He hung up and took the drink Chico offered him.
“Ain’t revenge grand?” Swenson said.
“Sure is,” Trace said. “Listen, there’ll be a lot of expenses on this one, Bob. No matter how it goes. Pop and Chico and me.”
“Whatever it takes. Just remember you owe me three thousand dollars.”
“I’ve got it. The check just cleared.”
Later they were joined by Dan Rosado and his wife, and last of all by Sarge and Mrs. Tracy. Trace thought she had a look on her face that would make a basset hound look absolutely jovial by comparison.
“What’s the matter, Mother?”
“It’s all your fault.”
“What is?”
“Last night, after I won all that money, I went to bed and I was thinking, If I bet more, I’ll win more. So today I went back to that machine and tried again.”
“How’d you do?”
“I gave everything back that I won yesterday. And I lost ten dollars besides. I’ll be glad to get home.”
“I’ll hate to see you go,” Trace said.
Later, Chico poured each of them a glass of champagne. Mrs. Tracy examined her glass carefully for dirt spots.
Chico led the toast. “To the man I sometimes love,” she said, raising her glass, which held barely a teaspoon of wine.
“To my friend,” said Bob Swenson, raising his glass.
“And mine,” Rosado said, lifting his glass, but not drinking.
They all looked at Mrs. Tracy, but she was still busy examining the glass. Sarge lifted his glass and said, “To my son.”
After they drank, Chico started singing “Happy Birthday.” Everyone joined in except Trace’s mother.
Chico clicked her glass against Trace’s. “All’s well that ends well, partner,” she said.
“All’s well that ends,” he said. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “I love you.”
“That makes us even,” Chico said.
And 47 Miles of Rope (Trace 2) Page 22