Perfect Partners

your ass and ran you out of town. And you didn’t get the girl.” Stan glanced down the length of the bar to where Escott was sitting. “If you ask me, you were lucky.”
    “I was just thinking the same thing, myself.”
    “Tell me something. This business of you workin’ for Thornquist and Thornquist gettin’ ready to shut down the yard. It ain’t all one big coincidence, is it?”
    Joel smiled faintly. “You were always smarter than you looked, Stan. No, it isn’t a coincidence, is it?”
    Stan scowled. “You’re gonna persuade that Miss Thornquist to close down the yard and a good chunk of this town just because you didn’t get the girl fifteen years ago?”
    “No,” Joel said. “Not because of that.”
    “Then why in hell you gonna do it?” Stan demanded.
    “Business.” Joel took another long swallow of beer. “Just good sound business reasons, Stan. Nothing personal.”
    “Bullshit. There’s a lot of good people who are gonna wind up in real trouble if you go through with this.”
    “Good people, Stan? Nice people like you, maybe? You think I give a damn what happens to folks like you?”
    Stan glared at him, looking uneasy. “Now, see here, Blackstone. I had nothing to do with what happened between you and Copeland. And it sure as hell ain’t my fault your father got drunk and drove himself off a cliff that night.”
    “Not your fault, Stan? You were serving the drinks. You knew exactly how drunk he was, didn’t you?”
    “He was drunk, damn it. I know you don’t believe that, but your old man was soused. And you can’t blame me for it, neither. Not my job to get in the way of a man’s drinkin’,” Stan huffed. He looked ready to add to his own defense, but at that moment he glanced past Joel. He nodded brusquely at whoever was standing there and took himself off to the far end of the bar.
    Joel glanced over his shoulder and saw Keith Escott. “’Evening, Escott. But you a drink?”
    “You’ve got a hell of a lot of nerve, you son of a bitch.” Keith’s voice was low and tight as he slid somewhat ungracefully onto the neighboring stool. He turned to confront Joel, one arm lying along the bar. His hand was clenched. The smell of alcohol was strong on his breath. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
    Joel picked up his beer. “I take it this is not a social call?”
    Keith glared at him with angry, glassy eyes. “I know what happened today, you bastard. Damn you, I know all about it.”
    “Yeah? What happened?”
    “Diana went to your motel room. I know she was with you.”
    Joel lowered his glass carefully onto the bar. “Take it easy, Escott. It wasn’t what you think it was,” he said quietly.
    “Did the two of you think I wouldn’t find out? This is a small town, in case you’ve forgotten.”
    “I haven’t forgotten.”
    Keith flushed. “She thinks you’ve come back here to take her away. She thinks you’re going to rescue her.”
    “She knows that’s not true.” Joel looked at him. “Listen, Escott. I am not interested in Diana. I did not come back here because of her, and I have no intention of taking her away with me. Got that?”
    “That’s not what she thinks. And that’s not what I think. You’re here because of what happened fifteen years ago. Admit it, God damn you.”
    “I’m here because of something that happened fifteen years ago,” Joel said quietly. “But it had nothing to do with Diana.”
    “You wanted to marry her.”
    “I changed my mind.”
    Keith braced himself against the edge of the bar and stood up. “You mean
she
changed
her
mind. She came to her senses and wouldn’t run off with you. Why should she? You were just some no-account scum who worked in her father’s boatyard. Fun to fool around with for a while, maybe, but why in hell would she want to marry you?”
    “Right. Why would she want to marry me? I had nothing to offer Diana. She made that real clear.”
    “But you look different to her now.” Keith’s voice was getting louder. “You come back here looking like a high-power corporate executive, and she thinks you’ve turned into her knight in shining armor. The one who’s going to take her away from all this.” His arm swept out in a broad arc that connected with his whiskey glass.
    The glass crashed to the floor, causing the nearest patron to scramble off his stool. A sudden silence descended on the Anchor as heads turned toward Keith and Joel.
    “Take it easy, Escott.” Joel kept his voice