“Very strange,” he said.

“How so?”

“Too long a story to tell now, sweetcakes. Can I call you later?”

“Sure.” Then: “Did you say ‘sweetcakes’?”

When they hung up, Myron frowned. Something was amiss. He and Jessica had never been closer, their relationship never stronger. Moving in together had been the right move, and a lot of their past demons had been exorcised away of late. They were loving toward each other, considerate of each other’s feelings and needs, and almost never fought.

So why did Myron feel like they were standing on the cusp of some deep abyss?

He shook it off. All of this was just the by-product of an over-stimulated imagination. Just because a ship is sailing upon smooth waters, he surmised, does not mean it is heading for an iceberg.

Wow, that was deep.

By the time he got back to the table, Tad Crispin was sipping an iced tea too. Win made the introductions. Crispin was dressed in yellows, lots of yellows, kind of like the man with the yellow hat from the Curious George books. Everything was yellow. Even his golf shoes. Myron tried not to make a face.

As if reading his mind, Norm Zuckerman said, “This isn’t our line.”

“Good to hear,” Myron said.

Tad Crispin stood. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Myron offered up a great big smile. “It’s a true honor to meet you, Tad.” His voice reeked with the sincerity of, say, a chain-store appliance salesman. The two men shook hands. Myron kept on smiling. Crispin began to look wary.

Zuckerman pointed a thumb at Myron and leaned toward Win. “Is he always this smooth?”

Win nodded. “You should see him with the ladies.”

Everyone sat.

“I can’t stay long,” Crispin said.

“We understand, Tad,” Zuckerman said, doing the shooing thing again with both hands. “You’re tired, you need to concentrate on tomorrow. Go already, get some sleep.”

Crispin sort of smiled a little and looked at Win. “I want you to have my account,” he said.

“I don’t ‘have’ accounts,” Win corrected. “I advise on them.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Most definitely,” Win said. “You are in control of your money at all times. I will make recommendations. I will make them to you directly. No one else. We will discuss them. You will then make a final decision. I will not buy or sell or trade anything without you being fully aware of what is going on.”

Crispin nodded. “That sounds good.”

“I thought it might,” Win said. “From what I see, you plan on watching your money carefully.”

“Yes.”

“Savvy,” Win said with a nod. “You’ve read about too many athletes retiring broke. Of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous money managers and the like.”

“Yes.”

“And it will be my job to help you maximize your return, correct?”

Crispin leaned forward a bit. “Correct.”

“Very well, then. It will be my task to help maximize your investment opportunities after you earn it. But I would not be serving your best interests if I did not also tell you how to make more.”

Crispin’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure I follow.”

Zuckerman said, “Win.”

Win ignored him. “As your financial consultant, I would be remiss if I did not make the following recommendation: You need a good agent.”

Crispin’s line of vision slid toward Myron. Myron remained still, looking back at him steadily. He turned back to Win. “I know you work with Mr. Bolitar,” Crispin said.

“Yes and no,” Win said. “If you decide to use his services I do not make one penny more. Well, that’s not exactly true. If you choose to use Myron’s services, you will make more money and subsequently I will have more of your money to invest. So in that way, I will make more.”

“Thanks,” Crispin said, “but I’m not interested.”

“That’s up to you,” Win said, “but let me just explain a little further what I meant by yes and no. I manage assets worth approximately four hundred million dollars. Myron’s clients represent less than three percent of that total. I am not employed by MB SportsReps. Myron Bolitar is not employed by Lock-Horne Securities. We do not have a partnership. I have not invested in his enterprise and he is not invested in mine. Myron has never looked at, asked about, or in any way discussed the financial situation of any of my clients. We are totally separate. Except for one thing.”

All eyes were on Win. Myron, not famous for knowing when to keep his mouth shut, knew now.

“I am the financial consultant for every one of his clients,” Win said. “Do you know why?”

Crispin shook his head.

“Because Myron insists upon it.”

Crispin looked confused. “I don’t understand. If he gets nothing out of it—”

“I didn’t say that. He gets plenty out of it.”

“But you said—”

“He, too, was an athlete; did you know that?”

“I heard something about it.”

“He knows what happens to athletes. How they get cheated. How they squander their earnings, never fully accepting the fact that their careers can be over in a heartbeat. So he insists—insists, mind you—that he does not handle their finances. I’ve seen him refuse clients because of this. He further insists that I handle them. Why? For the same reason you sought me out. He knows I am the best. Immodest but true. Myron further insists that they see me in person at least once every quarter. Not just phone calls. Not just faxes or E-mails or letters. He insists that I go over every item in the account personally with them.”

Win leaned farther back and steepled his fingers. The man loved to steeple his fingers. It looked good on him. Gave him an air of wisdom. “Myron Bolitar is my best friend. I know he’d give his life for me and I for him. But if he ever thought that I was not doing what was in a client’s best interest, he would take away their portfolios without a second thought.”

Norm said, “Beautiful speech, Win. Got me right there.” He pointed to his stomach.

Win gave him the look. Norm stopped smiling.

“I made the deal with Mr. Zuckerman on my own,” Crispin said. “I could make others.”

“I won’t comment on the Zoom deal,” Win said. “But I will tell you this. You are a bright young man. A bright man knows not only his strengths but equally important, he knows his weaknesses. I do not, for example, know how to negotiate an endorsement contract. I may know the basics, but it is not my business. I’m not a plumber. If a pipe in my house broke, I would not be able to fix it. You are a golfer. You are one of the greatest talents I have ever seen. You should concentrate on that.”