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Macy held her at ar her
"Where’s your hair? You didn’t chop off your hair, did you? One day, you et old and you’ll have to dye it, so you need to have lots of that glorious color while you can!" Macy said
Yes, it was good to be home
"My hair’s all here, Macy," she said "Just swept up because it’s hot as hell on my neck," she said She’d heard that her hair color came down to her from Gus and his family; apparently Blue Anderson, the pirate brother, had enjoyed the sa But whether his moniker had come from the blue-black hair color that appeared in the Anderson clan every so often or the brilliant color of his eyes, no one really knew Or because he had a reputation for the "black and blue" he could inflict on those who defied his orders
"We’ll catch up some more later," she said, then asked, "but where’s Gus?"
"Hmm, I’m not sure He was up in the office You want to wait for hiry? Shall I have the cooks whip so up? You drove five-hundred-plus miles, and you are the heir to a wonderful restaurant!"
"No, I’ve eaten, thanks I stopped at the North-South Carolina border," Abby told her "I’ to run up to the office, okay? If he’s not there, I’ll wait for hi She returned it
She turned to hurry up the stairs but before she could do so, she was hailed from the bar
"Abby! Why, Abby’s here, just as old Gus said!"
Abby knew the voice well
"Bootsie!" she said, turning back to greet theat the end of the bar with two other faether the three looked every bit the rakish pirate crew Young corandfather, Bootsie was still close to seventy--and yet seeeless He had a thick hard-muscled chest and arms like a linebacker He’d been a fixture on his bar stool as long as she could remember, and if any man had ever resembled an old pirate, it was Bootsie His real naan; he’d been in the marines, followed by the merchant marines, and then he’d captained one of the ships that ran along the river He’d had a sweet, long-suffering ho’d indulged his whims and waited patiently at home for whenever he chose to return, but Betty had died about a year ago and Bootsie now spent much of his ti white hair, a white beard--and a peg leg He’d lost his left leg from the knee dohen he was in the service, and he didn’t "cotton to" any of the new technology While he owned a nu was just fine for hi him without it once or twice
If he wore an eye patch, he’d be perfect for the role of pirate, but thankfully, Bootsie still had both eyes
"Look at you, lass! Beautiful! Didn’t I tell you she’d grow up beautiful?" he asked Dirk Johansen, one of his companions at the bar Dirk was the "whippersnapper" of Bootsie’s group of cronies He was in his late forties and still sailing A lean, fit onslayer, since he typically caht off one of his "pirate cruises" on the Black Swan He was handsouished, an eternal bachelor, or so it seemed Abby was pretty sure that Macy had maintained a secret crush on him for years They would have made a handsome couple
Dirk smiled at her as he replied to the state woman for quite a while now Abby, welcome home It’s alonderful to see you"
"Cheers!" said the third roup, Aldous Brentwood Aldous was several times a millionaire from his own--and his family’s--maritime efforts He was in his mid-fifties, but hard work had kept hiht blue eyes and wore a single gold earring in his left lobe Like Bootsie, he could easily pass for a pirate, or, Abby thought, the character for the Mr Clean line of household products
"Bootsie, Dirk, Aldous," Abby said, giving each a quick hug and kiss on the cheek
"Gus rins for a hen you’re coured I’d find hientlerouch? I was on ht be up there I’ed "He letat ten We sat and talked for a while and he did keep looking at his watch, telling ht at opening," Dirk offered
"Yeah, I did, too, but I didn’t see him after that," Aldous said
Sullivan, the lunchtireen eyes and fla red hair, plus a neatly coiffed mustache and beard, came by to check on his "barflies" as the three referred to themselves He smiled at Abby; she didn’t know hirandfather about four years and she’d been gone iven name was Jerry, but he went by Sullivan