His Secret. Part Two.

They were sitting at a dimly lit table. Albert sat with his chin in the palm of his hands. He gazed at Penny with his head tilted to one side, he could only see the faint outline of her nose and chin, but he remembered that she was happy; he thought he could see her smiling. He made her a rich tomato basil bisque, and told her the good news as she took dainty sips from her spoon and licked her full lips after each bite. Albert closed his eyes to savor the memory and took another sip of his drink. He remembered how excited he was to have something that just the two of them shared. Albert kept drinking and thinking about Penny, about Penny and Nathan, about Penny and Nathan and the boat. Then on his fifth gin and tonic another name popped into his head: Lindsay. Albert struggled to remember why he was thinking about Lindsay. Lindsay and Nathan. Penny and Lindsay. Nathan. Penny. Penny.

Albert slouched in his chair with his chin swaying side to side against his chest, he started to feel something swelling in his chest. He closed his eyes and took deep breathes. Lindsay and Nathan. Lindsay and Nathan were out on the boat. They were taking care of him now. The swelling in his chest started to subside. He remembered now. Was he really thinking about Penny this whole time? He let out a laugh at his own confusion. Penny was still his favorite, but Lindsay was taking care of him now. It must be the gin and tonic, he thought as he ordered another.