Steve doesn't have long to wait. Sally just needs to suppress telling Gillian to get home at a reasonable time because really, that may not happen, and her mothering lately has been a little on the intense side. We only have Baedal to blame. Having collected her jacket, Sally follows the path Steve took, pressing a thin smile for him as her flat shoes clap down the pavement outside the Apache.

"You didn't cause any offense," she says, belatedly, thus adding a, "by the way. I'm still a little bit, you know-- I'm from a small town, and I'm still trying to decide if you're..." She squints a little, trying to select the word, but settles on; "...real."