Chapter 6

Monday began bright and early, as usual, but it was a big day for us—we had the first of our final inspections by the local code inspector. We’d had periodic inspections as the renovations progressed, but these were the big ones.

Trip and I dressed in slacks and button-down shirts—casual, but far more dressy than our usual work clothes. He was nervous at breakfast, but I wasn’t particularly worried. Then again, ignorance is bliss.

We parked in front of the Craftsman houses and waited for the rest of the men to arrive. All three crews were scheduled to work at the site, cleaning up and working on the final punch lists.

Another car pulled up as Trip and I were talking with Blackie and Mike. I thought the inspector had arrived early, but Trip’s eyes widened when he saw who it was. I started to ask, but then turned to see for myself.

“Holy shit,” I said under my breath.

“Friend of yours?” Blackie said.

“Something like that,” Trip said.

I merely set my jaw.

Professor Joska walked toward us. “Good morning, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Whitman, gentlemen.”

What the hell is he doing here? I thought. No one could turn me into a quivering wreck faster than Professor Laszlo Joska and his “You’ll have to do better, Mr. Hughes.” I didn’t need to fall apart, especially in front of the crew.

“Good morning, Professor,” Trip said.

I managed something intelligible, but only just.

Trip had the composure to introduce Blackie and Mike. They’d seen his seal and signature on the drawings, so they knew who he was, but they definitely didn’t know his history with me.

“I understand you have your final inspections today,” Joska said.

How the hell does he know that?

“I hope you don’t mind if I join you. I’d like to see your work.”

Blackie and Mike gave each other an amused look.

I actually bristled when I saw it. Joska could be punctilious and stiff, and he had an odd accent, but he deserved more respect than that.

“Not at all, sir,” Trip said smoothly. “We’re just about to do our own inspection and create a final punch list. Right, Blackie?”

“Um, right.”

The crews were already working, so the five of us entered the first house amidst the clamor of men cleaning, sweeping, and hauling debris to the dumpster.

We started slowly, mostly because I kept looking over my shoulder to see Joska’s reactions. Blackie had to point out a couple of obvious problems in the first part of the house, and I silently cursed myself for not paying attention. By the time we reached the kitchen, I was completely flustered, and I’d missed three more things.

Focus, I told myself. You designed these houses, and you worked on them with your own hands. You know what you’re doing.

Then act like it!

Trip gave me a quizzical look, which I ignored as I took the plans from him. Blackie and Mike grinned at my sudden concentration, but then frowned as I pointed out several problems. They were small problems, but I wanted them fixed. Blackie made a note on his pad.

I went through the rest of the house with the four of them in tow. By the time we finished, Blackie had a page and a half of fixes. All of them were minor, but I was too fired up to let any of them slide.

The second house went the same way. Trip, Blackie, and Mike exchanged a few looks, but I was in my own world. I wanted the real houses to match the ones in my head, and I didn’t even have to look at the plans to find the problems. Blackie made notes as I pointed them out. Professor Joska was as inscrutable as ever, though I knew he was passing judgment on me. I was still too focused to care.

When I finally looked at my watch, I did a double take. I thought we’d spent about an hour on both houses. In reality, we’d been working for four hours, and it was almost lunchtime.

“Why don’t we go through the list over lunch?” Trip suggested.

Blackie and Mike nodded.

“Would you like to join us, Professor?” Trip asked.

“Oh, absolutely. If Mr. Hughes doesn’t mind.”

I shook my head, but it was surly. Why does he make me crazy?

We went to lunch at a nearby restaurant, a barbecue place with good ribs, although I didn’t pay attention to my food. I scrutinized Joska’s face for any sign of disapproval, but he merely listened as we went over the list. Blackie and Trip nixed some of my changes, mostly due to time and money. I wanted to argue, but I knew they were right.

“How long do you think it’ll take to complete everything?” Trip finally asked.

Blackie considered. “End of the day for most,” he said at last. “Then a couple of hours tomorrow.” He looked to Mike.

“‘Bout that,” Mike said.

“Do you have anything to add, Professor?” Trip said.

“No. I believe you and Mr. Hughes have things well in hand. I’ll be happy to stay for the formal inspection, if you’d like the weight of my professional presence.”

“Thank you, sir,” Trip said. “We’d appreciate that.”

Even I couldn’t argue with that. Professor Joska was the architect of record for the renovation plans. I knew them forward and backward, but I didn’t have the professional credentials, so my opinion didn’t amount to much. Not officially, at least.

The inspector arrived shortly after we returned from the restaurant. We shook hands all around—he’d met us before, during the initial inspections—and introduced Professor Joska.

Another car pulled up and a man got out. “Excuse me,” he said, “I need to speak to”—he looked at his clipboard—”Mr. Whitman.”

“Hi,” Trip said, his hand extended. “What can I do for you?”

The man ignored Trip’s hand. “I’m Inspector Petrewski from the City Beer Board, and I need to speak to you about some irregularities with your application.”

“Beer Board?” Trip said. “Irregularities? What application?”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain a few things, Mr. Whitman,” Petrewski said.

“What things? I didn’t file an application with your office.”

They argued for nearly five minutes. Trip tried to remain calm, but he was growing frustrated. I expected Blackie or Mike to step in, but they both held back.

“Your application has been flagged,” Petrewski said at last, “and if I don’t get some answers pretty darned quick, construction will be suspended until you pay the proper fines.”

Trip looked like he wanted to sputter. Instead, he took a deep breath. “If it’s simply a matter of ... paying a fee...,” he grated, “I’ll be happy to ... take care of it. Do I pay you, Inspector?”

My eyes widened. Was this a shakedown? I wanted to punch the guy. How dare he?

Petrewski shot me a nervous glance. “That’s not what I’m here for,” he said.

“Perhaps I need to speak to your supervisor,” Trip said, barely under control.

“He’ll tell you the same thing. Without Beer Board approval, construction will be suspended.”

If we couldn’t finish construction, we couldn’t pass inspection. If we couldn’t pass inspection, we couldn’t sell the houses. If we couldn’t sell the houses, we couldn’t pay the mortgage. If we couldn’t pay the mortgage, the banks would foreclose. If the banks foreclosed...

I clenched my fists in silent fury as two months of work flashed before my eyes. I tensed—I didn’t know what I was going to do, but it was going to be violent.

Trip put a hand on my arm. “No! I’ll handle this,” he said. With an act of will, he calmed himself and turned back to Petrewski. “There must be some kind of mix-up,” he said. “These houses are zoned residential. I haven’t filed an application with your office. I don’t need a beer license—”

“If you want to serve beer—”

The last of Trip’s cool finally deserted him. “But I don’t want to serve beer!” he shouted. His rage turned cold. “Listen very carefully, Inspector Petrewski. I don’t want a beer license. I don’t need a beer license. I didn’t apply for a beer license. I’m not going to shut down construction because you show up and wave a bogus application at me. This is a screw up, plain and simple.”

“No screw up, Mr. Whitman,” Petrewski said. “It’s all right here in black and white.”

The men of the construction crew had gathered to watch, and Junior finally lost it. He burst into snickers, and the rest of the men quickly followed suit. Trip and I turned and stared at them. We looked at Blackie and Mike, who managed to look sheepish.

Petrewski merely grinned, albeit nervously. I had a sudden memory of paternity papers and a porcelain doll collection. Sure enough, Big Jim was doubled over, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

“You’re kidding me,” Trip said at last. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

“‘Fraid so,” Blackie said.

Trip merely hung his head and breathed a long sigh. When he looked up again, he shook his head in disbelief and walked over to Big Jim. He extended his hand. “You got me, man.”

The other men circled around, laughing and teasing Trip. Blackie and Mike went to join them, but I held back. I don’t know why, since I didn’t particularly want to talk to Professor Joska. He was as cold and ramrod straight as usual, but then he actually laughed.

“That was a clever prank,” he told me. “I was completely taken in, although Mr. Whitman handled it well.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ve never seen him that upset, though.”

“And what about you?”

“I was ready to deck the guy,” I said.

Joska looked at me for a long moment.

I couldn’t read his expression, and that irked me nearly as much as the joke had.

Finally, he nodded toward the houses. “B-.”

“Excuse me?”

“I give you a B- on the houses, Mr. Hughes. Good execution,” he continued, “although you had a very skilled construction crew. A few problems that made it through your earlier inspections, but you caught them in the end. Not good enough for the highest marks, but certainly a passing grade. So, B-.”

“Um ... thank you. Sir.”

“You’ve learned quite a bit, Mr. Hughes. More than I thought you would, in fact. Still, you need to do better, and you know it.”

“Yes, sir.”

We stood in silence after that, and I couldn’t decide whether to jump for joy or curse his black heart.

We went through the real inspection a little while later. Professor Joska followed, but didn’t say anything. I was nervous as hell, but I tried not to show it. I answered all of the inspector’s questions, and he seemed content. We finished late in the afternoon, but the inspector approved both houses.

“Congratulations,” Joska said when the inspector left. “And thank you gentlemen for letting me impose. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Connelly.” He shook hands with Blackie and Mike. “You do excellent work.” He looked at us. “You too, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Whitman. I look forward to seeing you in class. Good day.”

With a nod, he turned and left.

I silently watched him go. I felt a little bewildered, but I also felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Trip took the entire crew out for a beer after work. The official reason was to celebrate the inspections, but the real reason was to toast Big Jim for his prank. The men teased Trip mercilessly, and they weren’t much kinder to me.

Trip bore the ribbing with good grace, so I tried to do the same. It was hard, very hard, especially when Junior put his arm around me—all chummy and smiling—and told everyone how I’d looked like a deer in the headlights. The men roared with laughter.

“The guy was lucky I didn’t hit him,” I said, which made them laugh even harder.

“We’d bail ya out, college kid,” Junior said.

We celebrated with another round of beer, but then everyone had to go home to their families. They were still laughing as we left the bar.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” I asked Trip as we drove home.

“What?”

“Them laughing at you.”

“Nah. Why should it?”

“They made us look like idiots,” I said.

He shrugged. “So? You gotta admit, it was kinda funny, especially the look on Petrewski’s face when he thought you were gonna slug him.” He laughed. “Yeah, so we looked like idiots. Big deal.”

“Aren’t you worried about your image?”

“Absolutely,” Trip said. “But think about our ‘image’ if we got angry instead.” He scoffed. “We’d still look like idiots. But if we threw a tantrum, we’d look like immature idiots who couldn’t take a joke. So, which is worse?”

“I dunno,” I grumbled.

“If you can’t take a joke, you’re in the wrong business,” he said seriously. “Construction guys are notorious for this kind of stuff. Besides, it’s a good thing, especially for you.”

“How?”

“Dude, don’t you get it?”

“Get what?”

“You’re one of us now. One of them.”

“How do you mean?” I said.

“That stunt with Petrewski wasn’t about just me. You were part of the joke too.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” He knocked on my skull. “Hello? Anyone in there? Think about it, dude. If they didn’t care, why would they go to the trouble of setting us up like that?”

“You mean they did it because they like us?”

“Of course. Why else would they do it?”

“To make us look like idiots. Especially in front of Joska.”

“Is that what this is about? Joska?”

“No,” I said, but Trip heard the lie.

He chuckled. “Relax, dude. Joska’s a pretty smart guy. He knew what today was about.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“Gabba gabba hey.”

I shot him a look like he’d gone out of his mind. He’d had a few beers, but I didn’t think he was that drunk.

“It’s the Ramones, dude. We accept you, one of us.”

“So you’re saying they accept me?”

“Gabba gabba hey.”

I tried to stay annoyed, but his smile was so goofy that I couldn’t keep a straight face. “You’re nuts,” I said at last.

“Yeah, probably. But I’m right.”

The final inspection on the Colonial Revival was almost anticlimactic. I looked for Professor Joska, but he didn’t show up, which wasn’t really a surprise. The Revival house was a more straightforward renovation, with few architectural changes.

Blackie, Trip, and I toured the house. We had Cyrus’s crew with us, since they’d done most of the work there, and the men started fixing things as soon as we had a preliminary punch list. I only managed to spot a dozen minor problems, so they were almost done by the time the inspector arrived.

“No beer license today?” he said with a chuckle.

Trip smiled. “Lord, I hope not.”

The inspector found one problem that I’d missed, a code issue with the outlets in the kitchen. “But it’s a minor thing,” he said, “and the code change is pretty recent.”

“We’ll have an electrician out here to fix it tomorrow morning,” Trip said, and Blackie nodded.

“No problem,” the inspector said. “I’ll go ahead and sign off on the house.”

I wondered at that, but he seemed to trust that Trip would make things right, so I kept my mouth shut. Still, I felt a wave of relief when he signed the final inspection certificate.

“It’s always a pleasure, gentlemen,” he said as he shook hands with Blackie and Trip. “Y’all do good work. You too, Paul. Good job.”

I shook his hand and tried not to bounce with boyish pride.

“I’ve been thinking,” Trip said later that night.

We were sitting in our open-air lounge, drinking and listening to the Ramones. (Trip thought I needed an education in punk rock, so he was treating me to something he called the “CBGB hit parade,” whatever that meant.)

“Yeah?” I said.

“After we close on the houses, we’ll have a couple of days before we head back to school.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you thought about what you want to do?”

I shrugged. “Not really. Spend some time with Kendall, that’s for sure. Beyond that...” I shrugged again. “Why?” He made an elaborately nonchalant gesture, and I fought not to grin.

“I dunno,” he said at last. “I thought you might go to the nudist camp or something.”

I decided to tease him. “What would I do there?”

“Whatever you normally do, I guess.”

“Not much, really. Besides, I’ve already been there once this summer.”

“I thought you might go again.”

“Nah. Too boring.”

“Oh. Okay. I just thought ... you know.”

I managed to keep a straight face for about three seconds.

“What’s so funny?” Trip said.

“You! Dude, relax. If you want to go to camp, just say so. You know you can ask me anything, right?”

“Well, I just thought...”

I laughed again. “I don’t get you sometimes,” I said, with a smile in my voice to take the sting out of my words. “You’re so confident when it comes to some things, like that beer inspector, but when it comes to others, you can’t even ask your best friend to go to a nudist camp with him. Jeez! Lighten up, man. You’re going to die of terminal modesty.”

“I didn’t think you’d just say yes,” he grumbled.

“Yes!”

He eventually laughed, at himself as much as my over-the-top enthusiasm.

“Yes!” I shouted again. “We can go to the nudist camp!”

“Shhhh. You’ll wake the whole neighborhood.”

I started to shout again, but then I looked around in chagrin. “Let me call Susan,” I said instead. “I’m sure she has room, but I want to let her know we’re coming. And to tell my folks. Do you mind if I ask Kendall to join us, O shy one?”

He cracked a grin. “Do you think she’ll come?”

“I’m sure she will, especially if you do that fuck-and-suck thing.”

He turned crimson.

I laughed again. “Let me get on the phone before it’s too late.”

“Absolutely,” Susan said when I talked to her. “We’d love to have you.” She paused. “Do you want to stay with me, or in a cabin by yourselves?”

It would be nice to spend some time with her, but I really didn’t want to impose on her hospitality with the wild sex I had planned.

“Probably a cabin,” I said at last.

I could almost hear her smile. “I’ll tell Jeremiah.”

We talked for a few more minutes, and she promised to tell my parents that we were coming. When I said goodbye and hung up, I dialed Kendall’s number.

“Hi,” I said. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Hi yourself,” she said.

“Can you come to camp this weekend? Trip and I are going, and we can pick you up on the way. I’ve already talked to Susan, and we’ll have a cabin to ourselves. How’s that sound?”

“Oh, Paul,” she said, “I’m so sorry.”

My face fell.

“Mom and I are driving up to see Aunt Arbutus this weekend.”

“Hold on,” I said, momentarily distracted. “Aunt who?”

“Arbutus. She was in the hospital. Remember? I told you—”

“I remember,” I said. “I just didn’t know her name.” And what kind of name is “Arbutus?”

Kendall read my silent confusion. “It’s a flower.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, she’s home from the hospital, so we’re driving up to see her before I go back to school.”

“Maybe you could cut your visit short?” I said. “And come to camp with us?”

“Oh, Paul, I’m so sorry. I want to, but I can’t.”

“Why not? You could drive up with your mom and then I’ll come get you and we could...” I heard her stop breathing when she realized I was talking about flying. I sighed. “Yeah, right,” I said into the silence. “Not gonna happen.”

“I’m sorry, Paul. I want to, but we promised.”

Yeah? But what about your promises to me? “I understand,” I said aloud. “No problem. I’ll see you at school.”

“Wait, do you have to go?”

“To camp?”

“No. Do you have to get off the phone?”

I shrugged.

“I thought we could talk.”

“Maybe some other time,” I said.

“Oh ... okay.”

“Sorry.” I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I came up with an excuse. “Trip’s waiting for me outside, and he’s pretty excited. I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“I understand,” she said. “We’ll have time when we’re back at school.”

“Yeah.”

“All the time in the world.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said.

“I’m sorry, Paul. I really want to go, but...”

“No problem.”

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you too.”

We said goodbye and hung up.

Trip’s grin faded when I returned. “Problems?”

“No and yes,” I said. “No problem with going to camp. Susan has a cabin for us.”

“Kendall, then?”

“She’s going to see her Aunt Arbutus.”

Trip fell silent.

“Yeah,” I said heavily. I shrugged and tried to put things in a positive light. “I guess it’s just gonna be us bachelors.”

“Sounds okay to me,” he said, with a smile more real than my own.

We finished the last-minute work and site clean-up on Wednesday. I spent most of the day going over the houses top to bottom, doing a thorough inspection. Junior teased me about it, but Mike told him to can it. I found a few things I wasn’t happy with, but I fixed them myself. Mostly, I was being picky.

We celebrated that evening with dinner for the men and their families at the nearby barbecue restaurant. Trip booked the entire restaurant, and I didn’t even want to imagine what it cost. He made a short speech and thanked everyone, and then handed out envelopes with the men’s bonuses, in cash.

Blackie and the crew leaders received an extra bonus. I didn’t know exactly how much—Trip had set aside nearly a quarter of our total profits for bonuses alone—but Mike had mentioned a down payment on a new truck, so it was probably substantial.

After Trip finished with the envelopes, Junior made a show of reaching for his wallet. I thought he was going to stuff his bonus into it, but he pulled money out instead. He stood and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. His date looked puzzled, but Big Jim silenced her with a headshake.

“I ain’t much for speeches,” Junior said to the room, “so I’ll keep this short and sweet.” He held up a ten-dollar bill. “I made a bet with the college kid, and he won. No one can say I don’t pay my debts.” He chuckled and looked thoughtful. “If I’d known we were gonna get this much work out of him for ten bucks, I’d’ve made it twenty instead.”

The men laughed, but they also nodded in agreement. Mike even slapped me on the back.

“Anyway,” Junior continued, “I just wanna say I’m glad I was wrong.” He held out the ten dollars and I rose to take it. He sat down, and I stood there for a moment, a little bewildered by the men’s attention. Then Junior said, “Say something, college kid.”

I looked around the room at the men’s faces, tan and lined from their time in the sun. I’d learned something from most of them, and gained their respect through hard work and determination. I felt my chest tighten with a swell of emotion.

“Thanks, guys,” I said at last. I didn’t trust myself to say more, so I merely smiled.

The men nodded in silent approval, even Junior.

Gabba gabba hey.

We didn’t have to get up early the next day, which felt strange. We had to be at the title attorney’s office by ten o’clock, so we went for a swim and then ate a leisurely breakfast with Darlene and the boys. She was still trying to fatten us up, and we obliged her by eating too much.

“I guess it’s time for you to wear that suit,” Trip said on the short walk down to the apartment. He grinned. “Which one you gonna wear?”

“The charcoal one with pinstripes. You?”

“My dark blue one. It’s not as nice as yours, though, so I’m gonna look like your poor cousin.”

I laughed.

“I’m serious. I need to buy a new suit. Fashion’s never really been my thing.”

“You dress okay,” I said.

“Not as nice as you.”

“Why don’t you get Randi to help you pick one out?”

“I dunno.”

“I thought you two hit it off,” I said, a little confused.

He shrugged. “Well, with me going back to school, and her working here...”

I nodded silently.

“Besides,” he added, “I don’t really want a girlfriend right now. Too soon after Abby. You know?”

It was an excuse, but I didn’t call him on it.

“Anyway,” he said, changing the subject, “maybe you can help me buy a new suit.”

I sighed to myself. “Sure.”

The first closing went smoothly. The young couple was excited, and they went on about how beautiful the house looked. I actually shared their excitement, along with a sense of pride when Trip gave them the keys. It was a heady thing, being a part of the couple’s first house.

The second closing went just as well. The couple was expecting a new baby, and they were looking forward to a house with three bedrooms. The wife even commented on the clever arrangement of the linen closet—it was one of the major reasons they bought the house. I wanted to take credit, but it had been Professor Joska’s idea, so I silently thanked him instead.

We took a break for lunch and returned for the closing on the Colonial Revival. The family buying it was eager to have the extra room, especially in the backyard. They’d already spent the day looking for a new swing set for their children. They weren’t as excited as the younger couples, but I still felt a sense of pride when they accepted the keys.

I had just made three families very happy. I’d also made a touch more than ten thousand dollars.

Believe it or not, I couldn’t decide which I liked more.

Back at the apartment, Trip and I packed our things for camp. We didn’t need much, and since we didn’t have to pick up Kendall, we planned to fly instead of drive. I was more than happy to add the hours to my logbook, but I would’ve gladly traded it for time with Kendall. Still, I understood why she was visiting her aunt. I wasn’t exactly happy about it, but our relationship was about more than just what I wanted.

Trip and I said goodbye to Darlene and the boys, and then headed to the airport. They had our usual plane waiting for us, and Trip walked with me as I preflighted it. Then we stowed our backpacks and climbed into the cockpit.

“Here we go,” he said when I started the engine.

“The first day of the rest of your life,” I said. Then I smirked.

“What?”

“Do I need to have a talk with you about how important first impressions are with these people?”

“Touché.”

We were still chuckling as I tuned the radio to the Unicom frequency. My finger hovered over the radio transmit button. I looked at Trip. “You ready?”

“Go for it.”

I scanned the ramp and then thumbed the button. “John C. Tune traffic, Cessna 92895, taxi from ramp to Runway 20 via...”

I looked for my mother’s station wagon when we landed in South Carolina, but it wasn’t there. I thought Susan might pick us up, but no one had shown up by the time I finished fueling the plane.

I was about to use the phone in the FBO when I spotted an approaching car. Mom’s station wagon zoomed into the parking lot a minute later. Erin and Leah screeched to a stop.

“Get in,” Leah called from the open passenger window. “Hurry!”

Trip and I looked at each other, puzzled.

“Hurry!”

I trotted around the car, but stopped in my tracks when I passed the open driver’s side window. Erin was nude, and she shot me a nervous look. I grinned when I realized what they were up to.

“Um ... do you mind,” she said. “We’re kind of exposed here.”

Trip didn’t look at the girls as he got into the car, so he didn’t know what was going on. I threw my things into the back, and Erin gunned the engine before I even shut my door.

“What’s going on?” Trip said.

I merely smiled and gestured for him to look in the front. Leah saved him the trouble—she turned and rested her arms on the seat back.

“Hi,” she said, cool as a cucumber. Her dark eyes sparkled with mischief, and Trip immediately looked at her bare breasts. He caught himself, but not before she smirked in triumph. When she looked at me, he stole another glance, which made me smirk.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Trip wrestle with his conscience: he wanted to look, but he didn’t want to be rude and stare.

“You,” I said to Leah. “Did you drive the whole way like that?”

She gave me a smug look. “Uh-huh.”

Trip swallowed hard. “You mean ... they ... both of them ... I mean... in public?”

“Sure, silly,” Leah said. “We’re nudists.” She extended her hand to him. “Nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Leah.”

Trip shook her hand, but his eyes flicked to her breasts, bouncing less than a foot from his hand. I did my best not to laugh at his expression.

Leah studiously ignored me. With her eyes still fixed on Trip, she said, “Aren’t you all gonna take off your clothes?”

“Now?” he rasped.

“Uh-huh.”

He watched in silent disbelief as I kicked off my shoes.

“Are you sure this is such a good idea?” he said.

“No,” I said honestly, “but it seems like the polite thing to do. I mean, they’re already nude, after all.”