Chicago—December 6
It was a slow start to the morning at the Men’s Den, a fine purveyor of gentleman’s wear. Ray busied himself with some housekeeping matters at the cashier stand while keeping an eye on the front door for customers. Cliff was fiddling with dress shirts—straightening the stock, they called it. Bored with the task, he went up to Ray, who was searching for something in his order book.
“So tell me you’ll think about it.”
“About what?”
Cliff understood Ray had been preoccupied lately, worried about a late shipment of suits due to go on sale the week before Christmas, but he couldn’t stop pushing the subject. He let go an exasperated sigh. “You damn well know what. We’ve been talking—”
“Correction. You’ve been talking about marriage. I’ve been listening.”
“Have you really
