“It’s all right, honey,” I said. “We’re out of it now. Don’t worry… it’s all right now.”
In the distance a siren hooted, and the wash from a passing ship suddenly slapped against the side of the wharf.
I said, “Let’s get out of this. We’ve had enough grief for one night.”
It was several minutes before she drew away from me, and I was mighty sorry to feel her go. We went down the street together, out of the dark into the lights of the main street.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
IT WAS NOON before I woke. For several minutes I couldn’t make out where the hell I was, then I remembered and sat up on my couch with a rueful grin.
The sun was shining all right, and Mardi was in my bed in the next room. I didn’t have anything to beef about. I swung my legs to the floor and went into the bathroom. A cold shower did a lot to bring me to the surface, and after a shave I felt good.
I put on my silk dressing-gown and ran a comb through my hair, then I put my head round Mardi’s door and took a look at her. I could just see a small lump in the bed and I guessed she was still sleeping. I got a big kick out of thinking she was right there in my bed.
I telephoned downstairs for a double breakfast, and while I was waiting I smoked a cigarette.
The service waiter looked at me curiously when he wheeled the tray in, and he took a quick gander round the room. I gave him a dollar and he grinned at me. Maybe he’d been young once, and maybe he remembered using a double breakfast in a single room. Anyway, the dollar did the trick and he took himself off without any crack.