”
    “Will do,” George said. He stashed the gift behind the desk. Then he regarded Ben with approval from beneath his bushy brows. “Best of luck to you, Ben.”
    “Yeah, well thanks.” Ben looked at Max. “I guess this is it, huh?”
    “This is it.” Max took one last assessing look at his charges. He frowned briefly when he saw that Sammy had a smudge on the tip of his nose. “How did you get that?” he asked as he grabbed a tissue from the box behind the front desk.
    “I dunno.” Sammy stood still while Max rubbed off the smudge. “Maybe from Lucky Ducky.”
    “Right. I should have known.” Max tossed the tissue into a small trash can behind the desk. “Everyone in the car.”
    Sammy raced out the front door. Ben followed at a slightly slower but no less enthusiastic pace.
    Max waited until they were out of earshot before he looked at O'Reilly. “How serious?”
    “I wish to hell I knew the answer to that,” O'Reilly said. “I'll give you the whole story later. In the meantime, I don't think Cleo should be left alone for even a few minutes.”
    Max's insides froze. “Christ, O'Reilly, you can't just drop that on me and then say you'll tell me the rest later.”
    “It's a long story. I don't want to talk about it in front of Ben and Sammy.”
    “It has something to do with the death of her parents, doesn't it?”
    “Maybe. I just don't have all the answers yet, Max. I'm sorry.”
    “Goddamn it to hell.” Max took a savage grip on his cane and went toward the Jaguar.

    “Would you believe this is the first wedding I've been to since my own?” O'Reilly asked an hour and a half later as he stood with Max near the buffet table.
    “That's two more weddings than I've attended.” Max bit into an exquisite salmon canapé that he had just plucked from the table.
    “Could have fooled me,” O'Reilly said. “You looked like you knew just what you were doing when you took up the position of best man.”
    “It's the clothes.” Max swallowed the canapé. “A man who wears the right clothes for