Perfect Partners

dinner.”
    “I’m not going anywhere,” Diana declared, taking another deep swallow of wine. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
    “I am afraid you’ll have to miss it, Mrs. Escott.” Letty adjusted her glasses on her nose and shouldered her purse. “As president of Thornquist Gear, I cannot allow my employees to be insulted in public. Image, you know. I’m sure you understand. Let’s go, Joel.”
    “I’m right behind you, boss.” Joel took a swallow of his beer, put the glass down on the table, and got to his feet. He smiled humorlessly at the three people left at the table. “So long, everyone. It was a real pleasure. Nothing like coming back to your hometown and renewing old acquaintances. Enjoy your dinner.”
    Letty was aware of him trailing obediently after her as they walked through the restaurant, but she did not look back. When they stepped out into the chilly night, Joel paced beside her in silence. The air around him was almost crackling with the energy he was generating.
    Letty shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her suit jacket. She felt as if she were walking through a minefield. “You want to tell me what that was all about?”
    “Old friends,” Joel said softly.
    “Who? The Copelands?”
    “Yeah.”
    Letty came to a halt and stepped straight into his path, forcing him to stop. “Damn it, Joel, what is happening here?”
    His eyes gleamed in the shadows. “No big deal, boss. Just business as usual. We’re taking over Copeland Marine, and we’re going to liquidate the assets. Real simple.”
    Letty had never in her life felt such an overpowering desire to slap a man’s face. She barely restrained herself. “Tell me what this is all about,” she ordered tightly.
    “You’ve read the file. You know what it’s about. It’s just business, Letty.”
    “It is not just business. It is very clear that whatever is going on here is extremely personal. Explain it to me.”
    “I don’t see why I should. It’s personal for me, but not for you or the company. All you have to worry about is the business side of things, boss. And as far as the business angle is concerned, all the decisions have already been made. It’s a cut-and-dried situation. Copeland Marine is dead meat. The only option is to liquidate.”
    Joel started moving again, obliging Letty to fairly leap out of his way.
    “Joel, wait a minute, damn you.” Letty hurried to catch up with him. “I want some answers.”
    “And I want some dinner. I’m starving. There used to be an old drive-in a couple of blocks past the motel. Let’s go see if it’s still there.”
    Letty started to protest, realized the futility of it, and closed her mouth again. Instead, she trotted along beside Joel, wincing at the punishment her feet were taking in the high heels.
    Joel came to a halt two blocks later and nodded his head at the familiar neon logo that blazed forth over the restaurant. “I should have known. Old Ed sold out to a fast-food chain. Figures. Come on, Letty, you can buy.”
    “Gee, thanks.” Grumbling, Letty dug into her purse.
    “Only fair,” Joel said as he ordered two sacks of french fries and two fish sandwiches. “You deprived me of my first meal this evening, the one Victor Copeland was going to buy.”
    “Somehow, I doubt that anyone would have enjoyed eating in that atmosphere.”
    “I would have enjoyed it. A lot.”
    “I don’t see how.” Letty took her sack of french fries from him. They walked toward a plastic booth. “Not after what Mrs. Escott said. Did Victor Copeland once say all those things about you?”
    “He said a lot more than that.” Joel slid into the booth and opened the carton containing his sandwich. “But what the hell. All water under the bridge, as far as I’m concerned. I’m a real forgiving sort of guy.”
    Letty went still. “Joel, let me tell you something. You don’t do Magnanimous well, so don’t try to make me think that whatever happened here fifteen years ago is water under the bridge.”
    “As I said, you don’t have to worry about it. It doesn’t concern you.” Joel ripped a huge bite out of the sandwich with his teeth.
    “You wanted to come here to Echo Cove so we’re here,” he said a few moments later. “But there’s no point to this little exercise. Complete waste of time and money. If you’ve got any sense, you’ll decide we can go home in the morning.”
    “I had planned to spend two days here. You know that.”
    “We’ve got a