Part 72 (1/2)

He folded his arms before him on the table and, by his presence and his very corpulence, seemed to be a man who'd spent many happy hours in that location.

Elaine Grover served them coffee. And a cinnamon cake. Grover took two ample pieces and Elaine offered the rest to their guest.

Thomas declined with a smile.

”No, no, I insist,” said Grover, his mouth full and speaking with a voice m.u.f.fled by pastry.

”It's excellent.”

Elaine hadn't moved the cake from where she held it for Thomas.

Thomas, rea.s.sessing his decision, took the smallest piece offered.

Grover took another piece as it pa.s.sed by him again and was working on that third piece when he began to speak.

”d.a.m.ned good, isn't it?” he said.

Trying to be sociable, Thomas agreed.

”I'll get you another piece before you leave” Grover said.

”Elaine will wrap it up. You can take it with you.” His lips smacked as he spoke, punctuating his sentences.

Grover continued for several minutes, dipping into a monologue on his wife's baking.

”Married, Daniels?” he asked, not waiting for an answer.

”Marry a woman who can cook. A wife's got two jobs to do. Cooking's the other one.” He continued, moving on to the comparative merits of the bakeries of lower Manhattan.

”The French think they're the bakers,” he postulated between gulps of coffee.

”French don't know c.r.a.p about pastry. Show me a great baker and I'll show you an Italian He allowed himself a satisfied smile. Thomas returned it. Grover was no fool. He'd just admitted who he was, his origins around Mulberry Street.

”How's the city?” he asked.

”I never go there no more ' ”It's still there” said Thomas.

”It's a great town,” Grover said, as if reminiscing.

”But it's a young man's town, don't you think? I had myself some times there.”

He looked over his shoulder to the door to the kitchen. As if on cue, Elaine reappeared with coffee and more cake. Thomas received more without asking.

When Mrs. Grover disappeared again, Thomas spoke, put at ease somewhat by the large man's informality.

”I was afraid I'd have difficulty with you' he said.

”You wouldn't want to admit, you know, who.

”Who I am?, ”Yes Grover stretched his expansive shoulders.