"She's hanging in there," Willow said. "A line of men was following her around in the mall the last time I saw her." "Men." Cree shook her head. "They come in handy at a picnic--as my mother used to say. You got the last good one. Patrick is a sweetie." "As long as you put the pliers back. Jesus." Willow said. There was a great commotion from the attackers as they ran back towards their own goal holding their arms in the air. Mustangs down, one-zip. "Oh, dear." "We will conquer," Cree said. "Martin's going to be upset. He's planning to be a World Cup goalie." "He carries himself like Patrick. Where did the name come from?" "My father's name is Martin, and also . . . You've got to keep this to yourself." Cree moved closer. "Do you remember Martin Merrill in Woodstock--lived on the Byrdcliffe Road, played banjo and fiddle?" "Sure," Cree said. "He was around a lot. He had a glamorous mother, right?" "Right." Willow sipped coffee. "One night, Patrick and I were in the Depresso--about a week before we left town. We'd decided to get married and move to Tallahassee so Patrick could go back to school. We were celebrating. Martin came in, and we told him our plans. He was happy about it and said he had a wedding present for us. "Patrick said to him, 'Wedding present? All right! We don't even have a date.' "'Soon,' I said. "'Nobody knows,' Patrick said. "'My parents already fear the worst," I said. "'I've got to call my father,' Patrick said. "Well, when Patrick said that, Martin leaned across the table. 'You mean our father, don't you?' I thought Patrick was going to fall off his chair; his mouth opened and nothing came out. 'Take it easy,' Martin said. 'It's no big deal.' "'The hell it isn't,' Patrick finally got out. "'It is and it isn't,' Martin said. "'How did you know?' Patrick asked. "'After my dad died--my other dad--I heard my mom talking. She and her best friend were drinking. They thought I was asleep. She'd never said anything. I guess she was worried that the family would throw her out or disown her or something.' Martin looked sad. 'You remember things like that. When you showed up, I knew right away.' "'I thought there was something similar about you two,' I said. Patrick held his hands across the table, extending his fingers. "'Same hands,' he said. Martin spread his fingers to compare, and then they clasped hands for a moment. "'I figured you knew,' Martin said, 'because of the way you kept watching me."' "I'll be damned," Cree said. Willow finished her coffee. "So, they talked and decided not to rock the boat." "You never know, do you?" Cree said.