The 6'2'', 200 Lb. Challenge

Smart, too.

He’d think of something to get rid of Mimi Pickford.

As he took a fork to the meat loaf—just for a little taste—Gibson reflected that if he had met Mimi before the fire, he would have been charming to her. In that rakish sort of way that had never failed him with women. She would have found him irresistible. He would have used his smile to great advantage. They would have made love. Maybe even before they knew each other’s last names. And she would have been his for as long or for as little a time as he wanted.

But now he didn’t think of himself as that much of a man.

Just as he didn’t think of himself as that much of a hero.

The last customer left Boris’s at midnight, an hour later than closing time. But Mimi had had to refill the sugar bowls and saltshakers on the tables and had promised Boris that she’d clean the grill for him tonight—he had to leave early because his wife’s brother was in town. So Mimi didn’t mind Barbara lingering over a cup of coffee as she despaired over her relationship with her husband.

“Sometimes I lose my temper,” Barbara explained, although she didn’t really have to. She had told this story to Mimi before. “And then I say things I don’t really mean.”

“We all do that,” Mimi said gently. “I’m sure Gary understands.”

“I was so tired from work and I let him have it about which one of us would do the laundry. But you know? It’s like you said, we could do it together. Oh, Mimi, I would go home and apologize but I’m too embarrassed.”

“Sometimes our pride gets in the way, doesn’t it?” Mimi said, in a way that made it clear that everyone, Mimi included, made the same mistakes Barbara made.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the darkened glass door and both women jumped. Then Barbara broke into a smile.

“It’s Gary!” she cried out. “I wonder how he knew where to find me.”

Mimi went to trip the lock to let Gary in. He drew his wife into his arms and the couple kissed away each other’s apologies.

“No, it’s really my fault,” Barbara insisted. “But how did you know I was here?”

Mimi, who had withdrawn discreetly to the counter to rub down the saltshakers, shot Gary a warning glance.

“I was just lucky,” Gary said to his wife. “Let’s go home. It’s late, and we’ve both got work tomorrow.”